ERASING THE FINISH LINE

 It’s no secret that our youngest generations are struggling. Many parents, caregivers and educators admit to lying awake at night, worried about children’s academic gaps as well as their long-term social and emotional well-being. Rates of anxiety and depression have exploded, and yet, we continue to overly focus on the concerning data, rather than rethinking the metrics with which we measure success or creating sensible solutions to help students navigate their lives. What’s more, parents, educators and students themselves, falsely conflate college acceptance (or rejection) as an indicator of intelligence and ability. Getting into a “good school” has become a default marker of success- a faulty finish line. 

 In Erasing the Finish Line, Ana Homayoun introduces foundational concepts and skills that empower kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds to develop their own individual path. From recognizing the importance of social capital and meaningful sponsorship to redefining success in terms of mastering foundational executive functioning skills, Homayoun examines what kids really need in order to thrive. Rather than focusing on grades, test scores and outward achievements, she demonstrates how exposure to an expanded worldview, along with shared experiences can help kids develop a sense of curious engagement and an ability to build stronger connections and control over their own lives. Ana is Resolute in her determination that a sense of ownership over their lives—knowing themselves deeply- understanding what energizes them, what exhausts them and how they can actively opt out of draining experiences, is what lends kids a greater sense of purpose and happiness. Building skills that will help them develop buoyancy so they can bounce back from disappointment and setbacks in effective and meaningful ways, is the true key to success. These are all the more critical in the time of technology, social media and our 24 hour information overload. 

As a first generation American who built her own practice in Silicon Valley at a very young age, Homayoun’s career path is a living example of her advocacy. With two decades as an academic counselor working directly with students from all backgrounds, Ana offers a fresh and unique perspective to the genre. At a time when many best-selling education big ideas books have been written by white men (including Paul Tough, Ron Lieber) and parenting books have been written by white women (including Michelle Borba, Lisa Damour, and Jessica Lahey), Ana's perspective resonates with the increasing and underserved demographic of book buying parents who are first- and second- generation Americans.

The burnout of our younger generations is well-documented. The recent viral piece in Atlantic entitled, “How Boomer Parenting Fueled Millennial Burnout” traces the prevalent anxiety back to the focus on college admissions and getting into a “good school.” A silver lining to this grievous pandemic has been the extraordinary opportunity to really get to know our kids, free from the strains of commuting and schedules and overrun expectations. Erasing the Finish Line will benefit all students as we begin to examine the path forward in our post-pandemic world.