The high school dropout rate

[WriterDom]

Is 44% in Georgia. 47% in South Carolina. unfuckingbelievable

 

[BiBunny]

Not surprising at all. I'm not sure what the dropout rate is for Alabama, but I know it's high, too.

 

[Yang4yin]

Ah, yes... the future of our country!

.

 

[WriterDom]

Yep, morbidly obese and dumb as a stump looks like where we are headed.

 

[Yang4yin]

It's a sad state of affairs.

It's also sad that part of the problem was created by today's parents... handing everything to the kids regardless of their behavior, not being around to encourage or help with homework, buying that XBox or PlayStation and all the games that go along with it... Why make anything of yourself when Mom and/or Dad is going to give it to me whenever I ask? Or worse, why bother with an education when I can make easy money selling drugs or robbing from others?

 

[CutieMouse]

*****

 

[WriterDom]

We were talking about this on a local board. Back in my day I don't even remember quitting school being an option. I think I remember one guy who quit and joined the Marines. That's about it.

 

[Yang4yin]

My children are in school in South Carolina; they are welcome to drop out of high school, as long as they are doing so because they have an opportunity to enroll early in an Ivy League school (with a full scholarship).

hmmmm... evidently you don't live in Lancaster County.

 

[CutieMouse]

*****

 

[Yang4yin]

Your children are definitely not the norm. Congratulations on that!

 

[WriterDom]

Nope; I live in Texas, but the kids live with their father and his partner in Greenville, SC.

I have odd kids.

The eldest (12) is allowed to create his own cirriculum in Language Arts class, as his vocabulary skills are on par with a college freshman; the school formed a mini chess club for him, just to keep him from being bored in class. When I went out to visit last week, I took an intorductory Latin book from the library with me, and by the time he went to bed Friday night, he was asking me if I could please buy him a copy. I believe plans are in the works to place him in a T&G Charter school next year.

My oldest daughter (10) is a straight A student, and has decided math is pretty cool, second only to astronomy (the coolest thing *ever*).

The third is in first grade, a straight A student, and thinks library time is almost as fun as recess.

The younger two aren't in school yet (too young), but I suspect # 4 will be reading before he enters kindergarden next year, as he's following the same learning patterns of his siblings; the baby (3) is still a bit too young to figure out (educationally), but we're not worried.

Like I said- they are welcome to leave school early if they wish, but only if it involves enrollment at University.

you aren't pregnant now are you?

 

[CutieMouse]

*****

 

[graceanne]

Out of curiousity sake the overall drop out rate for the US is 29%. Oregon's is 4% which surprises me, considering how much our schools suck.

Which reminds me, CHARTER SCHOOLS ROCK. My oldest is in second grade, and she's doing forth grade work. Her teacher says that if she didn't miss so much school that they'd probably bump her up a grade. My middle girl is in kindergarten and already reading at a mid-first grade level. She'd do better, but she's not really into it. Frankly B's a lot more into creative stuff.

 

[FurryFury]

It's a sad state of affairs.

It's also sad that part of the problem was created by today's parents... handing everything to the kids regardless of their behavior, not being around to encourage or help with homework, buying that XBox or PlayStation and all the games that go along with it... Why make anything of yourself when Mom and/or Dad is going to give it to me whenever I ask? Or worse, why bother with an education when I can make easy money selling drugs or robbing from others?

The same kids that drop out will someday be adults leading mostly substandard lives. They will either, A) Never have kids because they are too busy being kids themselves. In that case their genetic lines will end.

Of B) Have kids, which will lead to harder times financially, come to regret dropping out, and therefore, not give too much to their kids.

In other words, the sad situation will lead to a crash, a lot of suffering, then level out and eventually produce an ascendancy of education and better parenting within a generation or two.

The question then is, will the mistakes of these parenting generations be remembered and avoided?

Fury

 

[WriterDom]

Hell, I bet most of them will have kids before they turn 18. Bad decisions are usually followed by worse decisions.

 

[FurryFury]

Hell, I bet most of them will have kids before they turn 18. Bad decisions are usually followed by worse decisions.

*shakes magic 8 ball and nods*

Fury

 

[BiBunny]

Hell, I bet most of them will have kids before they turn 18. Bad decisions are usually followed by worse decisions.

That was how it was when I was in high school (lower-to-middle-class rural Alabama). I graduated in 2002 (I'm 23), and I'm one of the only people who graduated in that class of 50 who isn't married, who doesn't have kids, or both. I call myself an old maid by their standards...an old maid who's working on a master's degree and is planning on going to law school!

 

[FurryFury]

That was how it was when I was in high school (lower-to-middle-class rural Alabama). I graduated in 2002 (I'm 23), and I'm one of the only people who graduated in that class of 50 who isn't married, who doesn't have kids, or both. I call myself an old maid by their standards...an old maid who's working on a master's degree and is planning on going to law school!

Good for you!

Fury

 

[naxalite0906]

Its bad here in the UK too.. Education is only compulsory until you are 16, but increased truancy is putting an end to that. Teenage pregnancy is through the roof too.

Its a situation that is becoming increasingly difficult to control and stop.

 

[Cheshire D]

Which reminds me, CHARTER SCHOOLS ROCK.

Unless, of course, you simply don't learn like the way that is taught (at least at my brother's school, it was rather strict book learning and he's a kinesthetic learner) and you're so worried about being bullied by the kids (of yuppie give-em-everything parents [and I've got horror stories about them, too]) who think they own the universe and everyone in it that you're not learning anything anyway. Then they're a holy terror. My brother learned more in his public middle school than his charter elementary/partially middle school years than he did in that charter school. I know many are great, but this one was...well...two hours of screaming over homework, an hour over screaming over lack of friends...every day...for four years.

It's on the line between better and worse now he's in high school. He's got more friends and is doing better in school, but he's got more problems emotionally. *sigh* I love my brother, and I love my family, but hearing my mother talk I'm very glad to be going to university three hours away.

Sorry, didn't need to hear my life story.

It's depressing that there's such a high rate of dropouts...but there isn't necessarily one cause to it, and it isn't necessarily even anything under the kids (or parents) control. Shit sometimes happens, people have problems. Out of my group of 7 or so friends in high school, I was one of maybe two or three to graduate. I am the only one my age (there were two one grade below me) to have gotten out of the town and gone on to university. That's not to say my friends were lazy. They did/still do want to keep up their schooling. Real life got in their way. *shrug*

 

[Evil_Geoff]

My children are in school in South Carolina; they are welcome to drop out of high school, as long as they are doing so because they have an opportunity to enroll early in an Ivy League school (with a full scholarship).

My boys, 23 and 20 currently, are products of both private and public education in South Carolina. My oldest graduates from Michigan State University May 6th. While not Ivy League, MSU isn't exactly an academic marshmellow either. *grin* And my youngest is currently enrolled at the local community college on his way to an Associates degree, with plans to enroll at the "big school" after finishing the Associates to pursue his Bachelors. I'm proud as I can be for both of them!

I fly up to see my oldest walk across the stage May 5th. I think it will be the proudest moment of my life to that point, the only thing coming close to this is when janey kneeled before me and accepted my collar!

Education and drop out rates are not just a product of the schools, they are hugely a product of lazy, selfish, over-extended, over-working, to-damned-involved-with-everything-EXCEPT-their-children parents. Children need parents who encourage education for educations sake. They need parents who can answer "why?" "why?" "why?" "why?" "why?" "why?" time and time again. They need parents who set limits and rules and enforce them with firmness and with love. They need parents who EXPECT good manners and good behavior and the best effort the child can make.

There are, of course, exceptions. But as a general rule of thumb, lacadasical parents produce lacadasical offspring. When you are a street thug, and all you want to be is a bigger, badder, more blinged out street thug, your kids will want to be that too. When the media glorifies know-nothing-do-nothing attitudes and behaviors, our kids want to be "just like that". Don't blame the state, the schools, the teachers. Put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of those who should properly carry it.

The PARENTS.

Sorry... I'm ranting. I'll hush now...

 

[FurryFury]

I'm not even going to get started on the schools. I'll just say I agree that parents need to bother to get up off the couch more.

Fury

 

[lil_slave_rose]

The same kids that drop out will someday be adults leading mostly substandard lives. They will either, A) Never have kids because they are too busy being kids themselves. In that case their genetic lines will end.

Of B) Have kids, which will lead to harder times financially, come to regret dropping out, and therefore, not give too much to their kids.

In other words, the sad situation will lead to a crash, a lot of suffering, then level out and eventually produce an ascendancy of education and better parenting within a generation or two.

The question then is, will the mistakes of these parenting generations be remembered and avoided?

Fury

hmm..i know quite a few people who have dropped out of high school and are doing quite well now. i am not condoning dropping out in anyway, just saying not everyone who drops out becomes a dumb ass with a 'mediocre' or 'aweful' life.

 

[lil_slave_rose]

Hell, I bet most of them will have kids before they turn 18. Bad decisions are usually followed by worse decisions.

interesting, i had 2 kids and was married by the time i was 18. i stayed in school and graduated with my class.....actually i was due with my second child ON graduation day.

 

[FurryFury]

hmm..i know quite a few people who have dropped out of high school and are doing quite well now. i am not condoning dropping out in anyway, just saying not everyone who drops out becomes a dumb ass with a 'mediocre' or 'aweful' life.

The point of my post is that kids today don't appreciate how things are in the real world due to being too indulged. I'm not particularly worried about it because I think the situation will even itself out eventually.

In addition this pathetic apathy and wastefulness of many actually opens the door of opportunity to anyone willing to get a good education and work hard in life.

For the most part I don't care what people do as long as they don't hurt anyone else (I'm not talk about BDSM here) and are happy.

Still overall it can't be argued that most people are going to do better in life with more education.

Fury