ALL of this is based upon my personal experience and knowledge. I have done no study, and I know of no research on the subject. However, I believe that I can prudently generalize. I present what I consider to be a significant and widespread problem. And I wonder how it all happened.
I was graduated from a Catholic high school in 1964. Every school hour of every day was occupied by an academic class. The “exceptions”(?) were gym, typing (only in senior year) and study hall. I took four years (including my senior year) of math, science, Latin, English, history, religion. I went to school as many hours in my senior year as I did in my freshman year. Everyone did. There was no let up. The subjects were more advanced.
Recently a grand nephew of mine “dropped out” of college. It was his freshman year. He had a partial scholarship, that he got by competing with other students. He was recruited into playing rugby, and had the possibility of getting another scholarship because of this. He is a decent kid, and was a good, if not great high school student. He did not finish the second semester. He simply came home, convinced that he was failing his courses. He cost his family over $20,000.
I think that there are several reasons why he felt that he should not bother to continue trying. However, I want to concentrate on one. It seems to me, from some other relatives and friends, that this cause is most significant. In the senior year of high school, these days, many students have already fulfilled most of their course requirements. So they hardly go to school. I know of a girl who worked full time(!) in her senior year, with no conflict with school requirements. Interestingly enough, she too later dropped out of college.
Instead of taking a full load of courses contemporary students may go to school for only one or two classes, and these may not be truly academic. What happens is this. The habit of learning, writing, reading, doing homework, etc, is pretty much lost in this last year of pre-college instruction. The year becomes pretty much a relaxed vacation from learning. Then the student is suddenly required to resume his studies of tougher material. If he is away from home (my nephew was) then no one can exercise discipline over him.
This is like telling a jockey that winning the race does not matter. He should ride in an easy and safe fashion. Then, right before the end, he is told that he must win the race and should use the whip. It was not always this way, as I indicated before. My generation went to real high schools, with real courses, every day, until the day we left.
Is the current situation the worst of all possible worlds? Or am I the only one who judges these things? How did it happen?
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