“While cognitive enhancers were originally developed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s patients, they can also be used as biochemical memory aids for the general population. In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, what struggling junior or senior in high school wouldn’t welcome the edge a memory pill could offer? What about university students, overworked air traffic controllers, medical students, and aspiring actors whose livelihoods depend on being able to flawlessly recall large quantities of information?” (Philip, 2006, 182)

Philip’s chapter 10 was an eye-opening experience for me. Of course I had heard of kids taking a friend’s Ritalin to concentrate in high school or college, but I never contemplated brain-changing memory enhancers and stimulants taking the stage in educational debate during my career. I had no idea that Modafinil existed, nor that it is “legal and common” for doctors to administer prescriptions for “off-label” drug uses not approved by the FDA (179). I’m ashamed to admit how naïve I am in this department, but grateful for how much this article taught me.
Having witnessed my grandfather’s slow and painful battle with Alzheimer’s, I find its research of utmost importance. However, it is worrisome that drugs currently under development, hoping to combat this disease by blocking receptors, boosting proteins, and revitalizing cells, may fall into the hands of partially-developed, healthy teenagers. Modafinil, approved for treating narcolepsy in 1998, fights off drowsiness, but its developers aren’t even sure why and how. All of these thoughts are terrifying.
The author’s clear definitions helped me immensely; I can easily reuse them with students. I hope to use the My Values discussion techniques in class: I often do not feel confident claiming and expressing my own values, possibly due to limited opportunities in high school or fear of participating. Therefore, I appreciate the guidance to provide my students with opportunities to find their own values and talk about them, committing them to long-term memory. Memory…which caused this whole debate to begin with, right?