Dropouts Regret Decision
Many Cite Boredom as Reason
By Daniel Muniz

According to a recent study, many high school dropouts regret making that fateful decision. Although one-third of them were already failing, astonishingly, six out of 10 students were actually passing before they left school. So why did so many teenagers want to drop out if they were not failing?

The research performed by Peter Hart Research Associates suggested that certain students were not academically challenged enough. In other words, some of these kids were bored with school.

Now I have plenty of criticism as well as cynicism about using boredom as a justification to drop out of high school, however I feel that it is important to at least look at this other point view.

And admittedly, I was a bit surprised to find a number of my own peers who actually empathized with the dropouts who were bored. The Reuters news wire also interviewed a few people who regretted their decision when it published its news story about this study. They found dropouts who really wanted to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, or astronauts but just couldn’t get past a stumbling block called high school.

Out of fairness, I do have to agree that some of my high school classes did not challenge me enough. I remember that for the first several weeks of a government class I took, I had an awesome teacher. Most of my classmates were not interested in politics or how government functioned but this instructor was just so amazing because of her enthusiasm and of her mastery of the subject matter.

Then I got a schedule change and ended up with perhaps the most boring teacher I ever had. She mostly taught the honor’s classes but in all reality, she didn’t really teach at all. She constantly gave us busy work and her lectures were just a regurgitation of what was in the book. What was once an exciting class now became an hour’s worth of drudgery.

Outside of school, I can also relate to not being intellectually stimulated.

Almost every job I have had in my professional career had its lackluster moments. For instance, there is nothing intellectual about Accounting, which is my degree. I did the books for a few small businesses and put in some long hard hours for very low pay and I hated it. But for me, it wasn’t the lack of the intellectual stimulation that left me unfulfilled; it was the emptiness of my wallet that really burned me. As a result, I changed professions and became a technical writer. I love being responsible for the layout and design of a publication and I liked the aspect of researching subject material. But also, my wallet enjoyed the greatly enhanced income.

But I understand that money isn’t everything or at least not for most people.

Each job I had, even the ones of my career change had its elements of boredom. However, I never went to my boss to tell him that I needed to be intellectually challenged because what I am doing right now is just too dull. I think that most of my managers would have told me outright that perhaps I could find new stimulation in the unemployment line if I really felt that way. Being the sole breadwinner for a growing family, I really don’t care too much about what my work environment entails as long as I am able to bring home a regular paycheck. And that is the way a lot of people see it.

The same goes for parenthood. If I told my wife that I felt that changing dirty diapers is just too boring for me and that I only want to do the more intellectually challenging parts of raising our baby, I can imagine that I would be told where I can stick the next dirty diaper.

Unfortunately, boredom is just part of the real world.

I can understand the point of view about dull teachers and boring subjects but I am in no way willing to allow that to be a justification for dropping out of high school. And besides, if these people think that school is too uninspiring, there are just so many things of the real world that are even more boring but people have to do them anyways. That is part of being an adult and having the maturity and responsibility to cope with life.

But perhaps that is the element that many of these kids missed out on.

Some parents may not have done their part to foster the maturation of their offspring or in development of responsibility. An adolescent requires a tremendous amount of guidance and nurturing through the toughest times of teenage life. Unfortunately, many parents see kids as adults who wear smaller clothes and as a result, too many of them simply abdicate their parental responsibilities. They just figure that their child is old enough to make their own decisions.

Not surprisingly, the research also found that many of these dropouts cited that they had “too much freedom” while they were growing up.

Indeed, most states allow teenagers to drop out of high school at age 16 or 17. In a lot of states, anyone who is 17 is practically an adult.

For someone who wants to be a friend instead of a parent, they may easily allow their children to drop out at 16, especially when all the parental guidance ended years ago. More order, rules, and higher expectations is what kids really need and that can only come from parenting instead of from the government.

However, there is now growing public pressure to raise the compulsory school attendance age all the way up to 18.

That is a good start but the real solution can only come from parents. Parents must be willing to be an active part in the maturing of their children and they must also set realistic expectations about life as an adult. That is where “rules and order” comes into play and that is where parenthood is most vital.

Yes, school can be boring but the real world can also have its dull moments too. And only an involved parent can guide an adolescent through those turbulent times in preventing their child from dropping out.

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