Get A Job!

This may seem odd coming from a public high school teacher, but that's ok, I teach odd people. My question is simple, the answer, not so much.

Q: Should students be required to come to public high school?

From my observations, No. Look, I teach three classes a semester. This semester I am fortunate to teach a Honors World History class from Heaven 1st period, an AP Economics Class from Earth 3rd period, but in between, I have an Average World History Class from Hell. Not that every student in the class is a problem, on the contrary, only a select few seem to be tests sent to me by the gods. I am not the only one in the class being tested however, the students trying to learn the subject material are also being tested. I don't mean by me at the end of a chapter or unit, they are being tested by the other students who are not at school to learn. The distractions created by the, shall we say, non-academically motivated students make it more difficult for the rest of the students to concentrate and learn. In short, at this point in the semester, I feel that the students who don't care about the class, the curriculum, the course, their education, their peers should go some place else. That's right, GET A JOB! GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM! LET ME DO MY JOB! LET THE STUDENTS WHO CARE, GET AN EDUCATION!

Ok, maybe I am overstating my arguement. I mean, I have at least one kid in the class who is working at school. In fact, it has a good chance of making more money than I do. All day long he gets to see his clientele in class, in the halls, during lunch, and on the bus. Basically, he works the same number of hours I do, and makes more money based on the more he pushes. In fact, the suspicion is that he is higher up in the supply chain this year than last year. (And by the way, he is presently passing the class - its his 4th time taking the course however). I guess that means he is not only making money off what he sells, he is also making money off what others sell. ( I wonder if I could get a cut of all my students' income each time they use what I taught them?) Not bad. He has buyers - On Demand! It an "On Demand Wolrd" these days. He's got customers who are required by law to come to him (well, come to school at least, which is where he is).

You know, now that I think about it, I have at least one other kid in the class who is getting an education outside of the books. Yeah, that's right, they are. I see them talking with the girls, writing letters to girls, in fact, I'm sure some of the things they do could considered harassment - yeah, so I guess they are working too.

Hmm, let's see. Drug Dealers, Pimps, anything else...?

Alright then, Drug Dealers and Pimps aside, since, obviously, they do have a good reason for being at school, what about the rest? Do I really want them to be out of school? What if they can't find a job? You know, there can be just so many fry-clerks at the well respected fast-food establishments. What would they be doing? Selling Drugs? Pimpin'? Robbery? Mischief & Mayhem? On the street, they would never get ahead.

Ok, ok. You talked me into it. You convinced me. They all should still be at school. It is still the best place to get an education, even if it is not in reading, writing, and arithmatic.

A: Yes.