Senseless Drop-out?

Senseless Drop-out?
Society continues to evolve and invest in a better tomorrow, some ways in advancements such as renewal energy, technology, and even discovery of other planets. On the other hand, all these skilled professionals have to learn and master their crafts and in one way or another have experienced a similar educational system. As time goes on, education is proving to be a vital component to better finical stability and quality of life. Besides staying in school plays a critical role in obtaining an education, coincidentally dropping out of school has repercussions both short and long term. So dropping out of school has become a trend nowadays, but there could be potential unknown adversities or situations that sometimes dictate the course of their lives such as the effects of losing a loved one. The paper will examine two primary sources of the reason as to why students drop out of school to supplement the existing information from the secondary sources on school dropout. The paper will look at all possible causes of school dropout through the combination of the observation and interview methods.
Sometimes, the inability to complete school is not solely based on academics and ability, although that is not always the case. A loss in a loved one may affect a student’s life in several different views such as the lack of motivation to do something. Others drop out because of the external forces such as peer influence, unbearable regulations as well as negative perception towards education among many other things.

In the newspaper article, Dealing with the pain and anguish of losing a loved one Carol Forester shares how she is reminded of her loved one while at school. Carol Forester implies, “Being at my school would remind me of when she’d been there at home after my day; remembering sitting on the bus would remind me of my childhood which then made me think of her.” A loss in a close one is a hard image to overcome, the remembrance of actions applied in daily bases brings the possibilities of the human mind to remember a past event or memory. Simply a minor thought can put a student’s life down, or wish someone could be there visually to watch you succeed. Losing a loved one is certainly devastating at any age. Becoming independent because the cause of a recent deceased loved one may sway by not having the assistance to proceed and keep pushing for student educational goals. In similarity to the effects of student life, some may acquire enough knowledge from former family members in a family business.
In other cases, certain family businesses pass down competence and skills through hands-on experience to efficiently and successfully run the family business one day. Some businesses may consist of farming, welding, masonry concrete, or even up to machine shop industries. They require education standards to little prior knowledge to operate these businesses. In the journal entry, Wealth inequality and family businesses Means, Benjamin insist that there is enough money out there for a family business to succeed if the right investments are acquired. Means, Benjamin writes “Family businesses can increase the distribution of wealth by providing needed investments in human capital” (Means, 939). For instance, a used car dealership, concrete businesses, tires hop and multiple more have a high rate to succeed if the right mind is set. In other words, family businesses require little to no educational background to continue the families establishment. All big businesses started off from nothing at one point, and overtime grew and expanded. Sure there is lots of potential for the future of a student doing great in school and getting good grades, but what if the student finds the currency generating, thriving, expanding, family businesses as a better option to fulfill his or her potentials. In general, not everyone is not fortunate enough to have an opportunity to grow within a family business; therefore the students may have to take alternative routes.
Students may face adversity throughout their journey in achieving an education to better their odds of finical stability, but ironically some finical situations cripple a student’s odds to an education that leads to steady financial income, to begin with in their lives. Some reasons some students will say may be because some don’t have the finical stability to go and get an education. In the article Student debt and the class of 2009 from Cheng, emphasizes that a normal graduate will walk away from school with a debt depending on the level. Cheng comments “Average debt continued to vary even more at the campus level than at the state level, from $3,000 to $61,500”. It indicated that the debt level was something that could not be ignored (Cheng, par. 6). Therefore, students’ lives turn to the workforce immediately to be able to afford these finical necessities needed. Some students may not have the finical supports like others have, which leads to exhaustion after a daily routine to earn money while attending an education system. In the text, Students struggle under textbook expenses; PHAGAN-HANSEL illustrates an expense that is adapted when attending a campus, “up to 65 percent of students are just not buying textbooks for class”. The lack of learning material could also be associated with the dropout cases (PHAGAN-HANSEL, 11-12)In a student’s life, there are several things to pay for such as rent, a car payment, and even the general utility bills; students are limited to work and attend an education at the same time, so money is limited to a student life. The financial constraints, therefore, worked as a barrier in the learning process of the students (Archuleta, Dale, & Spann, 57). The inadequate source of finance caused the majority of the dropout cases.
In a more moral concept, the student dropout rates increase because of real life situations or struggles. In the article “The correlation between anxiety and money management,” implies that there are multiple ways students’ lives vary from time to time. Sage Ronald states, “financial behaviors can be predicted based on certain demographic characteristics, resource availability, and financial knowledge” (Sages, 1). There is always two sides to a coin, one may be given the label drop-out, and constantly or accused of being lazy, negligent, or unable but as we all know stuff does happen in life.
The research also entailed an initiative to interview some people randomly on their views about school drop-out and had some clear insights about their views. The first group of people that of interaction was that of boys who had dropped out of school and were now living in the street. When asked about the reasons why they moved out of school, they cited some reasons that can make one feel sympathetic to their lives. Some of them indicated that they did not have parental support since their parents had died to leave them with their relatives who treated them unfairly and sidelined them from many leisure and basic needs enjoyed by their children. One of the respondents said, “I could come from school tired, and my aunt insisted that I had to complete all the chores and wash the house every time I arrived home.” This boy could not have a conducive environment to live thus finding the idea of embracing education while serving as a mature person at home difficult. He opted to move out of the school and join street children where he could find his freedom. Therefore some of the reason as to why most of the students drop out was as a result of hardship related to family life and support from their guardians.
The another issue that came up was poverty. Some of the street boys indicated that their families could not sustain their basic needs thus making them uncomfortable in schools. They indicated that they even walked to school and could not afford to buy lunch on some occasions making them endure a miserable life while at school. Poverty limits one from enjoying life as one finds it hard to meet their basic needs just as seen in the case of some of the boys. The research process also went a step further to interview one of the owners of the biggest shop in the town who had moved out of class at the elementary level. The woman stated that she could not find anything interesting about education as it was all about getting the knowledge to get rich. This concept provoked her to drop out of school as early as at 14 years so that she could join her mother who was a successful business person. She argued that having other life skills are as important as having the education; therefore, she preferred to capitalize on the business knowledge that she had acquired over time while helping her mother at their stores to continue with her life without furthering her education (Stern, N.p). The implication at this point is that education to some people only meant getting ways to earn a living something that could be sorted out through other means different from education.
The last interaction on the research process entailed an exposure with one of the university professor who had much to share about the issue of school dropout. The professor responded to the issue of school dropout giving various reasons basing on his experience. He indicated that the majority of the students who could not make it in their studies had been one way or another indulged themselves in substance abuse. He cited drug abuse and alcoholism as the main factor that forced the students out of school. Under the influence of these drugs, the learners could not abide by the school rules and regulations. Similarly, they could not cope up with their friends in class as their attention deteriorated with time as they got deeper into the drugs and alcohol addiction. The professor indicated the drugs impaired with their mental part of the body making it hard for them to make the right decisions. They were convinced that getting out of school would grant them the full freedom they desired to enjoy their habits. He also pointed out that the behaviors of the students influenced their decisions to continue with their studies or to leave for good. The behaviors were attributed to the parental guidance that the students had acquired while they were young. If the students did not recognize moral values and virtues, they could not survive in a school environment since their unruly behaviors could not be tolerated. The majority of such student opt out of school; only a few try to adjust so that they can fit in the environment and continue with their studies.
From statistics on the number of students who dropped out of school, it was noted that majority of the students came from able families. Their parents supplied to such students more than what they required hence misusing the resources in the long run. The students from rich families were reported to have involved in drug abuse and criminal activities since they always believed that their wealth would protect them from every evil activity. The records in most secondary schools indicated that majority of the dropout were from rich families who were either involved in bullying and fighting other students or abusing drugs (“Substance Use Among School Dropouts,” N.p). Some of these students when sent home for a suspension, they do not come back. In some serious occasions, they are expelled out of school following their misconduct within the learning institution. Dropout, in this case, is optional since the learners can avoid suspensions and expulsion by following the guidelines in their school codes of conduct. Working hand in hand with the guiding and counseling department could help some of these students to adjust to the learning environment.
From the observation in the learning institutions, many students drop out of school because of the peer influence. Some may have the pleasure to go and spend holidays and weekends in far countries, thus making them used to such kind of life. Such students end up being destructive as they influence their peers to skip classes and attend parties and night clubs. The problem with such activities is the issue of performance; the students will realize drastic fall in their marks, which at times acts as the discouraging factor in their education lives. When they decide to leave the learning institutions, they always remember that peer groups are very influential and totally misguiding. The another observed reason as to why the students drop out is the strict rules governing the activities of the learning in schools. For instance, attending preps which require students to sacrifice their sleep has caused many students to leave school and never come back, hence school dropout going high (“Why Teenagers Drop Out Of School,” N.p). Last but very imperative, the issue of school fees has been seen to be the leading reason as to why students drop out of their schools. Going home for school fees now and then makes the learner feel guilty and irritating to walk in and out of the school frequently. Such learners may opt out of the schools since they start feeling some aspects of inferiority which discourages them from attending their studies. Besides, failed changes especially in the curriculum have made education not productive as the majority believed. Most of the learners believed that learning could take them far, but when they see their friends struggling after school, they opt out of the learning systems (HESS, F. 21).
In precise, school dropout continues growing basing on different factors both internal and externals. Issues such as poverty, lack of adequate support, and death of the beloved ones are some of the factors that can cause school drops out without control. However, some reasons such as drug abuse, peer influence, strict regulations in schools, and the misunderstanding about the importance of education are some of the factors that can be controlled by individuals who are affected. For example, having self-control and accommodative nature to tolerate new ideas can help the students to navigate through unclear circumstances that cause students to drop out of schools.
Works Cited
Archuleta, K. L., Dale, A., & Spann, S. M. (2013). College Students and Financial Distress: Exploring Debt, Financial Satisfaction, and Financial Anxiety. Journal Of Financial Counseling And Planning, 24(2), 50-62.
Cheng, D., Reed, M., & Institute for College Access &, S. (2010). Student Debt and the Class of 2009. Institute For College Access & Success.
Stern, Mandy. Evaluating And Promoting Positive School Attitude In Adolescents. 1st ed. New York: Springer, 2012. Print.
HESS, F. (2016). Lofty Promises But Little Change for America’s Schools. Education Digest, 81(7), 19-23.
Means, B. (2016). WEALTH INEQUALITY AND FAMILY BUSINESSES. Emory Law Journal, 65(4), 937-986
PHAGAN-HANSEL, K. (2015). Students struggle under textbook expenses. Wyoming Business Report, 16(6), 11-12.
SAGES, R. A., BRITT, S. L., & CUMBIE, J. A. (2013). THE CORRELATION BETWEEN ANXIETY AND MONEY MANAGEMENT. College Student Journal, 47(1), 1-11.
Substance Use Among School Dropouts. 1st ed. Rockville, Md.: Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Dept. of Health & Human Services, 2003. Print.
“Why Teenagers Drop Out Of School”. Education + Training 44.7 (2002): n. pag. Web.