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man my life would be much better of i had either A: dropped out and went to work or B: enrolled in a job core program to get my GED and learn a trade. high school was a compleet waste of time for me. i was abused by other students. i would in turn abuse them (yes bullying went both ways). the faculty was well know for fosterin the educational needs of the student athleets and neglecting non athletes. Jesus Christ, i wih their so called education, i graduated with a 1.88 gpa. 6 years later i graduated from college with a 3.21 gpa that could have been higher had i learned the skills i should have learned in high school. i admit there is a lot of blame to place on me, but high school is a wate of time. it is supose to educate, socialize and babysit the nations teenagers. not a single one of those does it do well.
There are a multitude of reasons. However, one major factor IMHO is the drive for homogeneity in education geared toward college-prep. The national testing movement and migration away from in-school vocational and trade programs has left many students with the interest, aptitude, and motivation with an unfulfilled need. They feel that they don't fit into the education model offered to them and their lack of success in a program that doesn't match their strengths eventually discourages them enough to drop out. A family structure where parents/siblings have not succeeded in school reinforces these feelings of personal academic inadequacy.
As an educator teaching math, I am keenly aware of the feelings at-risk students are experiencing. The new Common Core is extremely difficult for many students who are at different developmental levels in mathematics. CC problem solving is highly conceptual/and reading-dependent. Many of the students are operating at a more basic and literal/sequential level and lag in reading comprehension for a variety of reasons. I fear that the lack of flexibility tied to testing will result in more students dropping out in the future as opposed to less.
You have a point, but that is not always the case.
One of my parents did not finish grammar school, and the other, high school.
They did what they could for me, which included reading to me a lot when I was very young and teaching me to read to myself and write before I was of school age.
I think that made all the difference.
I ended up with my MBA.
If parents do what they can at an early age, they can really give their child a foot up, starting school with self confidence and determination to do well. Some parents who are not well educated want more for their children and do such things. Others don't care and parents who don't care will most likely get children who don't do well.
If you treat your child as an animal don't be surprised at what you end up with.
Having children is not just a matter of procreation.
People who are not prepared to cultivate their child's minds should just not have them.
We already have more than enough people to fill jobs in every walk of life, in my opinion.
I don't think CD is fairly representative of the country at large, do you?
Did you ever look at [domain blocked due to spam], or Utube? At the silly and insane comments posted there?
Do you also think that the average high school graduate, say fifty to seventy years back, was better versed in basic English usage and basic Math than those who graduate now? I think so. I remember people stringing sentences with ease and not having to look in a dictionary for spelling errors so much. Now we have spell checkers, which can be used to assist in learning spelling, but also can be a crutch. I also remember before modern checkouts in stores clerks had to be able to do simple math quickly in their heads.
I get the impression that almost everyone can graduate HS these days, no?
There is probably a college for everyone, too, which is why the Ivy Leagues are so much in demand.
I don't think CD is fairly representative of the country at large, do you?
Did you ever look at [domain blocked due to spam], or Utube? At the silly and insane comments posted there?
No, I do not think any forum is. A person can be highly educated and still act like an idiot on a forum, it is entertainment to many people, entertainment usually does not have rigid standards. For example, forum posting would not be entertaining if each post had to be checked like a business memo or college essay.
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Originally Posted by goldengrain
Do you also think that the average high school graduate, say fifty to seventy years back, was better versed in basic English usage and basic Math than those who graduate now? I think so. I remember people stringing sentences with ease and not having to look in a dictionary for spelling errors so much. Now we have spell checkers, which can be used to assist in learning spelling, but also can be a crutch. I also remember before modern checkouts in stores clerks had to be able to do simple math quickly in their heads.
My opinion is that education back in the day are not as great as everyone would like to beleive. The US has historically never had a strong education priority. The book "anti-intellectualism in America" gives great insight into America's education past. I believe children now days are more educated than ever before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldengrain
I get the impression that almost everyone can graduate HS these days, no?
Obviously not, since drop out rates are a debated subject. But I do believe any person can graduate if they really wanted to, it is not some impossible task.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldengrain
There is probably a college for everyone, too, which is why the Ivy Leagues are so much in demand.
Ivy leagues are in demand because of the name brand and the resources they bring into the college; not because of the lackluster performance and standards of other colleges. Since the name brand and resources tend to attract the best, naturally the Ivies will have the best. However, there are plenty of non-Ivy league great schools (Stanford, Cal, Duke, etc.) let alone numerous other factors that go into what makes a great school (regional and local power for example) and better yet, the degree program. By the way, Ivy League is just a sports conference.
My orginal post however, I was just asking how many posters here have dropped out. Seems a few want to input why students drop out, yet I wonder how much experience do they have with this?
*gasp* You mean it's not the teachers' fault? (My apologies for the sarcasm; I'm just fed up with the general public blaming teachers for everything and then saying the teachers are whining when they point out the importance of parental support).
Well, it takes a village and teachers are the de facto parents...(I am just kidding. )
Analogy failure. People are responsible for their own actions, even high school students who get pregnant. I see the other reason is lack of parental encouragement, which may be correct. However, I think there are very few parents who don't want their kids to graduate from high school.
What I remember about high school... The parents who were their kids best friends ended up raising the biggest losers. Not saying parents should be beating their kids or destroying their self esteem, but some should spend less time teaching their kids they are #1 when they are actually quite average. You had to earn a reward where I grew up.
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Originally Posted by Osito
Education is just too one-dimensional and doesn't grasp that different people learn differently. Kids and young adults don't just fit into one box.
At the same time, adults have to conform to the world round them to be successful. So should kids. It would be a great disservice to teach kids the world will change for them.
Your point is well presented and I'd be the first to agree that as a sixty seven year old guy I'm appalled at the lack of decorum in U.S. society. The part of your statement I find to arguable is the notion that two parents are better than one, in general this may be valid but in practice single parents sometimes excel at raising kids. I also don't believe that children are looking for acceptance at home, they want to be what the popular culture deems an acceptable person to be, cool, rich, talented, good looking, preferably with a lot of emotional trauma that allows for some sympathy.
While morals are a great guideline for creating societal boundaries most people don't realize that the dominant culture here presents a moral dilemma for youth. I consider myself to be a somewhat liberal person and resent your assertion that "liberals" are somehow to blame for the present day cultural menu. A theological retreat back to the days of religion being the almighty power in our lives is not acceptable to many who know the history of those times, (and by the way, the Christian faith has produced some really terrible role models in itself) Christians do not have a lock on morals, civility, kindness or anything else for that matter. The good Christians are bemoaning the loss of tolerance for other points of view right along with liberals. The life of Jesus suggests he was a very liberal thinker, concern for the poor, the sick, the enslaved, does this sound like the present day conservative rants against those who dare to be without funds and hoping that some of us with a heart may be of help?
I've know many people with plenty of monetary resources who live in beautiful homes, give their kids everything to help their development, both parents are living together and the go to church regularly, know what? Some of these people are unfortunate to have the worst kids ever...The puritans who inhabited this land long ago were some of the most avid followers of Christ, or so they claimed, they tortured people, burned them alive, stabbed them to death in orgiastic group attacks and worse, so it isn't about being religious, it isn't about being "godly', it's about being a whole, able bodied mentally confident person, and therefor able to raise children in the same manner that you were raised, and that means we all need to support those things that allow for that physical and spiritual growth in our children. We see the hollering crowds of tax resisters telling us how they can't afford to support our schools, financially, or philosophically, run down ghetto schools are the hidden shame for America, this is the breeding ground for all that hype in the gangsta hip hop culture that kids have come to worship, we'll either do something to help these people and their schools or we'll suffer their further pursuit of a mindless culture.
I'M a single parent myself,,,,,but i'm an involved father/parent
how many single mothers, have more than one kid, and the father isn't around, he's in jail? or doesnt even pay child support?
many mothers have 2-3 jobs, not on welfare, trying to get by, while a good role model, by working hard, she doesnt have much time with her kids,,because the scumbag father isnt around.... this is where I see the breakdown of the family exists- or worst,,,kids brought up in a dependent, welfare environment,,,and cycle....
but again, look at the role models,,,look at the crap on tv, the video games, the music,,
which, i'll be the first to say isnt a straight line to violence, on a "normal" kid,,but a high risk kid???
its a different ball game,,,,,
a few things I have a very difficult time is,,,,drugs,,,how do poor people buy them??
even cigarettes,,,makes me wonder,,,you cant be complaining you cant feed your kids,,when you are paying over 200.00 month for cigarettes?????????????????????
not to mention alcohol...
from junior high school, the teachers can recognize the high risk students-
they see crap everyday..
Id rather see, less superintendents making 90k a yr, and more "high risk" transitions of students,,,whether by older high school mentors(students),,getting extra credit... or different businesses, "sponsoring" or "adopting" young workers, and mentoring them in the workplace- a taste of real life,,, for a period of time,,,an exec- spending a certain amount of hours with kids.. all the sudden another potential positive adult role model in a kids life
i'll never forget, when I was a manager hiring,,18-22 yr old "kids" they would come to me with their problems,,,and their real life "coping skills" sucked.... they could manipulate their parents brilliantly, but in other areas,,they were 10 yr olds emotionally
although once in a while a kid would come along,,,,and give me hope again in the younger generation
most of these kids had "confidence" in themselves, not seeking acceptance thru peer pressure or drugs..
teachers can recognize the bullies,,from a young age,, there hands are tied,,but an older kid mentoring,,program would work....
it would even be good for the girls,,to have mentoring older teens,,,,
maybe this already takes place...
Many women raising kids alone know the man/men they had these kids with are creeps. They are usually not attracted to these men because they want kids with them. The kids are just an unfortunate by product. Some of these guys go to prison, get out, and the woman takes them back and has another child with the good for nothings.
I don't have sympathy for these women. It's a pity the kids have to suffer because of the stupidity of the parents. So there are generations of ignorant people who let their emotions take control of their brains.
I wouldn't offer government assistance to any but the first child. If a woman knew there would be no fall back position, she would not allow herself to take on the burden of extra kids. It is child abuse to have more kids than you can care for.
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