Sizer Exploratory writting

Natalie Beech

english 1101

  Sizer says high school is for acquiring knowledge and accept academic fundamentals. It helps develop the ability to make decisions to solve problems, reasons, independence, accepting responsibility, self-evolution and contact in self improvement. He says high school also helps prepare you for a career and economic compliance, citizenship and civil responsibility, social relation, moral and ethical values, self realization, mental and physical health, aesthetic awareness, and cultural diversity. 

  l think he is right in his description of high school. High school is important for many things especially  accepting responsibility, and making decisions. In high school most kids are very dramatic and are often in accward situations. Having to make friends when there are cliques, being bullied, and being aware that what you do now can effects your opportunity for collage. There is a girl that lives up the street from me. Her parents don’t work. They want her to work and go to school to help provide for her family. She eventually got a job. She is working and going to school now. Her parents  took her out of school to home school her so she could work during the day and do school at night. Once she was out of public school they didn't home school her. She eventually got a truancy and is forced back into public school and is now a grade behind. She expresses to me how embarrassed she is to be the oldest person in her grade. Her parents gave the girl no hope for her future. Recently she has been in a lot of trouble with the law and I can honestly  blame her parents. I think if she was in school she would have learned how to accept responsibly, and making decisions for her self.  She would have felt that someone cares ( her teacher).  And would have been around a different environment that would have been a better example for her.  

 In 2001 The child left behind act was passed. The NCLB supports standard-based education reform. It is based on setting hight standards and establishing measurable goals and can improve individual outcomes in education. They require this standard to all federal funded schools. Since than the funding for the school system as increased. They also are firing teachers who they claim are bad ones and are trying to getting rid of the Tenure. The Tenure is a term used to describe a policy which outlines the reasons why a teacher may be fired. I personally don’t believe that  bad teacher are not the main problem. In my opinion its the class size and the amount of time spent on subjects. If they cut the class sizes in half I bet the grades of the U.S. students will go up. I also think that they should offer study hall or a free tutor class after or before school for any student not just low income ones. In my opinion after the  2001 act school has become harder for kids.Because all they did was set higher standard for the students but in the same setting.  And maybe that is why the drop out rate is so high.  

  Most kids have to work after school because of the economical times were in. Life and times are changing. Before most woman didn't have to have a job and now most of the time both parent have to work full time jobs. This is less and less one on one time with there children to help them academically. I don't know where they get off thinking  the 2001 NCLB act will fix things in our school system. I guess only time will tell.