As someone who has taught in Washington’s public schools for 30 years, I really got a chuckle out of the gullibility of the Gates Foundation and The Herald editorial board when both accepted without question the results of a recent survey of high school drop-outs. It seems a majority of drop-outs claim the reason they quit school is that they were bored, that school just wasn’t challenging enough.
Before accepting these excuses as fact, I would suggest that a bit more research is called for. If these kids claim they were hungry for a challenge, I wonder: were they taking Advanced Placement classes? Were they participating in Running Start, where they can attend community college tuition-free beginning their junior year of high school and receive high school and college credit simultaneously? Did they attend the Sno-Isle Technical High School, available to any student in Snohomish and Island Counties, were classes are offered in everything from Cosmetology to Criminal Justice? I doubt it.
Every teacher hears the “I’m bored” excuse from students who don’t want to exert themselves. They come to class late, sleep through the teacher’s presentation, goof off when given class time to work on projects, and, when confronted, proclaim, “Man, this is stupid!”
If the Gates Foundation wants to improve our schools, they should go for answers to society’s most successful individuals, not the blame-and-deny crowd. Poll those with the PhD’s and the MBA’s and ask them, “What was most useful in your high school education? What was the biggest hindrance to future success?” We should turn for guidance to those who have found a way to succeed, not those who invent excuses for failure.
BEVERLY HOBACK
Arlington
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