Why Didn 't You Finished High School?

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Why didn’t you finish high school? At young age Americans are enrolled in grade school. There is no choice on rather you attend; it is a Monday through Friday event. Teachers, parents, and administration fill your head with the thoughts of walking across a large stage at the end of your senior year of high school and receiving your high school diploma; everyone was set on a path to achieve the same goal. While continuing education throughout grade, middle and high school, different situations take apart in peoples life and education is placed on the back burner. Nowadays in America, without a high school diploma or the equivalent, you are automatically unqualified for 90% of jobs. It is said that without high school diploma you won 't get a good job, won 't make money, buy a good house, provide for your family or get anywhere in life. When students drop out of school, they step into a pit of negative assumptions. Many times, when hearing that someone has dropped out of school, the first thing that comes to mind is that they’re lazy, stupid and taking the easy way out. After hearing 17 different stories about why high school wasn’t finished, I can determine that the basic stereotype does not do everyone justice. There are many factors and reasons why a teen would consider ending their education: pregnancy, responsibilities, drugs, jail, motivation, failure, lack of interest, and many more. One of the most recurring reasons for dropping out is pregnancy. Pregnancy is the number one reason girls drop out of school. Out of the 17 drop outs that shared their story with me, multiple of them had to grow up faster than kids their age. “It was hard to go to school, work, spend time with my child and keep my grades up. I knew getting an edu... ... middle of paper ... ...reasons and factors that cause teens to end their education. America’s high school graduation rate is 22nd out of 27 developed nations. This is a problem and should not be taken lightly. Over the course of the week, I have heard many different stories of why a teen would give up on something they’ve spent so much time with. To those who automatically assume high-school dropouts are lazy, stupid, or poor, they’re wrong. A person can be very successful and respected in society without achieving a diploma. High school is challenging and doesn’t cater to everyone’s life, especially when you have a child or drug addiction. The pressure of receive a high school diploma within a four year plan should not be so stressful and over baring. Everyone has a different story, background, and situation going on in their life and school can’t always be balanced within the equation.

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