Monthly Article Archives: April 2019

Misguided Values, Misguided ParentingRobert Brooks, Ph.D.

In my March article, I discussed the importance of identifying, prioritizing, and being true to our values to lead a more meaningful life. I ended the column by alluding to a story that had dominated the news during that past week (and continues to be a front-page story), namely, the college admissions scandal. It involves themes of dishonesty, elitism, misguided values, and robbing our children of being resilient. I noted that I planned to devote this month’s article to the ramifications of the scandal. I was also interviewed for stories about the scandal for MarketWatch.com and bostonglobe.com. The scandal is well-known to most, if not all, of my readers. Federal prosecutors brought charges against dozens of parents and a college admissions consultant, William “Rick” Singer. Affluent parents, anxious to have their children admitted to what they considered elite schools, paid Singer thousands of dollars to accomplish the task through what he labeled his “side door.” Entrance through this door primarily involved: (a) individuals taking standardized entrance exams for the students or correcting their answers before they were submitted for scoring and (b) bribing athletic coaches to designate their children as star athletes even if they had never played that sport.

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