Leon Botstein Critique Of High School Education

The President of Bard College, Leon Botstein, wrote the opinion piece Let Teenagers Try Adulthood (1999), argues that American high schools should be abolished. Botstein uses school cliques and brain development to develop the argument. The author's purpose was to argue that high school are dangerous to kids mental health and the school system should be modified in order to keep children safe from wrong ideas that are often present in high schools. The audience of the opinion article are school officials and people who have the power to change the educational system.

High school is an important time for developing a sense of who you are as a person. Each kid who starts out high school will usually asks themselves what they are there to accomplish. For the most part, many set personal goals for themselves and strive to achieve above and beyond. However, some are just there for the experience and to see where it takes them. It’s apparent that some kids have an easier time and don’t have to struggle with their high school career. For example, some of the students have followed strong academic paths that have prepared them for this time in their lives, where as others have struggled with educational influences and feel unprepared or lost. Swerdlow mentions that the students, who attend J.E.B. Stuart, are given many chances to improve their educational foundation in order to

In “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood,” Leon Botstein argues that the “American high school is obsolete and should be abolished.”(Botstein 254) He explains that this obsolescence is because high school does not represent the way real life works, that real life is not based on popularity and athletic abilities. Botstein suggests that our society isolates students in high school because adults “do not like adolescents.” Botstein wants more options for teenagers and suggests that they graduate at 16 and have the ability to choose what they want to do from there; such as joining the workforce, attending specialized schools for professional training, or going to college. Botstein also states that high school teachers are employed because they are popular, whereas college professors are employed because they are experts in their fields. I agree with Botstein’s statement that the American high school system should be changed, but I do not agree with his belief about the “poor quality of recruitment and training for high school teachers.”(Botstein 254)

As an English teacher at Wellesley High School, in the accomplished community of Wellesley, Massachusetts, David McCullough, Jr. confronts the paradox of reality versus the popular assumptions perpetuated by well-meaning parents and delivered a shockingly poignant attack on the Wellesley High School graduates’ self-perception and preparedness. In addition, he outlined the parents’ role in creating and maintaining this deception. Mr. McCullough used his knowledge and insight of the Twenty-first Century youth culture, humor, and steadfast opinion that his target audience of high school graduates is aphoristically, NOT SPECIAL. However, Mr. McCullough limited his audience’s sensitivity to his assertion using ethics, logic and pathos and later provides a positive, passionate and humanistic world view of how to have a well-lived life.

In Leon Botstein’s "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood", Botstein argues that the "superficial definitions" of high school students are a reason to let teenagers begin their lives in the working world rather than to perpetuate their education. Botstein is correct in proclaiming that high schools are breeding grounds for "cliques" and "artificial intensity”, and his address of the “flawed institution” of high school is cogent and fitting.

The trivialization of high school in the present educational organization for teens has been posited in the public; however, it is one vital issue that is being debated.

In ‘Abolish high school’ by Rebecca solnit, she writes “High school is often considered a definitive American experience, in two senses: an experience that nearly everyone shares, and one that can define who you are, for better or worse, for the rest of your life.” which means high school isn’t wonderful for many people, it has a lot of challenges for teens, maybe some of them ‘kill’ by pressure and challenges, it would affect their rest of life. The high school is not a wonderful place for everyone. People should skip it and escaped it that you would don’t be suffered by it. However I disagree with her, because I believe high school is a indispensable place for students. It is a place for students, they can find a great relationship and an unexceptionable place to learn. On the other hand, I believe the high school is the key to definitive teens who they are in an great way. For example, Teachers would shape everyone’s identity, make you strong to face challenges, and open child’s heart. For example, in my childhood, when I lived with my parents, I was happy to learn, because my parents always encourage me to learn. Also, they want me learn from mistake, because It is a way to learn. They want me to be someone. However my parents left me at 12 age, they have to work more hard to support this home. I can’t focus on learning, I was playing video games every day, because I think I was ‘release’ from my parents. I have no ideas about my future. There is no one like my parents to guide me , I feel alone and confuses. Until I was be a part of high school.The high school make me stronger and hopeful. Teachers guide me walk on the right way again, they talk to me about future and how wonderful thing would happen in high school. I

In order to grow and prosper in society, one must gain knowledge from a variety of subjects and apply the information in real life situations. High school is one source of education where adolescents are able to gain knowledge by attending classes. However, the school system has numerous flaws and fails to cultivate successful students who are driven to continue their education. Based on the texts in Conversation: Focus on the American High School and my own insight, two serious issues present in American high schools include the failure to reform the curriculum by integrating liberal arts and promoting artificial values in individuals which restricts growth.

In ‘Abolish high school’ by Rebecca solnit, she writes “High school is often considered a definitive American experience, in two senses: an experience that nearly everyone shares, and one that can define who you are, for better or worse, for the rest of your life.” which means high school isn’t wonderful for many people, it has a lot of challenges for teens and some of them may be ‘kill’ by pressure, it would effect your rest of life. The high school is not a wonderful place for everyone. People should skip it and escaped it don’t be suffered by it. However i disagree with her, because i believe high school is a wonderful and kindly for everyone. It is a place for teen to meeting friends and a place to learning. I believe the environments would definitive teens who they are. For example, the parents is most important for kid, they would shape everyone’s identity, make you more stronger to face challenge. For example, in my childhood, when i was lived with my parents, i was

In "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood", an essay by Leon Botstein, Botstein argues that the "superficial definitions" of high school students are a reason to let teenagers begin their lives in the working world rather than to perpetuate their education. Botstein is correct in proclaiming that high schools are breeding grounds for "cliques" and "artificial intensity”, and his address of the “flawed institution” of high school are cogent and fitting.

In the essay "Let Teenagers Try Adulthood", Leon Botstein expresses that the "superficial definitions" of high school students present a reason that they should be allowed to begin their lives in the working world rather than to prolong their education. Botstein is correct in proclaiming that high schools are breeding grounds for "cliques" and "artificial intensity”, and his address of the “flawed institution” of high school is cogent and fitting.

I used to believe that we could be anything that we wanted to be, as long as we wanted it enough; that was around age 13. I still believe that we can be anything we want to be, with a few changes to that belief: it has to fit in to the status quo, be accepted by those around you, and provide you with enough money to live in what society perceives as a comfortable and successful lifestyle. Although a lot has changed since American political activist Mario Savio wrote the article “An End to History” in 1964, a great deal of change is required before students can become part of the system without having to disregard their creativity and passion.

After being up all night working on your third paper this week, you walk into an auditorium that is packed to the brim with hundreds of other students. Over the past few years in your old high school, that averaged fifteen to twenty students per classroom, the teachers told you that they had prepared you for college. However, in a survey carried out by campustechnology.com, most college professors find high school graduates unready for college. According to the United States Department of Education, the United States is home to almost thirty thousand high schools, however, they are all useless if they do not adequately prepare our students for college and the journey that awaits them.

“Contemporary American society pulls teenagers away from school toward social and recreational pursuits. There is widespread peer pressure not to succeed academically. One of five students say that their friends make fun of people who try to do well in school. More than one-half of all students say they never discuss their schoolwork with friends.”

Yet, the education does not stop at middle school, for high school really puts all the basic skills from elementary and middle school to work as the assignments and the exams become more challenging. We do not only learn about reading, writing, history, and math, we learn about the people around us as we associate with different personalities, and as we see what we have grown up to be and what we want to be later in life. Accordingly, the high school years are a time when teachers emphasize the importance of graduating and attending college in order to have a “succesful future.”