Classroom Chronicles
Waiting for 16
At a team meeting, I listened as a colleague discussed a student we shared. He was a young man who had already missed several days of school. The new year has only been in session for a little over two weeks. Before the student had been absent, he came to class reeking of weed. The smell was so bad that the scene lingered in the air long after he had left the classroom. I emptied a can of Lysol to kill viruses and weed smell.
My colleague stated that she knew the young man from his middle school days. He had attendance problems at that time as well. The guidance counselor had spoken to the boy’s mother but expressed that it seemed the mom had little control over her son’s actions. The colleague informed us that the young man was biding his time until he turned 16 years old. At that age, he is able to drop out of school.
It’s an archaic law on our books that is used by many teens in my state. At sixteen years of age, students are able to drop out of school with little or no consequences. This comes from the days when my state’s main source of income was through farming. Students could leave school at the age of 16 to help their families on the farm. Returning to school was not a priority.
Since the industrial age, the law hasn’t been changed. People have discussed it over the years. Some cities and towns have added amendments to the rule, but students are still leaving school at the age of 16. Sone return with a bit of coaxing and some never return at all. This issue is prevalent amongst our Black and Brown student populations.
Over the years, my city has done a lot of work trying to get students to drop back into school. We even have a school called the Day and Evening Academy, specifically designed for students returning to academic life. The school’s structure supports students with different starting and end times, evening classes, and help with childcare. The end goal is to have the students return to school, stay in school, and graduate with a diploma. A GED (general education diploma) is barely worth the paper it’s printed on.
I thought about the student and his need to drop out. Why did he feel that it wasn't worth it to get a high school diploma? I had seen this situation so many times before. I’ve taught 9th grade at a high school in the Roxbury section of the city. Many of the 9th graders didn’t make it to graduation day. Of course, there were various reasons — moving to another city or state, transferring to another school, or switching to an alternative academic program, On graduation day, I would see many of my students, but many more would be missing.
Often, when a student drops out, the student views school as being in the way instead of being the way out of poverty. We live in a digital age. Technology has evolved so much since the beginning of the millenium. Social Media, a popular tool among teens, shows that a simple idea and a lot of hard work can pay off for young people. In addition, many teens harbor hoop dreams or have gridiron goals. Others want to be in the music industry dropping bars and gaining platinum records. Education can help with all of those goals, but many students don’t see it that way.
Black and Brown minds are in danger. The pandemic has negatively impacted the educational gains of students — particularly Black and Brown students. I know many of my students spent the past year and a half out of school. Those who attended online rarely participated or submitted class work. When the students returned to in-person learning in the Spring, it was a different model with fewer classes and more specialty activities. Now, we’re fully in-person, with a full day of classes. For many students, adjustment has been difficult.
Districts must do more to persuade students of color to remain in school and graduate. My suggestions are in-school and after school support groups, access to tutoring, and connectt students to programs in their communities. High school students need mentors who can help them with school work and personal goals. Students need to understand the importance of getting a high school diploma. A GED is not the answer anymore. It’s no longer respected in the world of work — especially if it’s in the hands of a person of color.
I will work with the student who is waiting to turn 16. As an English teacher, I often discuss careers and the requirements needed to obtain them. Perhaps this student just needs to know that his dreams are vald. Leaving school is not the answer. It just makes him another statistic. There are too many people in this country who don’t want Black and Brown students to learn. As an educator, it’s my job to make sure my students are learning. The saying still holds true — “Knowledge is power.”
