<p>I guess that about sums it up, English Professor Mom. As a professional writer/editor who has interviewed a lot of new grads from very good colleges, I’m taken aback at the generally poor quality of writing. And yet… my girls are/were at the same high school I went to (a Catholic girls’ college prep) and they work so much harder than we did in the '70s. It was no big deal for a girl from our school, with no APs (they didn’t really exist) and not much in the way of ECs and holding about a 3.5 to go to UCLA or Berkeley. Now they slave away to get into those schools.</p>
<p>It’s a fascinating conundrum. </p>
<p>The reading thing most disturbs me. It’s true, my very smart girls do not read for pleasure. My younger one did all through elementary school, but now HS is so rigorous, and Facebook/Law & Order/Glee so appealing, that she no longer does. And yet we watched tons of crappy TV as kids, too… but I also read a lot.</p>