Living my life in the state of a teenager, I know what it’s like to never want to get out of your nice, warm bed and open your eyes at 6 o’clock every morning to go to a seemingly pointless day of the pointless school. But as I have completed a few years of it I have began to make plans for college and pre-college classes. I realized how important school can really be for your future. But every day in the U.S. 6,000 kids drop out of school, and every year 1.2 million kids drop out, according to a local statistics website. This is bigger than anyone can imagine.

I have plenty of friends who have dropped out; they were always the ones who never went to school, never did any work, and failed constantly. But one reccurring after-effect that takes place is they say it was the “biggest mistake of their lives,” and most wish they could go back or would have never made their decision in the first place. This fatal mistake is made by the district allowing a student and their parents to make the decision to drop out of school when they reach the age of 16. But the fact is, recent dropouts will earn $200,000 less than high school graduates, and more than $800,000 less says a dropout support website, than college graduates, in their lives.

One of the many reasons why students drop out is that they constantly could not get along with the teachers, which I totally understand. Teachers can sometimes seem hostile and rude; most don’t have respect for the confusing life of a teenager. What could help this silent epidemic is: the connection between adults and students; make sure the teachers try their best to have a good attitude and relationship with all of their students and maybe show a little extra to the kids who show signs of dropping out.

We all remember the teachers we loved; they were the funny ones, and once in a while let you goof off. I believe this connection improves your willingness to learn and succeed.

Cierra Hanson

Albert Lea High School

English class

Glenville