I can relate to this talk personally because I know a lot of my friends and school mates are under intense pressure to do well in school. There are people in my everyday life, even those whom I don’t know, that will complain, and stress over, and break down because of a bad grade on a test. Sometimes it’s just the amount of work on their plate, so many kids are taking stressful and difficult classes that they shouldn’t be taking, just because it’s more appealing on an application. This mentality doesn’t just come from schools and peers, but it comes from the home as well. Parents are drilling into their own children’s brain the importance of a big brand name college, and this behavior is leading children to feel worthless, as if they won’t be loved if they aren’t successful. It is something I see so often it’s no surprise to me any more why my classmates act the way they do.
This relates to the concept of the American dream because it talks about how to raise successful children, which success to many people plays a significant role in the American dream. The first step in raising successful children is to alleviate the pressure put on them to succeed. Parents need to stop concerning themselves with their child's grades and test scores, and focus more on giving their child love and attention, letting them know that they will still be loved even if they get a C. When we focus more on that, the American Dream is better achievable, having children flourish more, and ending up in better places in their life. To many people, that's what American Dream is exactly.