Many students want to dabble in many activities without committing themselves to serious involvement in hardly any of them. The parents may support this approach, wanting their child to have as wide a range of experiences as possible (breadth over depth). Sometimes the goal is to list as many involvements as possible on college applications.
The problem this approach creates is twofold.
- The meeting/performing/playing times of the activities inevitably conflict. For example, a student can’t come to the Monday Academic Games practices because of band or lacrosse practice. Or, after practicing for a month for the Propaganda tournament, the student can’t make the tournament itself because of another commitment.
- The student doesn’t excel at anything but is mediocre to poor in most of what he/she attempts to do.
How should an Academic Games coach react to this philosophy? See next’s month Coaching Tip.