Xerobull, 1. It doesn't take 10 years of formal education to learn to read, write, and think critically. If that's the point of schools, then why are there sports, proms, parties, competitions to sell candies, yearbook groups, various student clubs, etc. that are not academically related? It's also the transition of students to the adult world that is important. But in that regard, kids these days are more than ready for either work or college at 15-16. 2. I agree, or they could be fully enrolled in college instead of part time. 5. What sounds better? 16 year old in college or 16 year old high schooler taking college courses? The German system looks nice. We should adopt their system.
Its time we improve on the quality of education...I dont know if that can be achieved by making 10th grade graduation year. Obviously there are cost advantages for the school, district and state... but the issue is more about what is being taught to students...The education system isnt really challenging students...its just making sure they pass and get through...And the standards of passing have become more and more lax over time...
I would probably disagree with this. I couldn't imagine placing 16 year olds next to people who are 20 or higher in college and asking them to get along (imagine how many drunken rape cases there would be). I don't think just because slutty high school girls post up photos on instagram and people "know about sex" (they know how to have it, they don't always know the true ramifications of it) that they're ready for the real world? A lot of kids in 10th grade are 15. So how do they know about jobs and cars? And what does cars have to do with the real world? I went through calculus in high school and college algebra was easy. But if I didn't have a math class every year in high school, I definitely wouldn't have been as sharp as I was in college. And I do think people can get something out of an additional two years. I've seen multiple people who were screw ups their freshman year and ended up being great students by their senior year. Some people need it, some don't. The ones that don't end up taking a lot of AP level class and test out of college courses, or they take the community college courses that give them dual credit.
We don't need more or less school, just better public school. Private school vs Public school grades on average is STUPID. I am too lazy to post any data or source it, but Private school kids >>> Public school kids as far as college readiness.
You took Calculus in high school but took College Algebra in college? What happened there? You have valid points with the possible rapes. I didn't think about that. Lol. But the motivated and mature 15-16 year old can handle first year of college easily.
I don't know about you guys, but I would have much better off if I would have just did community college for 2 years instead of essentially ****ing around my last 2 years of high school. It wasn't challenging at all and felt like supervised daycare. And on a side note, they really need to teach high schoolers basic life skills like how to rent an apartment, buy a house, buy a car, understand what credit is, etc.
So, because I wasn't a highly motivated 15-yr old, I should have given up on my education and started a life towards becoming an a/c repair man? In what world does that make sense? I didn't become highly motivated to complete my education until I was 19. I had to completely re-take my first 2 years of college. Yes, there are plenty of highly motivated kids at that age. There are more that aren't. That doesn't mean you throw them to the wolves. The 15-yr old brain is not fully developed. Heck, the 20-yr old brain is not fully developed. What they look like has no bearing on anything at all. Every generation has gotten bigger. That has nothing to do with anything other than they need bigger clothes at an earlier age. My 4-yr old is nearly sharing stuff with my 7-yr old. Does that mean they should be in the same grade?
Exactly. I felt the same; wasted time. In adition to basic life skills, skills like how to write business and technical papers should be taught as well. Instead, Shakespeare is more important.
I'm not saying that you should give up your college dream. There are folks who are grandparents who go back to school. What I'm saying is you don't need to waste 2 years of high school if you know you don't want to go to college yet.
I see where you went wrong. 16 year-old kids don't know ****. They might be having sex and working at McDonalds, but they don't know ****. They don't know how to make lasting relationships, they don't know how to behave professionally and take responsibility, they don't know anything at all about cars (neither how to drive one or how to fix one or even maintain one -- though I'm not sure how it even got in the conversation), they don't know how to be a good citizen or an informed voter, they don't know how to keep house, have a good diet or maintain their finances. In short, 16 year olds are dumb as a box of rocks and aren't ready to contribute in any meaningful way at all to society. Maybe you're right that they aren't getting much help from their last years of high school though. It could be that they won't learn these things until you throw them in the deep end.
And at 18 they'll know ****? Is that why most college Freshmen ****ed up their first year due to parties while still living in dorms, paid for by their parens or federal aid? They have been used to the sheltered life in high school and harder to discipline at 18 cause they're now "adults". But if they're 16, they'll more likely take their classes seriously cause rules can be imposed on them cause they're still minors, and perhaps have more success in college.
No, they're still stupid at 18 and only slightly less stupid coming out of college at 22. I'm not opposed to the idea of shortening school, necessarily, but I think you have the wrong justifications. I'd also object to the idea that you don't learn anything in 11th and 12th grade. Granted I went to a fancy private school, but those were probably the most productive years of my education. But, if everyone had the same kind of access to education that I had, we wouldn't have a problem to fix. It's a shame that anyone would feel that multiple years of their education was wasted time. The efficacy of that time should be improved, which might be in school or outside of it.