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"My teenage years were brilliant, and one of the reasons for this is that I was involved in so many active clubs and hobbies. I was an army cadet, I did karate and I even tried hockey and acting for a short while. The Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs) I did as a kid shaped my character more than my lessons in school. I can say that with conviction. In my ECAs, I made new and lasting friendships and learnt cool skills (such as how to start a fire with potassium permanganate, and how to disarm an attacker with a pistol)."

"I loved competitions when I was a kid. Anything involving puzzles, quizzes or games really excited me. In truth: I loved being right and I hated being wrong! School can be quite a competitive environment. Some of our students can really feel the pressure when it comes to scoring highly on tests, exams and extra-curricular tournaments and events."

This is about more than just taking choir in high school - it is a fundamental problem in our educational system examined here by a high school senior. Only 12 minutes long.  When my sons were in HS (they graduated in the mid 1990's), I remember their discussions of just exactly this problem. He offers some solutions, but no quick fixes.