high school education = graduation = college education … It all leads to somewhere!

Long title, but has a good message – don’t allow your secondary education to shortfall you from your college education.

I have been observing seniors at a local high school the past couple of weeks and I have seen a dramatic change within their attitudes towards their education.  The seniors are aware that graduation is just around the corner, but they are also aware that there are only a few weeks before being out of high school forever.  It occurred to me that perhaps they do not make the connection that perhaps that they still need to attend school in order to still graduate, that those last few weeks still can count against them in the end.

Having a high school education is more important than these seniors realize.  In most cases, many jobs will not look at applications and resumes that bear the three letters of “GED”.  Having your high school diploma shows dedication, that you stuck it out through the good and bad.  It is a milestone that you didn’t cut corners on.  Many employers now look at the GED route as the “cutting corners” route, and that just shows them that perhaps one will always find ways to cut corners.  This isn’t necessarily a good trait to have.

These students are realizing that their parents are becoming more aware of the grand celebration of graduation.  In most cases, in today’s society, it is like the light finally came on for the parents and the parents are now paying attention to their children’s education and achievements, or what they may be lacking if they are unable to graduate.  In some of these cases, the parents have left their teenagers to grow up on their own until the very last minute where they all of a sudden become a parent and start harping on their children to do better in school, before it is too late.  These students have had freedom over themselves since middle school and are becoming annoyed by the fact their parents are NOW paying attention to them.  In almost all of these cases, the children are asking “why now?” or ” why do they even bother?”  These kids are either going to have no or very little drive to succeed and move onto college or find the will and the way to “get the hell out of dodge”.

But you also have the students who have parents who have no formal education whatsoever, and their children are now the first generation to graduate from high school with a diploma.  It becomes a family achievement.  These parents have stayed fast and firm upon their children to continue their education to the best of their abilities.  These students have been harped on since Kindergarten, where education has been driven into their little heads throughout their 13 years in school that education will give you everything you want in life.  In these cases, the students have been annoyed by their parents, but are quite grateful by the time they graduate from high school because it has taught them to become driven in what they want in life.  In almost all of these cases, the students move onto college and achieve great things, accomplish the desired, and succeed in life.

When I have been asked about my history in education by these seniors, I give them truth.  Yes, I have had my ups and downs in high school and college, but I wouldn’t trade all the ups and downs for the world.  They have prepared me for life in general, to expect the unexpected, and the more I am out in the real world staring at what I want out of my college education (meaning observing versus actually teaching), it only drives me to want to finish my degree and have it in my hand.  I want to succeed as a teacher, but I must be the student first. 

I let these students know you have to work for what you want.  Despite having almost everything handed to them the past 17-18 years, you now have to learn to work for it on your own.  Sure, make some friends and enemies along the way, but only one person can make their own lives what they want.  I tell them to make valid strong decisions they will not regret, which means think before they do.  I tell them not only is a high school diploma very handy, but a college degree will be worthwhile, life lasting.

So, I suppose my ultimate message here is exactly what my post title states:
high school education = graduation (aka diploma) = college education

But to add more to it:
college education = desired career to succeed in

And if you feel that it is too late, or you have gone the GED route, don’t become discouraged.  Once you achieve that college degree, that GED will look very minor.  The important thing here is to achieve the most one can, succeed in life by your own accomplishments.  But the bottom line here is that without some kind of education, one will not go far in life.  That is the message our society’s children are not truly getting if parents constantly hand things to them, bail them out of trouble all the time, and baby them.

Learn to think for yourself.  Learn to be yourself.  Two short lines that will be helpful in any situation.