My theory: High School should last until you are 25...discuss...

[Red State Rebel]

I think kids are being forced to grow up so fast so let them stay home longer than age 5. Let them play and be silly for a while longer.

When they do begin school, they shouldn't graduate until age 25. I do not think kids, at age 18, are capable of making the life changing choices they have to make at that age. When you graduate high school now you are too young to have a clue about your future and what is really the best path for you to take. Personally, when I graduated in 1975 I had a 4 year scholarship that I proceeded to reject in order to get married the next year at age 19. Wanna guess how long that one lasted??? 5 years. I ended up getting back to school, but as anyone knows it was 5 times longer and much harder to do while working full time and being a single parent.

By age 25 you are more mature and ready to make those all important decisions that will effect the rest of your life.

[wtmusic]

1. In your case, yes

25 is awful late for a lot of people, especially when 1/3 of kids nationwide who start high school don't finish.

Some of the most exciting advances in research are made by kids in their twenties who aren't in a family way yet.

:toast: Class of '75 :toast:

[bob reynolds]

2. disagree with the basic premise

I think kids grow up too slowly. 50-100 years ago a 20 year old male was a man, with a man's rights and responsbilities...today he's a frat boy to be coddled...it's a loss for the culture...same issue for females..a 20 year old female was thought to be ready to run a home, today she is not thought to be ready for that or for a career if that is her path

[Dookus]

3. sorry

gotta disagree wholeheartedly...

Biologically, we're reaching maturity earlier and earlier, yet socially and psychologically, we're doing it later and later. We already have a problem in our society where people in their 20s (or higher) are living in their parents' basements, living as dependent children.

There are many important fields where people make their greatest contributions in their '20s. Nature made us adults in late adolescence, and it's happening earlier and earlier. Pushing out the age at which we're considered adults is counter-intuitive and anti-natural.

[tigereye]

11. "adoloescence" does appear to extend on the levels that you

note until about 25 at this point, anyway. It is a weird juxtaposition, eh. Part of this issue appears to be economic and part of it appears to be some parental reluctance to allow the independence that is needed. It was a lot cheaper to live in an apartment at college or after, than it is now.


not sure anyone would want to attend high school til age 25, though, that might be torture.

[demnan]

4. Are you kidding?

Hey three or four years in that jungle was enough for me. Want to increase the suicide rates in young adults? Extend high school. My parents couldn't afford to support me for that long. Sorry you made the wrong choice, but it was yours to make, and at least you didn't waste those years in high school which would be a fate worse than marrying too young.

[onebigbadwulf]

5. A better idea is to make national service mandatory

for 1 year for everyone once they graduate or hit 18. Whichever comes last.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. I think we should be offering 2 years of college or tech school ...

for free not just grade school and high school.

[Red State Rebel]

8. With the A+ Program, you can get that.

In Missouri (not sure about other states) they have a program where if you maintain a certain grade average, attendance record and do a required amount of community service (tutoring, etc.) you can get 2 years at the local community college free.

[LifeDuringWartime]

7. ive only got one year left

i dont know about anybody else, but i think i'll be fine when i graduate

[graywarrior]

9. I would rather have been in a social camp when I was 7 or 8

Something like Outward Bound for a few years learning self sufficiency, wilderness training. Then academics for a few years. I know 15 years old who are more mature than I am. A high school kid I know here in Florida told his mom if she votes for Bush, she signing his death warrant.

[liontamer]

10. nope I disagree

I may not have made the best choices when I was 17, but I learned from the choices I made. I think children should be allowed to make more choices for themselves. I'm sorry you made bad choices, but had you not made them then you would likely make them now.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. NOOOOOOO!

The only reason I lived to age 25 was that I was able to get out of that horrible social hell and academic desert known as "high school" and get out among intelligent people in college.

I would have withered away from despair if I had been stuck in that holding pen any longer.