As part of the bootcamp, students are also required to pass an eyebrow-raising heart rate challenge, in which they’re hooked up to live monitors in front of their classmates and presented with a pre-recorded video of their parents berating them.
“The challenge rule was simple,” one student wrote: “my resting heart rate was 80bpm, and I had to stay within 10 percent of that the whole time. Anything above 88 was a fail.”
It isn’t clear what educational purpose this particular trial was supposed to serve, or what the penalty would be for students who fail the heart rate challenge, or the boot camp overall. At least one student said the eight-week hazing period is meant to “prove I deserve to be here,” though Alpha School didn’t comment on Riley’s inquiry.
I wouldn’t be as upset if it wasn’t so predatory.
Forcing a kid to get a little bit of real-world work experience? Okay. But PAY THEM.
Forcing a kid to be competent with social media? I’d bet that your average kid is already more competent than I am, but whatever. Investigate options that (1) are free, and (2) won’t spam kids with ads (cough Fediverse. Maybe the school can even set up its own creep-resistant private server) Oh, and the 100 follower requirement is bullshit. Eliminate it.