High school. The dreaded time and place that every young American has to suffer through. The institution where conformity is expected but individuality is preached from every impassioned liberal arts teacher. It is in high school that American teenagers are expected to make choices that will determine the outcome of their entire lives. They are expected to make good grades, fill their schedules with extracurriculars and still find time for family, a social life and a job. In the essay “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood”, Leon Botstein convicts the American education system of caging the independent nature of teenagers by placing them in hormonal crazed, clique obsessed institutions that are deemed to be places of educational standard past the point …show more content…
My brother is a nice young man. He truly is. But my older brother has made many mistakes. He often forgets to study, which results in him failing tests. He is forgetful, which results in him missing important opportunities that he could participate in. And finally, my brother has made some dumb mistakes. He’s gotten drunk on school nights. He’s forgotten to take his medication and as such has gotten dangerously sick. But, the lessons that my older brother has learned from all of these mistakes have propelled him towards a bright future. The merit of these mistakes is that, if my brother has made these as an adult, he could’ve lost a job, a home, a family, but, by making these mistakes in high school, where he is surrounded by other teenagers who have messed up like he has, he has learned his “lesson” without being rendered unstable and unsure. High school provides an environment that encourages mistakes so that students can be prepared from adult life as they have been educated about their mistakes and learned the consequences of these
the most part. These years in a persons life have often been referred to as emerging adulthood.
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.
“Public education does not exist for the benefit of students or for the benefit of their parents. It exists for the benefit of social order,” (John Green). In America, students must endure 12 years of mandatory schooling, and ideally, it should benefit the individual student, but does it actually prepare students for the “real world”? And even after the effort to force students to learn by legally requiring them to go school, “57% of students will not graduate from over 2,000 schools across the nation,” (Waiting for Superman). The American education system focuses on standards, therefore, does not prepare students for the real world.
Leon Botstein the president of Bard College wrote “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” to educate the general population on how the hierarchy of high school social groups can affect the teacher workplace and the classroom setting as well. Botstein uses the shooters of Columbine High School to show how the social normalities and the social groups can both teachers and students. Botstein states that “ A community's loyalty to the high school system is often based on the extent to which varsity teams succeed. High school administrators and faculty members are often former coaches, and the coaches themselves are placed in a separate. untouchable category”.
High school students see adulthood as an entirely new world that they must navigate, and unfortunately, many high school students are just not ready for it. Instead of throwing high schoolers into the jungle of adulthood without warning them of the many responsibilities that they must bear, why not give them, at the least, a taste of what they need to know before they
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.
Education gives guidance to adolescent minds and teaches them to be a good contributing citizen. Jimmy’s high school years were challenging due to his illiteracy; academics became a problem, though he thrived on extracurricular activities like football. “I hated books, I hated reading, I hated everything about school except football (Baca 28).” Jimmy feels segregated from his classmates. Not only, are his classmates wealthy students with social status. But also Jimmy believes he is they property of the state, so he believes no one cares about his well
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.
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 ‘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
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.
school as a social club, as a learning institute. Why? Because all they worry about
e of high school for teenagers. In “The liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut”, Todd Gitlin tries to explain that teenagers spend too much time in front of the television, and that they need "some orientation to philosophy,history, language, literature, music, and arts that have lasted more than 15 minutes." While in “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood”, Leon Botstein argues that the American high school has little to no importance, and should be abolished. Though, even after listening to how my peers felt about Bosteins essay, I still think that the liberal arts do hold some importance in the
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.”