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Sometimes students get suspended and don't come back for a very long time. You don't really notice it until you think about it one day and wonder to yourself "What ever happened to So & So?" Most of the time, that person has been put on an extended suspension. That means that they are probably attending The Ed Center.

The Ed Center is different from normal. There you have to work on your own. You read the chapters and answer the questions by yourself instead of as a class and with noguidance from the teacher. School is in session for only half the time as regular school is. You would be getting out of school everyday around eleven o' clock or at eleven thirty. On top of that, no matter what grade your in you will be in the same building. This means that from kindergardeners to seniors, they are all at the same school. That is beyond out of the ordinary, especially in a city as big as ours.

In many ways, the Ed can be compared to the fictional prison Oz. Both were made to prevent offenders from becoming subject to the ultimate punishment that they can receive. Oz was created to give convicts and felons a chance of not having to go to a full blown prison, where they would have less freedom due to the fact that their crime was so serious. The Ed center keeps students from being completely expelled, and at the same tim still gives them a chance to continue learning while missing so much time from school. The Ed Center is full of gangs. While attending school at the Ed Center, you will come to find out that there are many people who claim different gangs, cliques, and neighborhoods. Very often these groups tend to lock horns with each other. It is the same way with the families. Usually most kids at the Ed have some type of kin that is there with them. Most of the time they have cousins, siblings, or ect. When I was there, I had four cousins there with me. One of my cousins had two of his cousins from his side of the family that were there. If that isn't similar to Oz then the sky is bright orange and rains Coca-Cola from cotton candy clouds.

The Ed Center has its pros, but it also has its cons. When the time comes around for you to get your grades, you'll notice that (if you're passing) all of your classes have two letters by them and say the same thing straight down:CR. This is because at The Ed you don't get grades. It is always going to be either credit or no credit. This is a con because it messes up your transcript. Another con is that you get less credits than you can get in regular school. If you have a job, though, you can get an extra half a credit to help make up for what you didn't get Another down art is you have to work on your own. This wasn't really a con to me because I work better by myself most of the time. This was good for me because I could get more work done. In tw of my classes I got twice the work done in half the time it should have taken.

Learn more about this author, Keith Wadlington.
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