To Finish or Quit?

To Finish or Quit?

High School dropouts represent an important problem that affects thousands of students each year. Roughly one third of all students will drop out of high school without having received their diplomas. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, "only 86% of the class of 1998 graduated." Many students today choose to graduate from high school and continue their education further whether it is technical training or a more formal degree. Why is it that 14% of high school students do not graduate? There are various plausible explanations that could alter a student from completing high school. Some examples for not graduating could include pregnancy, poor influences, no friends, poor grades, or simply lacking the motivation to finish.

Dropping out of school is not only an educational problem but a significant social problem as well. Indeed, it has obvious psychological, economical, and social ramifications. For example, dropouts may undergo a loss of self-esteem and turn to drugs or become a financial burden to society. Nearly every student struggles with meeting their personal goals pertaining to grades. Some students may strive for all A's while others struggle to complete an assignment. Students who are struggling to receive credit may find it easier to quit. For some, this option may be less embarrassing than trying to graduate and fall short and not being able to 'walk the stage' with their graduating class. Poor grades could also leave a student ineligible for extracurricular activities such as sports. "Almost 5% of high school students nationwide dropped out of school between October 2003 and October 2004, while approximately 75% of students who enrolled in grade 9 in 2000 graduated with a high school diploma in 2004" (Laird, DeBell, and Chapman, 2006.)

A growing problem in today's society is teen pregnancy. We hear about this issue frequently it seems, and we all probably know someone or someone's child who has been faced with this difficult struggle. In fact, the popular TV channel, MTV, airs a show called "16 and Pregnant" which depicts the daily struggles of young mothers faced with the harsh realities of life. There are many consequences of being pregnant in high school. There are the simple struggles such as rumors and gossip, being made fun of, lack of self-esteem or self-confidence, and a combination of these factors could persuade a young mother to quit school. One may believe that being a student and a mother both is just too hard; it's simpler to drop out. At the time, being a good parent may be more important than her education. A young mother may find herself asking, "Who will watch my baby while I'm at school? How will I pay for child care? I need to be with my baby not sitting in a pointless classroom." In addition, pregnancy not only affects the mother. The child's father may find it is his sole responsibility to support his family financially. The young man will in turn drop out of school to get a full-time job.

Everywhere we look; there are good influences and bad. Hollywood today is saturated with both. Teens are easily influenced by their parents, peers, and celebrities and do not always think of the consequences of their choices. A student whose parents never graduated could very well tell himself "If Dad made it without an education I can too." If the student's parents don't lead their child by being involved in their son or daughter's education, then in my opinion, the parent has not been a good influence on the child. Teens are very intuitive and will soon discern that his/her education is not important to the parents, and