Make high school mandatory until age 18?

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Turkey22
omg how can you say that highschool was a waste? besides interacting with the people and the fun part of highschool, the basic skills you learn are very valuable. Not to mention trying to get a job without even a highschool diploma (or equivalent) would be insane. You would end up workin in fast food for the rest of your life. I'm simply amazed at the number of people who can't finish highschool or dont think they should have to.

I have had no trouble whatsoever getting a job, & I do not have any form of highschool equivalency (nor do I intend to get one).

And I make significantly more than a fast food job would pay.

High school IS useless, the "basic skills" should be taught by the parents, who can do a better job in shorter time & for less money.

Viper GTS

 

[rudder]

Whats the point of keeping a 17 year old in high school if he has made up his mind that he will make a career at the local walmart. Sure he may be young and stupid it about it, but he can always fix the problem at a later date by getting a GED. If the kid does not want to be in school, he could possibly make it to where he is a disruption to other students. Then you will eventually have to pay someone to babysit these people until they are 18.

 

[Spyro]

Originally posted by: Zakath15

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Zakath15

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
High school has to be the biggest joke every forced on society.

I am forever grateful that I avoided it. Had I been forced to stay in school until I was 18 I would be nowhere near where I am now.

Viper GTS

What did you end up doing instead?

I was in public schools for 2nd-5th grade. I was home-schooled for two years after that, took my first college course at 12. Started full time at 14, & got my AS when I was 15.

I took 3 1/2 years off, I'm now 20 & ready to go back for a four year degree. In the meantime I've made ~$100K, established good credit, a 401k, etc.

High school would have been a complete waste of my time.

Viper GTS

Damn, I wish I would have done that.

Sheesh, I do too.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: wizardLRU

Sheesh, I do too.

There was a lot of time wasted in high school; honestly, I could've done running start at 16, I could be graduating this Spring (or last year, for that matter). I could be out earning 40, 50k a year, or in the military, etc.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: yllusI think there's a certain element of truth to the idea that we're not in the type of economy where a 16-year-old has a lot of opportunities in tradecraft or apprenticeships. On the other hand, a 16-year-old is NOT a child. He or she should be able to make some decisions about what direction they take with the next few years of their lives, and really, can you force a 16-yo to do well in high school if they don't want to? Might as well leave HS to the kids who see the value of being there.

I would have to disagree. 16 year olds haven't even finished puberty yet.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: ScottyB
I say school shoud be mandatory until the individual is through middle-school(8th grade). After that the individual should be able to make their own decision, with parental permission. The same goes for sex, no sex until the completion of 8th grade, after that it is okay.

I would have to disagree. Now you have contradicting situation. If you consider the kid to be an adult at that age, then why do they need parental consent? In many cases where the parent's don't appreciate education, you will end up with kids being forced to waive their high school years just because their parents wanted them to. My wife's father forced his kids to do poorly in school so he could register them as retarded so they could get SSI. And they weren't allowed to go to extracurricular activies or sports because they had to go straight home and work on the junkyard until time for bed.

So now you've got the scenario:

1. Kids don't want education, Parents want kids in school (parental consent), Kid stays in school.
2. Kids want education, Parents want kids in school, Kid stays in school.
3. Kids don't want education, Parents don't want kids in school, Kid is out of school. Now what?
4. Kids want education, Parents don't want kids in school, Kid it out of school. Now what?

Now what? Now in both instances the kids are in a very bad situation in their lives. Both cases, kids lose, 1 case, parent wins. Kids won't win from this.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Hatari Chic
Heck no, I think that four years of high school is an absolute waste. Two years of high school is enough for most people, I think, and then a different structure, more like community college. People are burned out by the time they finish high school. The amounts of inane homework given, much of which is unnecessary for the students to actually LEARN something, burns them out on learning. The people I know who skipped out, took a GED, and went on to college, love school a lot more. That could be the result of a third variable (greater intelligence, for instance) but I think that so much high school is really just beating a dead horse.

I agree to an extent. If you really want to leave it up to the kids to not take the remaining 2 years of high school, then instead of giving them the ability to drop out early, why don't they just truncate those last 2 years for all kids. But at the same token, there is some vital stuff I learned in Junior and Senior HS. Trigonometry and Algebra. Chemistry and Physics. Maybe this just needs to be squeezed into an earlier time frame?

Maybe the last 2 years of HS should be a Trade School or Pre-College Advanced Studies of some kind? Maybe at that point you shouldn't be stuck in your school district, you could elect to go to any school? (now that would be cool!)

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: bolsen
Screw that, let those people drop out.

As they grow up, they'll understand that they really should finish school. If they don't well there may be good reason for it (they are happy with their lives) or they are just truely idiots.

Woohoo more baby machines!

Trailer parks generate 2.5 more kids than those living in houses. And they add no tax dollars to the school fund, minus the free lunches they get. Maybe they should have 4 years of Sex-ed - how to properly put on a condom. 😀

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: chiwawa626
No because not all of us need it.

But those who do are the ones that drop out.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Krassus
Nothing should be mandatory in a free country. My understanding is that people should be able to choose their own path in life, regardless of their age. I believe that if someone wishes to try their hand at business at a young age, they should be allowed to do so, instead of being forced to participate in an education program that has failed millions.

The education program is teaching 10 year olds that their parents don't matter and they can choose their own path. Why do you think it's failing?

I've seen a 6 year old setup a lemonade stand. What's this have to do with her education? Maybe we should outlaw parents from forcing their children to eat broccoli? Oh the horror!

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: SuperTool

Originally posted by: kenleung

Originally posted by: SuperTool
I graduated HS at 16. Why should I stay in HS till 18 when I could be a sophomore/junior in college by then?

read the proposal again, you can graduate before 18 but you can't drop out before 18

"We will require that all young people continue their education, either in school or in an approved out-of-school training experience until they reach 18 years or until they graduate."

what if I graduate at 16 and say, yep, I had enough of school? Isn't that my right?
What if I don't want to go to college?

When I was 5, I was forced to go to Kindergarten for the first time even though I didn't want to. Was that wrong to do?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Zakath15

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
High school has to be the biggest joke every forced on society.

I am forever grateful that I avoided it. Had I been forced to stay in school until I was 18 I would be nowhere near where I am now.

Viper GTS

What did you end up doing instead?

Spend all day chatting in ATOT while eating Taco Bell all day 😀

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: SuperTool

Originally posted by: kenleung

Originally posted by: SuperTool
I graduated HS at 16. Why should I stay in HS till 18 when I could be a sophomore/junior in college by then?

read the proposal again, you can graduate before 18 but you can't drop out before 18

"We will require that all young people continue their education, either in school or in an approved out-of-school training experience until they reach 18 years or until they graduate."

what if I graduate at 16 and say, yep, I had enough of school? Isn't that my right?
What if I don't want to go to college?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Zakath15
What should be made mandatory is two years of military/gov't service.

That's actually a pretty cool idea! :Q

That reminds me of the movie, Starship Troopers, where you don't earn the right of Citizen until you train in the military. But, that's very serious business because we might end up a military government. But you did put in Government service so maybe that would be like picking up litter on highways or joining a non-profit org... Wow just imagine the respect people would develop for everyone and everything else...

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: Zakath15
What should be made mandatory is two years of military/gov't service.

That's actually a pretty cool idea! :Q

That reminds me of the movie, Starship Troopers, where you don't earn the right of Citizen until you train in the military. But, that's very serious business because we might end up a military government. But you did put in Government service so maybe that would be like picking up litter on highways or joining a non-profit org... Wow just imagine the respect people would develop for everyone and everything else...

That was an... interesting movie, how it portrays democracy as a failure.

If we lived there, I would've been either a pilot or the intelligence division. 😀

 

[FoBoT]

public education shouldn't be mandatory in any form

it should be the decision of the parents what the child does until the child is an adult

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: ScottyB
I say school shoud be mandatory until the individual is through middle-school(8th grade). After that the individual should be able to make their own decision, with parental permission. The same goes for sex, no sex until the completion of 8th grade, after that it is okay.

That was acceptable and maybe desirable for an Agricultural or Industrial based economy. But today it is an economic liability.

Edit: Is it cheaper to import a well educated workforce than train it?

 

[Turkey22]

Allright new scenario as I just heard this today with one of the people I work with. I was talking to her and asking hey where did that one kid go(8th grade)? She says oh her mom took her out of school so that she wouldnt have to take a standardized test that just became mandatory(in the past the parent just wrote a note excusing her children from taking the test) Now her mom is going to "home school" her children so that she doesnt get in trouble, in reality she is just letting them sit around the house all day and not teaching them a thing. Now honestly while this student isnt the brightest in the world anyways she is still being horribly disadvantaged by her dumbass mom. Who has now relegated her to working in fast food or working in strip club. There are still loopholes in the system such as this one, which of course shows that some parents have no clue to what they are doing. Now on the other hand at least I have a little faith in the school system, at the very least mandatory school would give this girl a chance.

Now let explain that when I say mandatory through 18 it doesnt mean you cant complete school earlier. Which if you were intelligent and were able to pass the tests and skip the grades and finish when you were 14 or 16, there is no reason why you shouldnt be able to do that.