The Pressured Child: Freeing Our Kids from Performance Overdrive and Helping Them Find Success in School and Life

by Michael G. Thompson and Teresa Barker

Book Overview

The push for students to excel at school and get into the best colleges has never been more intense. In this invaluable new book, the bestselling co-author of Raising Cain addresses America's performance-driven obsession with the accomplishments of its kids-and provides a deeply humane response.
"How was school?" These three words contain a world of desire on the part of parents to know what their children are learning and experiencing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345450132
• ISBN13: 9780345450135
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Ballantine Group
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Interesting point of view

Thompson's book is from an excellent point of view, not that of a parent or teacher but of a school counselor. He offers a unique insight into the student's world and how they perceive school. He is a good mediator between parents and children; he helps parents better understand all the pressures on a student. It is also interesting for teachers because they often forget what it feels like to be sitting in the desks staring at the same person for 180 days. The book is an easy read with analogies and situations that are very relatable. Although the book flows nicely the author tends to discuss a topic for too long. What he wrote in five pages he could have wrote in three. Overall, I did enjoy the book and picked up a few tips for my own students and classroom.

A Good Read For Parents

Michael Thompson's book is an informative read for parents and provides readers with many examples of the struggles children go through throughout their school lives. He points out the differences in all children and reminds readers of the importance of identifying with the student and allowing that child to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Thompson also offers his "best wisdom" and outlines five of the most important things he has learned from students. Parts of this list include a description of how students are always searching for success, that students crave a reciprocal relationship with adults and how students want to feel useful in the classroom. Overall, this is a useful book for parents to read to gain an understanding of the development process in children and possibly identify with other struggling students.

Great Book

Great for anyone who's child has not found the school experience to be everything we think it is. That would be every child .

Great Resource for Educators or Parents

Michael Thompson has an easy writing style and salient points to make in this latest book on pressured children. In the spirit of "A Tribe Apart" (Hersch) he shadows days in the lives of students and draws some worthwhile and meaty conclusions. His background in psychology gives credibility to his analysis; his readable prose will reach a wide audience. As a middle school principal we will use this book with parents in our Book Club; working in an international school in southeast Asia a book about "pressured children" is most appropriate.

A must for parents

No matter how involved you are with your child, it can be impossible to truly understand what is going on inside his/her school. This book gives parents a valuable look at what our children are dealing with every day. Mr. Thompson tells individual stories from the kids' viewpoints--extremely helpful. I saw my own child in his example of a boy who is "allergic" to school....and reading about this boy was like looking into the future. If I have any complaint, it is that the author didn't discuss the option of homeschooling as a positive alternative for some children like this. For those of us without many school options (no money, living rurally), his suggestion for finding a "better fit" in other school situations, did not apply. Our "allergic" son is doing great with homeschooling now and after reading "The Pressured Child" I'm even more committed to trying to keep him at home where he can learn to love learning....not dread school. Even if you have a child who has a "school brain" (as Thompson calls it) you should read this book to see how your successful child is actually getting through his/her day. I should note this isn't an "anti-public school" book-- but more of a look inside the schools so you can understand...and decide if your school is a good fit for your particular child. Fascinating reminder for all of us who have been out of school for a long time!!