Hey, It's For The Kids

Two new proposals for Michigan public schools are now being promoted by Governor Granholm and others. One would raise the minimum age at which kids can legally quit school and the other would allow for a fifth year of high school for those that are too far behind and lacking credits to graduate in four.

I have issues with both of these.

First of all, I reject the idea of both just on the basis of big government working to get bigger. Keep more kids in school beyond the age of 16 by law, and then give many of them another year to complete their studies. I can see a high school of 1000 students now, maybe growing to 1400 or 1500! Let's see now....we'll need many new teachers, bigger buildings, buses, etc.....all being proposed in a state where the public education system is already in financial trouble. Oh wait....Taxes will do it....at least out of the workforce we have left in this state!

Beyond the financial implications, the idea of moving the minimum age from 16 to 17 or 18, is just another example of government attempting to control. Do not misunderstand me; a kid leaving school at 16 is absolutely wrong for them, but it's something that parents must be responsible for, not government. Forcing a kid to stay in school when he quits trying and doesn't want it, creates more issues more everyone to manage. And if he's already "checked out" on the whole idea of school, how are we going to motivate him? How will they manage the distractions? Schools can't function as correctional institutions. They're asked to do too much of that now, and are failing.

On the idea of "fifth-year seniors" I can speak with some authority. My own son basically did just that. He was very fortunate I think, that once he failed to graduate with his peers, his counselor and other advocates he had at his school helped him to get back in and complete his degree within an additional semester. A big part of that I know had to do with his learning deficiencies and his school's understanding of that. I am grateful for this, but if it hadn't been there for him, there were others ways for him to get it done. I just can't see offering this same thing on a large scale. It's more dumbing down of the school system where there is too much of that already. The vast majority of students come equipped enough to handle high school and meet it's objectives in four years. Failure to accomplish it, I believe, is laziness in most cases and not disabilities. Here again is a parental and student responsibility, if indeed it is an issue of laziness. The alternative very simply, is that the kid does not deserve a diploma, and doesn't get one. The idea of giving them one more year to do it is ridiculous.

There are many problems in public education today. Having kids spend more time in it, isn't fixing anything.