Dropping Out Isn't the Answer by Jamie Smith

At one time in my life I thought dropping out was for people who didn’t want to go school anymore. Now I know that those people are lazy and just have given up on school. There are some special cases, like if you get pregnant, or someone at home is sick. Leaving high school just because it’s too hard, the teacher’s being “mean” to you, or you can’t stop getting into trouble because the teachers make you mad and you have to react in someway to show you are in control isn’t the answer. For me dropping out was like a tradition in my family. My family has people that have dropped out because of different reasons. All of them have/are getting some kind of education. They will tell you that getting an education while you are young is the best idea, because your mind is still young and can hold all the information that is learned. When you get older its harder to remember that information, making school harder because you can’t remember what you learned 10 years ago. My family has really been the inspiration to do well in school.

Dropping out in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade isn’t good for you, your family, or your future career. People who have 9th grade educations get jobs that aren’t good at all. You will have to work for others when you always wanted a career where people worked for you. There’s nothing good about working a minimum wage job trying to pay bills, feed and clothe yourself, and maybe another person (your child, or a person in your family). Getting a good career means getting to do something you have always wanted to do. That starts off with a good education.

The main lesson I want readers to know is that, although school is hard and challenging at times, push through it and be the best you can be. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t, because you can. Go beyond and do better than what bad or good you see. There is so much more than high school graduation to get through to truly feel successful. College is a wonderful educational experience. Even though I haven’t yet attended, I look forward to learning about everything I’ve ever dreamed about. To get where I am, I had to work hard make great grades and let teachers and parents help along the way. Hope your 9th grade year is successful as well as the years to come!