Dropping out of school (why an option?)

SeiUsa · Post by **SeiUsa** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:04 pm

Oh man, I just went on my school's website, and during my freshman year the class of 2006 had close to 600 students, and now senior year we only have about 200-something. I can't believe so many teens leave school like that.

I'd like to know who's bright idea it was to have teens choose to leave school, and who thinks it's still a good idea if the option is still available. I may not be an honors student, but I do know that I'd never make it without a good education. I don't see why the option is even there. All it seems to do is harm.

Maybe schools should have some kind of class that teaches why kids SHOULD stay in school.

(A few weeks ago we had a sub who said, "I don't care if you do your work or not. If you drop out, that's great with me, because it keeps my burger prices low." UGH.)

((Sorry, but I just had to rant about that. A couple years ago this girl was doing so well at school and she just dropped out for no good reason, and last I heard, her life isn't going too well now...

))

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:09 pm

Because not everybody needs to finish high school to have a good life.

Do I ENCOURAGE people to drop-out? No, of course not. But I'm not going to judge everybody who does it simply becuase I myself take pride in my education.

My brother dropped out of high school becuase he was in the wrong crowd, ended up doing drugs and drinking, etc. My parents put him in a military school program, where he got a GED in a year. He now works a well-paid job, and is quite happy. He no longer does drugs (hasn't touched them since then), and lives a good life.

It was his choice not to go back to high school after he finished his program. It was instead, his choice to finish the program and get his ged. He tried college for half a year, hated it, and never finished. School is not for everyone. Some people function better just working.

People who don't get ah igh school diploma are not all idiots. You can most certainly "make it" without finishing high school. It all depends on what you want to do with your life.

You also do NOT know everybody's circumstances. There are teens who have to drop out to take care of their brothers and sisters becuase their single parent cannot. There are teens who get pregnant, and instead of aborting the baby or dumping it in a trash can, decide to step up and take care of it.

My boyfriend didn't finish high school, due to personal reasons that I'm not going to share here. He got his GED, and went to college. Does that make him a loser?

jupiter23 · Post by **jupiter23** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:11 pm

Well, the law in the State of Louisiana says you can't drop out legally until you're 17. That's senior year for most people here.

And by the way, my cousin dropped out of school to have a baby with a guy almost 10 years older than her. She never went back, the baby she had died at the age of three months, she then had another baby with the same guy, and the most recent I heard about her was last night she and her boyfriend were sitting in jail for domestic battery on each other. My mom and grandma both refused to bail her out, saying it would be a good lesson to her to stay there until her court date. But the boyfriend's family bailed them both out anyway. So no, I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school.

Sylphiel · Post by **Sylphiel** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:22 pm

jupiter23 wrote:So no, I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school.

How does one person's experience have to do with everybody who drops out? -_-

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:23 pm

Sylphiel wrote:
jupiter23 wrote:So no, I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school.
How does one person's experience have to do with everybody who drops out? -_-

Exactly. Not every drop out gets pregnant and ends up in jail, and saying, "I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school" just makes it sound like that's the case.

Some drop-outs become incredibly successful people.

NameGoesHere · Post by **NameGoesHere** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 6:17 pm

Different individuals react to situations in their own way. While some may not finish high school and end up making bad decisions for their lives, others will make good decisions. Some people can go to college, get a doctorate, and still be lonely drug addicts. Others can drop out of high school and end up with happy families and good jobs.

It doesn't have to end up horribly, and sometimes it can be a better choice for the person in the long run. You never know. It all depends on the individual.

Jusenkyo no Pikachu · Post by **Jusenkyo no Pikachu** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:49 pm

And besides that, there are some jobs which will not require an OP 1. So studying to get one would make no sense.

And no, they don't all involve the words "do you want fries with that?"

jupiter23 · Post by **jupiter23** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:26 pm

Tiff wrote:
Sylphiel wrote:
jupiter23 wrote:So no, I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school.
How does one person's experience have to do with everybody who drops out? -_-
Exactly. Not every drop out gets pregnant and ends up in jail, and saying, "I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out of school" just makes it sound like that's the case.

Some drop-outs become incredibly successful people.

And I would have acknowleged your first argument had we not posted at the same time. I do believe that maybe school isn't for everyone, and maybe some do better if they quit school, but the experience I was speaking from was because of where I live. People rarely if ever quit school for a noble reason around here, so I'm going to have a pretty negative opinion about it. I think dropping out of high school when you have no reason to is trying to take the easy way out, and again around here it often doesn't work.

And for argument's sake, when I was in high school, I had a friend who in our 10th grade year had to quit for a while because she got pregnant. But as soon as her daughter was old enough to go into daycare (which most places here is around the age of 6 months) she came back to school and swore to everyone that she was going to finish no matter what it took, and she was going to do it for her daughter. Then she was going to apply for a grant and go to college. Whether she did go to college I don't know, because I haven't seen her since I graduated.

This might confirm some of your arguments that some people do better in life when they quit school, but if there is no reason for them to quit school then they shouldn't. And if they have to quit for any length of time, they should go back if they can. So when I say I'm no stranger to what happens to people who drop out is true and I'm going to stand by that. I live in an area where it's a common thing, and most of them do end up going to jail for things that could have been avoided like my cousin. I won't say it's the same for everyone everywhere, because I know it isn't. But I'm going to stand by my argument.

LadyFlameSniper · Post by **LadyFlameSniper** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 5:13 pm

Yeah, you shouldn't be so judgemental about people's choices in education. Everyone's situation is different, and you don't KNOW everyone's situation.

I especially don't like how my parents look down on everyone who chooses not to attend college. As if it automatically means the individual isn't educated, and their life is going nowhere

yoshmaster5 · Post by **yoshmaster5** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 5:18 pm

LadyFlameSniper wrote:Yeah, you shouldn't be so judgemental about people's choices in education. Everyone's situation is different, and you don't KNOW everyone's situation.

I especially don't like how my parents look down on everyone who chooses not to attend college. As if it automatically means the individual isn't educated, and their life is going nowhere

agreed. my Uncle Bob didn't go to college, only one year. and now, he's the most successful financial wise of all my dad's siblings, including my dad. only hting is, relationships are kinda iffy... he got a mail-order bride... X_x

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:25 pm

I'm in agreement with everyone here. Dropping out of school doesn't always make someone a loser. Though I do believe that it decreases the chances of doing well in life (financially speaking) if someone drops out when they didn't need to.

When I was in high school, a girl in my class dropped out, and we were only one semester away from graduation! From what I heard, she only dropped out because she got in a fight with her best friend, and stopped going to school because she didn't want to see her now ex-friend on a daily basis. Everyone criticized her for dropping out and made fun of her every time she came to the school to visit her friends. Everyone used to point their fingers at her and yell "TRESSPASSING!"

Last I saw her, I asked her what she had been doing since she dropped out. She said that she watched TV all day and clean so that she doesn't get kicked out of her house.

I'm still in agreement with my former classmates. She didn't have a good reason to drop out and clearly wasn't preparing herself to have a good life later on.

Again, I need to address the issue that not everyone who drops out of school has a bad life. In fact, the premier of Alberta, Ralph Klien only has a grade 8 education!

Hanson finished high school and have no plans of going on to college. I remember reading that if they did go to college, they'd only take courses they had an interest in, such as arts and crafts. Hanson have been incredibly successful, they have their own record company, which they addmitted to investing over US $3 million into. Yes, Hanson aren't as popular now as they were in their hey-day, but they have a cult following. Though they aren't selling as many records today, it doesn't matter because they're getting 100% of the profits simply because they have their own record company now.

I'd have to say that Hanson really knows how to invest their money!

That's my two cents for now.

sailor_serenity33 · Post by **sailor_serenity33** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:45 am

I don't mean to sound mean or anything but i think if you don't want to go to school don't, as far as I'm concerned as soon as you turn 16 you have the right to decide if you really don't want to be there i sure do want you there if your going to come to school with a bad attitude.
If someone did that they would just be taking up space and I sure don't want that and i know most teachers don't either. I mean whats the point in trying to teaching someone who doesn't want to learn. And i think that sub had no right to tell you that she should have kept her personal opinions to herself. Education is a gift and if you don't want it then your missing out on a life changing experience but hay like I said they can do what they want. They are the only one who can decide about what they are going to do with their lives.