We talk about dropping out of school as if it were a bad thing. Please allow me to explain.

As a parent, I received a call from my child's history teacher. Not the sort of call that prompts a pat on the back. I promised said child, that if I ever got a call like that again, we would be attending history class together. I got another call. The next day I sat in front of my own child in class. One of us was embarrassed. It wasn't me.

As I sat there amid the chaos and disrespect for the teacher, I wondered how any student could possibly learn in this environment. The school did not assign textbooks to the students to take home. Everything they were to learn needed to be absorbed while in class.

I wasn't able to hear most of what she was saying. Several clusters of kids were gathered, chatting loudly as if class hadn't even begun. The teacher continued with her presentation. The walls absorbed more information than the students did.

Education certainly is necessary. But are we going about it the right way? Look at what's happening in the schools. I don't mean glance at the surface. I mean take a long, uncomfortable look.

If you're a parent, and haven't spent time sitting in the classroom with your child, can you really say you know what's going on?

And what about the sad, but very real potential of violence in school today?

Back in the mid 1960s in Phoenix, Arizona, one school in particular was noted for its violence. Police officers were stationed on campus because so many knifings were happening between classes. The problem escalated to the point where the school had to be shut down completely. That was more than forty years ago. Has violence in the schools really improved since then?

If, by attending school, your child's safety is in jeopardy, would it be reasonable that he continue to attend?

To any students reading this: before running off to show your parents this article on reasons why you should quit school, please read on.

I stated at the outset that education is important. If, for safety reasons, you should decide to drop out of school, do yourself a favor and do not drop out of education. I repeat, do not drop out of education.

Make the most of these few years you have before entering the adult world of having to support yourself. You may never again have so much positive time on your hands. Use this time to improve your life.

Consider enrolling in a correspondence school or online school in order to get your high school diploma. Another option is to test out for your GED (High school equivalency diploma), then move on to enrolling in an online college, or attend a vocational school to learn a specific trade. Having less than a high school education leaves you with very little to offer an employer.

I know very few people who were successful after dropping out of school. One man I know of, dropped out to spend more time on his music. He repaired violins at first, then began making them as away to make money for his violin lessons. In the meantime he received his GED.

He entered competitions, and soon became the youngest violin maker in the nation. A few years later he began playing second violin with the Phoenix symphony.

Last year he wrote his first symphony. Though dropping out of school, he continued his education in a way that was meaningful to him.

How do I know so much about this man? He is my brother.

Learn more about this author, Lana Stockton.
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