Are parents justified in pressuring their teenage children to get a college education?

by Jason Batton

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: August 21, 2009

There is no cut and dry answer to this question because parents should not have to pressure students to get a college education. If the educational system within a particular society is functioning properly, teenagers would be pressuring the parents to assist them to go to college after high school. This type of debate only exist in cultures with a high number of dysfunctional public schools.The United States is a good example of a nation with a completely dysfunctional educational system. However, I can make an educated guess that there are also many other countries around the globe completely clueless in reference to providing common citizens with the foundation required to become successful in the academic world. I can say with great confidence that there are many misconceptions about academics in America. Most importantly, these misconceptions are mostly to blame for its dysfunctional educational system. My personal experience in public and private American academic institutes has been rather unorthodox. This has provided me with some unique insights into this matter.

My educational experience began rather ordinary. I was a decent student and even a teacher's pet at times in my earlier years. Based on my recollection, the only things remotely unusual were my early struggles with penmanship and a reputation for being somewhat careless in regards to my class work. I was in all the advanced classes in my early years and at one time even tested for the gifted program. My entire grade school experience was spent in public schools, except for my fifth grade year which I spent in a Catholic school. However, I did have the opportunity to go to school in two distinctly different cultures. My grade school experience was spent in Florida and New Mexico. The public school I attended in Florida mostly consisted of students from working class white Protestant families. Conversely, my classmates out west were an even mix of whites and Latinos. The Hispanic population was almost entirely Catholic. This was in contrast to the white population which was mostly Protestant. We were the only white Anglo Catholic family in town. Despite these these things, my education experience was basically normal up to that point.

When I got to junior high things went down hill quickly. My parents temporarily separated and my mother had just survived cancer. I had started playing the guitar about this time as well. In addition to attending one of worst junior high schools in the nation,

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>