<p>Professors always think the students of today don’t work as hard as those of the past. If they were really correct, students of today wouldn’t even be able to speak in full sentences.</p>
<p>And while I think work ethic is really important, I think some parents with the intense attitude we’re talking about here are asking for work from their kids that has diminishing returns, as compared with other ways they could be spending their time. The kid who has to spend two hours a day practicing the violin, but who is still only a middling player is, in my opinion, wasting about 90 minutes a day on that activity. Meanwhile, some other kid is earning a Gold Award from the Girl Scouts or something like that.</p>