Alabama raised their highschool dropout age from 16 to 17 today.
What does this mean for schools? More footwork for administration and overworked teachers dealing with teens who want nothing more than expulsion.
The senator who sponsored the bill says the new law “should provide some maturity and help increase the graduation rate.”
If more teens do end up staying for graduation because of the bill, it will be because they don’t want to give up on sunk losses. Who wants to waste the work of three years with one to go?
I only attended a few months of highschool before leaving for good in freshman year. Because I was attending highschool in California, but a resident of Hawaii, I was able to slip through the cracks of the education system. I could have forgotten the whole thing, but ultimately decided to get my GED and “keep my options open”.
Now I am working as a professional writer. Am I the exception to the rule? Or are the rules just changing?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Dropouts should go to jail! Who the hell wants more miscreants roaming our streets?
While I don’t think high school dropouts should go to jail, I think many people could benefit from a high school education. A GED only makes you generally equivalent.
Fair enough Anonymous…do you believe the things taught in high-school can be found through self education?
Not jail, but some sort of work experience or skills development institutions that reqires much much more hours & hard work, and with his/her record being tracked.
The teen dropout rate MUST be interpreted differently for different teens. For some, like Christian, it is NOT a problem because he can self educate BETTER THAN he could learn from high school teaching. But, that’s because he chooses to self educate. To drop out and acquire no further education is self sabotaging.
a. YOU ARE an exception to the rules.
b. The rules ARE changing.
c. None of this applies to Alabama….that’s a whole other set of rules and circumstances.
OF COURSE you’re the exception to the rule, you are an overprivileged and white, unlike most dropouts, who are the opposite. you drop out of school and your parents can afford to support your career as a “professional writer” whereas most dropouts do not have this good fortune. this is isn’t a debate about “self education” in the case of 90% of dropouts and this quite obviously puts you into the minority category, the exception to the rule.
i just re-read that and realized that it was way too vicious. i wish i could delete that now. i must have been venting my own anger at you, i’m sorry.
@anon…
That’s alright. I needed a good dose of reality. Sometimes I get a little too big for my britches.
You’re totally right, actually. I grew up being very angry at “the system”. Whether that was just a result from my own laziness and not wanting to do the work in school, or whether I have valid points, is a matter of opinion I guess. So I get very angry when I hear someone is forced to abide by even more rules that I felt in my life were counterproductive.
But I can completely see your point. I haven’t met teens who are dropping out in Alabama, and it very well may be an issue I just don’t understand.
As for what you mentioned about my parents supporting me to be a professional writer, you’re right. I need to work on how I put myself out there.
May I ask what was so frustrating for you about this post? Or was it something else?
Thanks for your thoughts. Vicious or not, they’re better than nothing at all.
Christian
Hello Christian, Even though i am anonymous i suspect you may know who i am through my Email address.
I came across this topic several times recently with both one of my friends and my younger brother both getting there GED. For them it was the lesser option and it is leading them down a path of failure and into a life much harder then the one had they stayed in High School. Both currently unemployed and unable to self employ.
I believe for you, knowing you fairly well i believe it was undoubtably the correct option. You are wise beyond your years though reading these blogs you may not recognize it. I once looked up to you actually as someone i aspired to be.
I believe that High School is necessary to obtain a fair amount of knowledge so that your state of mind is that of an adults. Sadly many people mature much faster and are mentally and physically adults at ages of 15, and other then being young could really be able to care for ones self at that time.
So in conclusion my opinion is this, For most people a high school education is needed, But for select few, that are wise beyond there years, it may be wise to get there GED, or ride out the 3rd or 4th year and graduate, its all personal….
im doing a report on teen drop outs.