If you run a quick Google Image search of "high school dropout," you'll find a pretty interesting mix of views and opinions on the subject. I was expecting the majority of the images to be of infographics that show the alarming dropout rates in America, as well as stock photos that depict struggling students that you often see at the head of articles about the U.S.A.'s fight to keep their kids in school. I was surprised, however, to see that there were a surprising amount of images that not only didn't speak against dropping out of public school, but actually encouraged it in some cases. There was one image in particular that peaked my interest, and that was this one: It's pretty standard, but it wasn't the cartoon itself that intrigued me most; it was the article attached to it.
The article (here's a link) is about Donald E. Heller, the dean of the college of education at Michigan State University, and the support that he had for his daughter's decision to drop out of high school. I was stunned to hear someone so involved in the public education system acknowledge that it wasn't the best place for his own daughter. The article quotes Heller in saying that he and his wife "wish that public schools could provide a better learning environment for children who are square pegs and who do not fit into the round hole of a traditional, test-centric educational environment." Now, I would never be own to say that everyone should drop out of high school. However, the images that we associate with those who do drop out (the unmotivated, misguided youth) is a dangerous stereotype. Heller's daughter was a high performer in a very good school district; the curriculum simply wasn't engaging her on a level that matched her own aspirations and interests. Public schools have become so closely entwined with standards and benchmarks that it may overlook the individual curiosity of the students, a resource that could be tapped but is instead left to eventually deteriorate. You can't convince a crew to not abandon ship when the ship is sinking. We should be working to make public schools a system that the students wouldn't want to drop out from, rather than trying to convince them that they should stay when they aren't gaining value from it.
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AuthorDrew Ehrler is a student at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. ArchivesCategories |