Now that we’re in the heart of Spooky Season, I’ve decided my kids are finally old enough to experience a classic piece of my childhood—Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. Beyond giving them a good scare, it got me reflecting on how this 1982 album not only left a mark on me at age 14, but also became a cultural phenomenon.
Within just a year, Thriller became the world’s best-selling album, selling 32 million copies. By the end of the decade, that number had climbed to 48 million. Today, it holds the record as the best-selling album of all time, with over 70 million copies sold worldwide. Its accolades include eight Grammys, eight American Music Awards, and a place in the National Recording Registry.
But what’s fascinating is how the album’s lyrics often reminded me of my own late nights in high school—those hours spent studying for exams and working on papers.
“It’s close to midnight
And something evil’s lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between the eyes
You’re paralyzed”
There were so many times in high school when I felt “paralyzed” by the “horror” of anxiety—feeling stuck without inspiration, unsure of what to do next. But as a Gen X kid, pushing through that discomfort was simply what you did.
The loss of drive
Recently, I’ve been discussing with my faculty how students today don’t seem to have the same drive—they’re often unwilling to push through challenges. It’s a puzzling shift that I’ve been eager to understand.
Growing up, I was taught to keep going: test, fail, push further. “Pressure produces diamonds,” as the saying goes. This wasn’t about pushing yourself to the point of burnout, but learning how to refine your ideas through repeated effort rather than just resorting to a quick internet search and stopping there. The lesson was to try—really try—to move beyond the first idea because, in the real world, “good” often isn’t enough.
I became increasingly curious about why motivation and resilience seem to have declined among contemporary students. What I found pointed to shifts in parenting styles, compounded by the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Helicopter parenting, where parents closely monitor and assist their children, has produced kids who are less independent and more reliant on outside help to navigate difficulties. This trend evolved into bulldozer parenting—where parents clear obstacles from their child’s path—leaving students even less equipped to handle setbacks or failures.
Then came the rise of participation trophies, which rewarded effort rather than achievement. While these trophies aimed to boost self-esteem, they also removed opportunities for children to learn from failure, stripping them of the resilience that comes from overcoming challenges.
The pandemic only made things worse. With schools closing and students shifting to remote learning, the vital connections with teachers and peers were lost. These relationships are key drivers of motivation, and without them, many students became disengaged and uninspired. Instead of embracing challenges, they withdrew, overwhelmed by the lack of structure and growing anxiety.
Lack of curiosity
On top of these motivational struggles, there’s another troubling trend: Many students now believe that their first idea is their best and subsequently resist the urge to explore new approaches. This mindset presents two issues. First, it signals a lack of resilience when facing intellectual challenges. Students, accustomed to praise for effort alone, often expect quick success without the need for trial and error. When they encounter obstacles, they may abandon their ideas rather than refining them.
Second, this approach suggests a decline in curiosity. Creativity and innovation require a willingness to question initial assumptions and explore different angles. Yet, many students stop at their first idea, failing to realize that true originality rarely emerges from a first draft. Initial thoughts are often unoriginal and rooted in surface-level thinking.
This lack of curiosity hinders intellectual growth. Curiosity is as fundamental as hunger or thirst; it drives us to explore, learn, and adapt. But in stressful environments—like during the pandemic—curiosity can take a back seat. This creates a cycle: Students who don’t engage in exploratory thinking become less motivated to refine their ideas, leading to complacency.
This leaves me wondering: How can we, as educators, encourage students to go beyond that first draft? How do we inspire them to strive for excellence and show them the value of hard work? It’s crucial to teach them that constructive criticism isn’t a personal attack but a way to help them improve and stand out from the rest.
Go beyond the initial draft
So, what does all this have to do with Michael Jackson and Thriller? Well, the story of Thriller offers a perfect example. When Rod Temperton, a songwriter who had written for Jackson’s Off the Wall album, returned to write for the follow-up, one of his contributions was a catchy song called Starlight. Jackson and producer Quincy Jones both appreciated the track, but they encouraged Temperton to keep refining it. And during a flash of inspiration on his way to the studio, he thought of a new title—one that would change pop music history and become a Halloween anthem: Starlight transformed into the iconic Thriller.
If Jackson and Jones hadn’t pushed Temperton beyond his initial draft, we wouldn’t have the legendary song or the groundbreaking music video that followed. And instead of the spine-chilling dance we know today, we’d all be singing a very different tune:
“There’s indication
That someone else is standing on the ground
Across the nation
There’s always people trying to pull you down
Now is the time
For us to spend this evening close together, yeah
Deep in the night
We’re holding on to someone else’s dream
Girl, can’t you see?
We need some starlight, starlight sun
There ain’t no second chance
We got to make it while we can
We’ll need the starlight, some starlight sun
I need you by my side, you give me
Starlight, starlight, starlight, yeah”
R. Vann Graves, EdD is executive director at VCU Brandcenter.