Abolishing High School: The Pursuit of Creativity, Interest, and Adulthood

Abolishing High School:

The Pursuit of Creativity, Interest, and Adulthood

High school is one of those milestones in an individual’s life that will be remembered for a long time to come. Whether one’s experiences are positive and allow him to find his purpose in life or whether they are so terrible that his view of education is tainted forever, what happens in high school affects how one’s future will turn out. Leon Botstein, author of “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood,” states that the traditional high school system should be abolished because it is not benefitting teenagers. He states that cliques of popularity and athleticism and teachers who care more about money than education stand in the way of proper learning for teenagers. Botstein further argues that school stifles students creativity and that they really do not want to be in school. His argument that the traditional high school setting should be abolished is somewhat justified on the fact that cliques make schooling experiences difficult; however, his statement that children’s creativity is stifled, they are bored in high school, and that they are ready to be adults at a young age is invalid.

Botstein’s first argument is that students’ creativity is stifled by the high school environment. He states that “most thoughtful young people suffer the high school environment in silence and in their junior and senior years mark time waiting for college to begin” (Source 2). He supports his argument by describing how the two gunmen in the Columbine school shooting were not allowed to be creative and that they felt trapped in the school. He says that because these students were not able to express themselves that they were basically ticking time bombs waiting to explode. ...

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...ly worsens the problems that he states. With the lack of maturity comes more bullying and cliques. By teachers and administration helping each student individually, children not only will learn more but also have more ways to show their individuality. The uniqueness of each person can be expressed through the way he learns and how he uses the information he is given. Instead of generalizing teachers, students, and administration and attacking them for their flaws as Botstein has, the purpose of high school is to show how each person fits into society by expressing their own individuality. Not everyone can be a brilliant mathematician, physicist, or author. It takes many different people to make the world work cohesively. By maintaining the traditional high school setting while working to fit students’ needs, education can assist in making a greater society.