“Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood” (pg. 205-207) For You To Analyze

Chayse Adams

ENG: 100-20

10-20-2010

“Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood” (pg. 205-207)

For You To Analyze

            The author of “Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood”, Leon Botstein, discusses some problems with the United States’ high schools that he assumes the audience will understand and agree with. Well, I do. I believe that high schools these days do not offer much to their students or the economy. At my high school, our football team flat out sucked, we were the laughingstock of the entire conference and we had no support from our students or our community. People were generally not proud of where they went to school. It had been this way for around ten years and the school had built up a stinky reputation.

My sophomore year our school hired an entire new coaching staff. It got people excited and finally some kids started coming out for the team and other students wanted to come watch to see what all the hype was about. We won a few games that year, not much to brag about, but we only won one game in the previous two years. Next season rolled around and more kids tried out and we got better. Then my senior year we finished our season with a .500 record, we won half our games and homecoming two years in a row. Three years before that, it would have been completely insane to talk about achieving something of that sort. This year, the year after I graduated, my old school has a record of either 6 or 7 wins and only like 2 losses! We have a great since of pride back in our side of town and say we go there with no shame in our voices. However, this is exactly what Botstein was talking about schools getting their stature and all on how well their varsity sports perform.

I think at every high school there are clicks and different groups ranging from jocks, nerds, and whatever other ethnical groups may be attending the school. I agree completely with Botstein that the “real world” functions nothing like that. Since ive been in college, which is not very long, however I have really not saw too much of that kind of grouping. I have saw a group of football players hanging out in the student union but just like that they were all splitting up and talking to people of other ethnicities, social groups, clubs, and classes. I believe there will always be grouping of some sort but in the “real world” people don’t limit themselves to one group, you just can’t get along doing that like you could in high school.

I also agree that we should get rid of middle schools because there was too much time wasted, if we could cut what you learn in six years counting middle and high school down two only four years, I believe that one the time would be better spent because the students are focusing on school and knowing people that can help them pass and complete school rather than which groups make them look the coolest because they have nothing better to do with their time. Cutting two years out of pointless schooling for ever student would also help the economy in tax paying as well. There would no longer be a need for an entirely different school to be operated other than the high school for its particular area and any of the expenses that come with the middle school. It would take less of the tax payer’s dollars to put a child through schooling in addition to the buildings costs. A list of benefits could go on and on, however, a list of reasons of why not to remove middle schools could probable go on as well. I am agreeing that there would be great benefits to Botstein’s plan but I am ruling my decision indecisive due to the fact I would like to hear all the downfalls to the plan first.