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I am all for alternatives to high school if you know you don't want to go. Once you can pass a basic test that says you know how to read, multiply, and tie your shoes, the remaining years can be spent learning something relevant to your future career--technical or trade school or whatever.
The problem is that I don't know what percentage 14 year olds really know what they want to do with the rest of their life. I hate to see people shutting doors before they're sure. That basic test to get out of traditional high school early ought to cover enough stuff to make going to college one day possible if the student changes their mind.
But there should be options! So you can switch, just like college, and try things, and choose something....! Right? I know what I wanna do, and it DOES NOT involve anything along the science lines....
I'm about to fall asleep in chemistry, why should doing things I don't need to know bomb my grades and help force me to work harder to get to college?
Apprenticeships would be nicely re-instated in my opinion....
Why do I need to know Moles and dihydrogen oxide and 2Al2O3 etc etc etc?
I'm not gonna be a chemist or do anything along these lines!
I stay up doing homework, and get litte to no freetime, so its hard to stay awake when they're throwing boring stuff and MORE homework on us...
You don't need to know moles. It is beneficial to learn how to think in logical methods, and to stretch your brain to adapt to new ways of thinking. Memorizing dates in history class or conversion factors in math/chemistry aren't the important parts. It's the upper level analysis skills that will benefit you later on, when you apply them to whatever you choose to study in college.
If you know what you want to do with your life and it doesn't require high level analysis skills, then yeah, I'd agree that you probably aren't getting a whole lot out of it. This is why a lot of states only require 2 years of science.
But there should be options! So you can switch, just like college, and try things, and choose something....! Right? I know what I wanna do, and it DOES NOT involve anything along the science lines....
You don't need to know moles. It is beneficial to learn how to think in logical methods, and to stretch your brain to adapt to new ways of thinking. Memorizing dates in history class or conversion factors in math/chemistry aren't the important parts. It's the upper level analysis skills that will benefit you later on, when you apply them to whatever you choose to study in college.
If you know what you want to do with your life and it doesn't require high level analysis skills, then yeah, I'd agree that you probably aren't getting a whole lot out of it. This is why a lot of states only require 2 years of science.
Just gotta wait it out til college...
I'm in a creative problem solving class, we're taught to think differently, faster, and outside solutions, and everyone assumes we're geniuses that need to get straight A's.... which sucks, since my chem grade is a C...
But there should be options! So you can switch, just like college, and try things, and choose something....! Right? I know what I wanna do, and it DOES NOT involve anything along the science lines....
What do you want to do?
I was an IT major, now code systems for a living. This has nothing to do with math, science, English, or history--yet I'm using the skills I took from all those classes to be successful here.
It depends how you look at it. It's not the memorization of mundane facts that you can look up in a textbook that are important. It's the upper level thinking skills that you are hopefully learning in those classes. That's why even in college, you're going to have a science requirement.
What exactly is the point of school? I'm talking Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High.
Honestly, our teachers know we don't understand, except a select few, as kids, we treat school as a place to hang out with friends, with some guidelines... we have homework, which they tend to pile on, if we do extracurriculars we fall behind and don't have time for a life.
Food is HORRIBLE, some classes are useless, and the teachers tell us...
So I'm beginning to think the government uses them as a "day-care" a place for kids to stay away from parents, out of trouble, and give them a small education for life to come, although I don't feel I'll be prepared at all to go into the work-force when I'm done with High School, although college is my next goal..
Kings
They are trying to teach you how to stand in line, follow directions, stomach hours of mindless repetitive tasks and to not speak out of turn.
You know... important life skills we adults need to be able to do everyday until we die.
I was an IT major, now code systems for a living. This has nothing to do with math, science, English, or history--yet I'm using the skills I took from all those classes to be successful here.
It depends how you look at it. It's not the memorization of mundane facts that you can look up in a textbook that are important. It's the upper level thinking skills that you are hopefully learning in those classes. That's why even in college, you're going to have a science requirement.
Infantry Officer in the Army or Marines...
Honestly, I'd do better if the teachers could TEACH.
I have other students help me learn what I'm doing... although I'm a genius..
I am all for alternatives to high school if you know you don't want to go. Once you can pass a basic test that says you know how to read, multiply, and tie your shoes, the remaining years can be spent learning something relevant to your future career--technical or trade school or whatever.
The problem is that I don't know what percentage 14 year olds really know what they want to do with the rest of their life. I hate to see people shutting doors before they're sure. That basic test to get out of traditional high school early ought to cover enough stuff to make going to college one day possible if the student changes their mind.
I agree to a point. That's where alternative high schools that teach trades come in handy.
The one thing that is crucial is a solid foundation. Simple skills lead to more complicated skills, but when a high school tests it's students and only 30% can read at level, and less can do grade level math, I'm thinking the basics aren't where the focus is in general education.
In addition, those 14 year olds who want to focus on a trade have a lot of years to change their minds in the event they are not happy with their choice. A lot of fields can be experienced before a person HAS to settle into what they will do for the rest of their lives.
It's a crying shame that kids are sent right out of high school into college where they are supposed to choose their life direction at the age of 18 or 20.
Ah ha! Cannon fodder for rich fat white men who want to be richer.... a noble goal.
Actually, just to gain leadership skills, and background amongst others, so I can be a politician someday, and maybe turn this country around...
Senate first, then aiming for el Presidente... if the USA doesn't fall first (as I soldier I might be able to stop that lol)
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