Do you think mandatory high school education stands in the way of teenagers making progress?

Question

I will definately say yes. In my state in the U.S., teenagers have to go to school until they are atleast 16 years old. They are talking about raising that up to 18 and from what I understand, there are states that make them stay in school already til that age. I feel this totally gets in the way of many teenager's making progress. For example, Dave Thomas was a high school drop out and ended up founding Wendy's and being a very rich man. (Not that I think fast food is a good thing but it is a nice treat every now and then) The point is that he was very successful and didn't need high school to 'make it'. By the time a teen enters high school, he should already know how to read, write, and do math and algebra problems. That is more than enough to 'make it' in the world. Teenage men could go on and become apprentices or work in factories and the women could do what they were made to do which is get married, have babies, and take care of the house - without the useless teaching.

But that is my opinion...you might have other reasons why you think it stands in their way...if so what are they?

Answer 1

Absolutely. I think it's terribly unfair to require teenagers to sit in mind-numbing classes all day long trying to cram stuff into their heads that they have absolutely no interest in learning. Studies have shown that if a kid does not have a personal connection to what they are being taught, they will only retain about 3% of it. If they have a personal interest or connection, however, they retain 95% of it. (I wish I could remember the source for this, but it's been years ago when I was first researching homeschooling that I read it in one of my books on Charlotte Mason.) When I think back to my high school years, I can hardly remember a single thing I learned there even though I was a straight A student. What I do remember is the research I've done on my own for my writing and other interests I've had over the years.

The beauty of homeschooling is that you can give your kids that personal connection to what they are learning. Math is a little bit difficult, but if you can fit in math around what they are interested in, they learn alot more. For instance, you can teach fractions while baking a cake. Or you can order a pizza as a special treat and use it to demonstrate fractions. As they get older, they can read books they're actually interested in and pick from an unlimited number of subjects to study. And they do all of this in half the time.

I feel terribly sorry for the kids I see standing on the street corner waiting on the bus at 7am and then see them dragging themselves off of the bus at 4pm, books in hand, preparing to go home and do their homework. What kind of life is that? My kids sleep until a decent hour, get up and do their core subjects, and then they have the rest of the day to pursue their own interests.

Answer 2

Your main problem is that you suggest that the answer to poor performance is to stop teaching the subject. Over time, this approach would lead to a dangerously uneducated populous. Foreign language should be mandatory in elementary school, let alone high school. The younger a student is when learning a foreign language, the more likely she or he will retain it. I think you're onto something when you mention the shortcomings of secondary ed foreign language, but the answer is NOT to stop teaching it or requiring it. The answer is to foster a greater interest in the world outside of our own. The idea that "most people know English" is not even true, let alone sufficient to suggest that foreign language is "useless." As a country, we're terrible at math, but should we just stop requiring it?

Answer 3

Maybe for that's true for some people, but those of us who want to do something more than stay home and take care of the house (or work in a factory) need to know much more than basic middle school reading and algebra skills.

Answer 4

Hey, they do the same in the UK over here, welcome to everyone else's world. They do this to make the economy better and to make sure they get a better life when they are older, instead of working at the McDonald's serving you.

But you know, there will always be people there at the Jack in the Box to serve you.

Answer 5

I don't think women need much schooling at all.
Like you said all we really need to do is take care of kids, cook, clean, and anything else our father or husband asks us to do (most of which will not require schooling).
All we really need are basic reading and mathimatical skills for shopping for groceries and reading recipies/ making dinner.
XOXO

Answer 6

Hmmm. I am sure glad that my doctor is not a high school drop out.

Answer 7

You're so full of **** it's coming out of your mouth!!

Answer 8

no offense my friend but what i read was "blah blah blah" cheers!