Graduation from high school is a rite of passage that signals passing from adolescence into the adult world. Life does not end after high school, but signals the beginning of many years as a contributing member of society. Many times, as part of this celebration, seniors have a tendency to skip classes and school days. School administrators frequently recommend that school boards adopt strict attendance policies for high school seniors. These policies limit their absences in the last month of school in order to be eligible for participation in graduation ceremonies. This policy statement will support greater leniency for requirements to participate in graduation ceremonies.
School board members support the policy of enforcing strict attendance policies in order to participate in graduation ceremonies based the viewpoint that it encourages seniors to attend school regularly and to act appropriately at the graduation exercises. This raises the question of what student has learned. If they have not learned appropriate behavior at formal ceremonies, it is doubtful that they will learn to do so in the last month of school.
At this point in their life, students have already passed their exams and met all of the other requirements for graduation. A strict policy on attendance during the last month of their endeavors is to negate the hard work that they have done up to this point. It is like saying to them, "You have worked hard and the school is proud of you, but you are now going to be treated as if you failed." Not being able to participate in graduation exercises not only has a significant impact on the student socially and emotionally, it could affect their future educational and job prospects, particularly if someone...
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...sition time into the adult world. The traditions and rituals associated with it are an important part of making the transition emotionally, including senior skip days. When one considers the consequences of the policies and the potential harm that they could cause in the future, these policies appear to be damaging, potentially both to the school and to the student. Graduation is a time to focus on the future and to start making a mental shift into the rest of their life. It is a time for making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives and punishing them for making a choice that is best for their adult lives, rather than participating in a one day ceremony is counterintuitive to the purpose of the educational process. The last act that the school can do for the student is to allow them to begin the process of making adult decisions as an adult.
The demand for a higher education degree is becoming more and more prevalent and necessary; and with tens of thousands of dollars being spent on college tuition annually (over 14,000 dollars for in-state public tuition, and over 33,000 dollars for in-state private tuition on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), students are forking out a lot of money for a quality education. Though college degrees are becoming more of a necessity for most well paying jobs, it is still the student’s choice to attend college and spend all of that money. I believe that as consumers of the service that is education, if students are to spend this kind of money, they should be able to control their time spent in the classroom, but attendance policies and their repercussions at the college/university level are not making that possible. Grading on attendance policies at the college/university level is too harsh, and should be done away with all together.
Graduating early is when you graduate before you are suppose to. It was never common because no one ever seemed to think about it or want to put in the work to do it. For a long time high school was defined as the best time of your life. Everyone who spoke to you always said when you left you would miss it. No one really wanted to graduate early for that reason. People wanted to cherish the time they had in high school because they knew they only got to go through it once. It was a big idea to live up to. Senior year has this belief attached to it. It means a lot to people because it is their last year of high school and it was upsetting to know that you’d be leaving the people you have spent the last four years with. People thought you had to have as much fun as possible in high school and do all kinds of crazy things before you turned 18: when you would be considered and punished as an adult. Now those times have changed. High school is not looked upon as the best times of your life anymore. It is looked upon in almost a negative way. High school has changed a lot and it is not very enjoyable now. There are lots of reasons why someone would want to graduate early. For instance, maybe the student was bullied, maybe the student decided they wanted to move on and go to college, maybe the student got sick of their home life and wanted to move forward, or like me, maybe the student has their future waiting for them and all they need is to graduate high school so they could begin it.
I agree with Garland I feel that attendance shouldn’t be mandatory because that’s just forcing those who don’t want to learn go to school. Those who are always getting into fights and causing problems shouldn’t be able to attend school. I like how Garland talks about why mandatory attendance is just based upon the idea that every American has the right to basic education. “But as the old saying goes, your rights stop where the next guy’s begin” (620). Garland explains how every student who wants an education regardless of their inabilities should find a way to receive an education. On the other hand, I remember when I used to go to high school and I witnessed how my friends thought attendance was a big joke. My classmates would always show up late or not even bother to show up. Participation points weren’t a big deal in Hope Academy since all of our classes were online. It didn’t take long before the school started to enforce strict rules. If one doesn’t want to attend school, shouldn’t show up. I feel that mandatory attendance is outrageous. One who wants to learn will find a way to receive an education. Mandatory attendance just gives the trouble-makers an opportunity to waste everyone’s time for those who really want to learn. To sum up, mandatory attendance shouldn’t be allowed. Schools are learning centers that provide students education they aren’t centers of entertainments. Garland also talks about school cafeterias and how they serve unhealthy
Students want to go to college to further their education. An advancement in education gives students more opportunities. A college diploma helps students not only get a job, but keep it and make more money. College students want to be there because they are able to invest in themselves. In college, students are able to discover new passions, learn more about themselves as an individual, make new friends, and prepare for the future. On the other hand, in high school, students are required to go. According the to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Compulsory Attendance Law states that a person who has custody of a child between the ages of seven and seventeen, are required to ensure that he or she is enrolled and regularly attending any time of schooling system. If a student between the ages of seven and seventeen fails to go to school, it is the parent’s responsibility and the parent will be
Therefore, we, the representatives of Lakeside High School in the name of justice and our fellow students, do declare in this document that all the students of the nation are free and independent of teacher and administrative rule, we grant all young adults the basic rights of adults whom are free and independent. And for the support of this Declaration, we all pledge to each other our effort, our honor, our lives, and our precious
Adolescence is a time of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. During this time, we face the questions of who we believe we are and what we plan on doing with our lives. We deal with the stressors of puberty and sexual maturation, as well as the cognitive ability to recognize our own thought process (Feldman, R. S. 2018). These characteristics feed into the pressure of this developmental stage because above all these changes, this period is also the time we think about college and what we choose to study for our future career. The discussion of taking a year off before college has been gaining attention in the U.S. and now the American Gap Association (AGA) has conducted national surveys to see the statistical effects among adolescents who choose the gap year option versus those who do not. Marcia’s identity status theory concerning the moratorium identity plays best into why taking a gap year after high school graduation can be, both, beneficial
Class participation is another important benefit of mandatory attendance policies. The evaluation of the student can also be done on the class participation. Professors also take a quiz or ask a bonus question in the class to increase the attention and interest of students in the particular subject. Evaluation on class participation also increases the interest of the students in particular subject and towards the
To counteract this massive loss of profit and potential, the reasons behind dropping out must be addressed. One of the main reasons teenagers are forced to drop out of high school is to counteract family costs. Family costs include regular bills such as mortgages, rent, car insurance, car payments, gas, grocery bills, and utilities. Family costs also include unscheduled expenses such as medical bills, school field trips, and holiday celebrations. Teenagers must s...
Not being able to go to college is one reason why students’ shouldn’t drop out of high school. If you want a job that requires a bachelor or master’s degree you have to go to college to get. For example; if you wanted to be a Lawyer or school teacher or a business owner you would have to pass your GED test or make the choice to finish high school (“High School Dropouts”). If you still want go to college but you drop out you have to pass your GED test to go to college. If students’ would finish high school it would be a lot easier with a diploma than trying to get your GED to go to college, because if you finish high school with a diploma and don’t have to worry about taking any test to go to college. But if you don’t pass then you can’t do anything college related.
Graduation is an exciting time in a person’s life, especially a high school graduation. When I think of family and friends gathering together to celebrate a joyous occasion, I feel I accomplished my strongest goal. It never occurred to me that graduation would be the end of my youth and the start of adulthood. Graduating from high school was an influential event that gave me an altered outlook on my existence. Life before graduation, preparing for graduation day, and commencement day overwhelmed me for reality.
To help students want to go to school all year long, they can get involved in different activities they enjoy. For example, if a student likes to play sports, then the school should let that student join a sports team. I think letting students join programs and do different activi...
We live in a globalized yet diverse world where people want to hold on to their unique culture and traditions. Christians celebrate Christmas; Muslims celebrate Eid. One of the most important events in the Spanish society is the grand Tomatina Festival, where participants throw tomatoes at each other. In India, people celebrate the spring festival, Holi, by coloring each other’s faces and clothes with dry powder and colored water. While graduation is a huge event in the US, whether it is from kindergarten, high school or college, it isn’t significant at all in Afghanistan; people celebrate entrance not graduation. Though a small Scandinavian country, Norway, has unique traditions that most people aren’t familiar with. Every Norwegian kid looks forward to graduating from high school because of the legendary russefering, russ celebration, which is essentially a month of sensation and adventure.
Although the claim that all students should attend college has embedded itself into our society, not all students should be pressed to do so. The benefits of receiving a college degree has been displayed, but the drawbacks of college are just as apparent. Attending college is a momentous decision that all high school seniors will have to make, and students are entitled to make this choice at their own discretion. High school seniors should be relieved of pressures aiming to sway them to a single side, and instead be encouraged to survey their current and future situations and allowed to choose what they
High school and college are very dissimilar. There are the main differences and then there are differences that aren't very distinct. These differences include homework, teacher-student relationships, and attendance policies. In this paper I will discuss the major and minor differences between high school and college. I will also explain why responsibility is a very important factor in high school and college.
Rumberger, Russell. “Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It” (Dec 19, 2012)