Mr. Andrew Smith
English 1020-003
22 April 2009
Love, Hate, and High School
High school has been a part of life for many years now. Everyone goes to high school; some hate it, some love it, and some could care less. Yes, there are cliques and groups, such as the athletes or the preps, but they have always been found in schools and also in the workplace. Leon Botstein proposes that high school should be abolished in his essay “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” Leon Botstein graduated at the age of sixteen, so obviously he is smarter than some other Americans, but just because he could graduate before the normal age does not mean that it’s meant for everyone. Although Botstein has a few great points, his idea of completely taking high school away is ridiculous.
Botstein’s idea that high schools should be abolished is crazy. High school is where teens start to grow as a people and learn more about themselves, others, and life in general. The high school years involve making mistakes, learning from them, and preparing a person for college. Students learn how to write papers better, be organized, and complete assignments on time. Botstein proposes the graduation age should be sixteen instead of the age of eighteen, which is what we are all accustomed to. How many people are mature enough to graduate at sixteen? Also, the American school system is set up to accommodate for the smarter teens. If a person proves ‘too smart’ for a grade level, he or she is able to skip that grade and move to the next. At the age of sixteen, many teens are just starting to mature and learn about life. Botstein believes, “By the time those who graduate from high school go on to college and realize what really is at stake in becoming an adult, too many opportunities have been lost and too much time has been wasted” (140). How much time can you waste by going to school for two more years? How many opportunities are lost in two years when you are only sixteen? Also, there are not many jobs available for sixteen year olds. The economy is much worse than it was at this time last year, therefore many adults cannot find jobs, so how are teens supposed to? The main jobs for sixteen year olds include working at McDonalds or Kroger or some other low paying job. When I was sixteen, I worked at Kroger as a cashier, and it is not the type of job I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Working at Kroger and earning $7.50 an hour is not enough money to support a family or pay bills.
Botstein expresses that teens are maturing at younger ages now compared to when high school was first started and gives that as a primary reason for high school not working. The last half of his statement is questionable. Yes, people are maturing at a younger age but that usually means they are beginning to go through puberty and their body is starting to mature because at sixteen the brain is still growing and teens are beginning to change their behavior and attitude, but as a reason for high school not working? This is absurd. If he thinks teenagers’ maturing is the reason for high school failing, what is it going to do to the work place? Botstein also remarks, “An institution intended for young children in transition now holds young adults back well beyond the point for which high school was originally intended” (140). At age sixteen, young people are still in that transitional phase of life. They are teenagers who are getting close to young adulthood, but still have not reached a high level of maturity. Some people in their forties have yet to reach a mature level.
Botstein has a good point when he says high school is made up of cliques, outsiders and insiders, and everyone is judged. In every school there are the jocks, the preps, the Goths, the nerds, and so on. There are also those who are the “insiders.” These people follow the crowd and conform. The “outsiders” are those who stand out and do not conform to wearing the brand name clothing and they do not try to compete with everyone else. Everyone is judged. Looks and popularity are not everything. He also states individuality is discouraged. It is not so much discouraged but it is hard to be an individual and do things one’s own way because of all the criticism and judgment placed on everyone.
Botstein makes a good point when he acknowledges, “The team sports of high school dominate more than student culture. A community’s loyalty to the high school is often based on the extent to which varsity teams succeed” (139). The athletes are always looked at highly and many times given special privileges. The best basketball player on the team may be failing a course, but sometimes the teacher passes her anyways just so she can play. For example, my freshman year of high school I had to do an art project made out of things found around the house. I spent several days working on my project and I received an 85. There was an athlete in my class who did not do his project, but he made cookies, and the teacher gave him a 70. Everyone was extremely mad that this happened, and honestly, it happens all the time. This is not right and should not be done because it would not be done for other “regular” students.
In conclusion, Botstein has made some good points on the problems with high school, but also some very poor remarks. At sixteen teens just are not ready to enter the ‘real world’. They are too immature and not able to take on the responsibilities. Going off to college brings on so many new challenges, but eighteen is a more mature age then sixteen. Students should still graduate at age eighteen and then enter either a job or college. The ‘real world’ is tough; even some thirty year olds are unprepared for it.
Botstein, Leon.”Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” Reading Culture. Eds. Dianna George and John
Trimbur. New York: Pearson, 2007. 139-41
"Leon Botstein." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 22 Apr. 2009
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