Category: Public School

In order to address how the district census affects education in lower-income and minority communities, one must first understand the modern definition of segregation. Heterogeneous areas that are broken into smaller, less diverse areas often have large discrepancies in school quality. The politics of exclusion theory maintains that political boundaries regulate housing, tax, and other resource policies in a way that protects and isolates its residents. Boundaries make residential sorting decisions more efficient because they convey demographic and socioeconomic differences that may otherwise be hard to discern, such as educational opportunities. Spatial proximity to high-income, high resource areas may seem advantageous, but official political boundaries exclusively dictate access and entitlement to resources. Since the repeal of the mandatory busing introduced in the 1970s as a way to combat public school segregation, the disparity between races in public schools has risen steadily. Segregation is ‘inherently unequal’, but the way segregation is viewed today doesn’t necessarily reflect the decision of the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. Segregation in schools now is largely impacted by political fragmentation. Political fragmentation is a race-neutral process that does not overtly produce segregation. As fragmentation grows as does segregation at an increasing rate. Fragmentation increases between-district segregation and enables racial differences to dictate a residential location. People choose their residence based on socioeconomic or class-based factors. In general, people from minority groups cannot pay as much as whites, leading to further racial segregation. People statistically discriminate to make decisions based on observed correlations, such as the proportion of minorities in a school district and the quality of the schools. Jurisdiction can bar low-income families from areas with better neighborhood schools by restricting the development of multi-family housing or establishing a large minimum lot sizes for single-family homes. Thus, increases racial segregation, but minimizes the need for public services and generates more tax revenue from the expensive homes. Public schools in these jurisdictions are often well-funded and achieve higher test scores because the district can funnel more money into education. Institutional boundaries focus on factors consequential for equality of opportunity, such as the aforementioned quality of public schools. Institutional boundary-based segregation may be more pertinent for assessing the negative consequences associated with segregation. Major focal points of minority settlements include predominantly urban areas. Residential segregation within districts represents district policies about student assignments to different schools. The large economic disparity in many major urban areas in the United States reflects the results of residential segregation in public schools.

Throughout major metropolitan areas in the United States, public schools face an extreme racial divide. For example, in New York State, the five boroughs of New York City represent nearly 60% of the state’s black students. However, out of thirty-two Office of School Design (OSD) schools in New York City, nineteen had 10% or less white students in 2010. 73% of the public charter schools in the five boroughs can be considered apartheid schools and 90% of them can be at least considered intensely segregated with less than 10% white students. New York City public schools continue to remain among the most segregated in the United States. Out of the 895 slots in the freshman class at the selective specialized high school, Stuyvesant, only seven of the slots were allotted to black students. New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, previously planned to discard and overrule the Hecht-Calandra Act which required the specialized high school exam; however, he was met with severe backlash. Many New York residents and legislators believe this exam to be a disadvantage to minority students due to the severe underfunding of segregated public schools throughout the five boroughs. Evidently, racial and socioeconomic segregation in New York has become more pronounced in New York City than five decades ago. In 2016, a proposal to send Manhattan’s Upper West Side children, who were zoned for a high-performing, white majority, wealthy public school, to a lower-performing school attended by mainly low-income black and Hispanic students by bus (roughly a ten-minute walk from zoned school) was met with vitriol. This can be seen as evidence of residential segregation which resulted from the blockbusting scam in the 1950s and 1960s. The blockbusting scam was orchestrated by realtors who scared whites into selling their homes, therefore opening up their homes to African-Americans. At this time, African-Americans grew impatient for better housing and realtors realized they could potentially gain huge profits by exploiting racial tensions. The relators initiated the scam by buying a house or property on an all-white block and then encouraging an African-American family to purchase it. The realtors would then go around the block warning the white families on the block that black people were going to ‘invade’ their community, claiming that the black families would ruin the neighborhood and decrease the property values on the block. Thus, led to white families selling their homes brashly at low values, to which the realtors would quickly sell them to black families at a much higher price, exploiting their vulnerability and desperation for housing. Blockbusting, however, no longer a common occurrence, opened the doors for policies that explicitly encourage racial segregation such as ‘redlining’. Redlining, the process of refusing a loan or insurance to someone because they live in an area deemed to be a poor financial risk, can be seen as a direct effect of solidifying the residential segregation that exists today.

The Upper West Side, to follow the previous example, is 66.9% white. Hispanics follow as the second-largest racial/ethnic group at just 13.5%, followed by blacks at 7.6%. Since the neighborhood is predominantly white, it can be assumed that the public schools would be as well. However, to be considered a diverse district, no one race can make up more than 75% of students. Therefore, the possibility of greater integration in the Upper West Side school district is plausible. Looking at New York City through a greater lens than just the Upper West Side brings the severity of racial segregation in public schools into a much harsher light. School segregation increased between school districts from 1970-2000, but declined within districts. The elimination of court-mandated desegregation efforts in many districts in the 1970s was largely responsible for the rise in racial segregation. The efforts included mandatory busing, similar to the proposed plan for the Upper West Side public schools. Racial populations in schools are largely determined by the racial composition of the schools’ attendance boundaries. If all children residing in a school catchment area attended the local school, the racial composition of the school and neighborhood would be theoretically identical. This does not account for private schools, charter schools, and magnet schools.

Statistics show that white children are more likely to attend private schools as the percentage of non-whites in their neighborhoods increases. Over 60% of New York City students who attend non-public school (i.e., private or religious schools) are white. Comparably, about 15% of students at traditional, neighborhood public schools are white, while the majority (40%) are Hispanic, and just under 30% are black. Racial segregation is greater in traditional neighborhood-based public schools than across school catchment areas, as a result of white children leaving public schools at higher rates than minority children, particularly when school attendance boundaries are racially balanced. School choice need not be a barrier to racial integration if students’ mobility is restricted in ways that limit the ability of white children to be isolated from non-white children. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2016 two-parent households had the highest percentage for sending their children to private schools at 89%. At the same time, 69% of private school students were white, while only about 10% were black and Hispanic. In Manhattan, private schools are ubiquitous. Private schools within the attendance boundaries of public schools have a strong and negative impact on the percentage of white students in said public schools. One private school in a catchment area of a public school alone accounts for 1.6% less white students in the public school. Once the number of private schools in the catchment area reaches or surpasses three, the number of white students in public schools becomes over 10.2% less. The availability of nearby private schools appears to be correlated with the percentage of white students in public schools. Private, magnet and charter schools all exacerbate segregation within school districts. White and black children are redistributed in private, charter, and magnet schools unevenly, which furthers racial segregation. Traditional integration programs have been aimed at reducing the impact of segregation between white and black students. However, school districts with desegregation policies show little movement toward the integration of white and Hispanic children. The distribution of white children across public and other school options leads to a more substantial gap in segregation between white and Hispanic students.

Some school districts such as San Diego, Duval, Pinellas, and Milwaukee have many neighborhood-based specialty schools designed for racial desegregation. These schools have had a positive effect on integrating white and black children in schools relative to existing segregation in neighborhoods. However, other major metropolitan areas, such as Denver, continue to face high segregation rates within public schools. Since mandatory busing was lifted in 1995, Denver school segregation has steadily climbed. Van Schoales, president of A+ Colorado, spoke on this topic, sharing that “after busing ended, [school] boundary lines were drawn, and they reinforced the existing housing patterns”. The history of segregation in Denver can be traced back to how the school board drew campus boundary lines in 1995. The results of resegregation were predictable because the housing was quite segregated and there was a high demand for the reintroduction of neighborhood schools. Neighborhoods became branded as home to one race or another because urban housing projects were developed at a time when blacks faced overt discrimination in government housing programs, zoning, and mortgage lending. In nearby Fork Valley, Colorado, census data shows that 46% of all five to seventeen-year-olds living in the district are white. However, only 41% of the students in Fork Valley public schools are white, which suggests a number of families are opting for alternative schooling. Thus reiterates the increased racial divide from non-public schools. Segregation between districts remains high in other metropolitan (or suburban areas near major cities) areas as well. In Alabama, Birmingham public school student bodies are 91% black. However, in neighboring Mountain Brook, 96% of students are white. Integration isn’t always possible within districts because many United States school districts do not have enough diversity to integrate. However, if the two aforementioned districts were to integrate with one and other, the racial segregation between districts would close and create a more diverse district. Integration benefits children of all races. Children of color do better academically in integrated schooling environments and white students do no worse. Other areas that have continued to see reversals in integration gains include Charleston, South Carolina, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Chicago, Illinois. Chicago continues to be among one of the least integrated school districts in the country. School desegregation plans have almost exclusively focused on within district transfers since busing. However, interdistrict transfers would most likely be the most effective way to desegregate schools as mentioned in the example of Birmingham and Mountain Brook public schools above. School district consolidation would diminish segregation between districts by decreasing fragmentation.

In 2006, based on the CDC, black and white racial segregation only continued to increase over the course of the decade before. This was a result of the reversal of the desegregation patterns from the 1960s-1990s. During the period of time between 1990-2000, nationwide school districts experienced a two-point increase on average in school segregation. However, during this time period, residential segregation declined by four-points. Such data would imply that the less segregated residential areas should, therefore, have less segregated schools. Based on the way much of the United States has chosen to draw their district boundary lines, the public school systems continue to be extremely segregated. In New York state in 2010, nearly 50% of public school students came from low-income families. Additionally, the school where the typical black or Latino student attended, 70% of their classmates were low-income. In Buffalo, NY, for example, public schools that are attended by majority white students have about 30%, low-income students. Public schools that are primarily attended by black students contrast with about 73% of low-income students, about two and a half times more than their white counterparts. The divide of race between districts is largely impacted by the residential preferences of individuals, which is heavily weighted by the racial composition of a neighborhood. White people are less likely to live in a neighborhood where the number of non-white (primarily black) residents increases. White families have statistically higher incomes than minority families. About 26% of poor/near-poor families chose a public school for their children. In the next year, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that white children will no longer constitute the American majority. In 2017, nearly four in ten school districts, about two-thirds of all public school students, had enough diversity to make integration possible. With the number of minority children on the rise, integration should become inevitable unless districts decide to close off even more, further segregating the American public school system.

In conclusion, the district census numbers show that integration is possible within many districts and if not between most districts. Segregation was far lower in districts that grew diverse between 1995 and 2017, therefore with the impending loss of the majority, white children can expect their communities and potentially districts to become more diverse. If the 2020 census data reflects the aforementioned prediction, school districts could potentially become less segregated and minority and low-income students may gain the opportunity to achieve the education many of their white counterparts have for decades. Modern-day segregation is not forced as it had been prior to the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. However, research has shown that white families make efforts to live in predominantly white neighborhoods, resulting in racially divided districts. Research by Salvatore Saporito and Deenesh Sohoni (2006) compared the percentage of white students enrolled in traditional public schools with the percentage of white students living in each school’s catchment area. The same researchers conducted a regression analysis to determine whether the proportion of white children in schools was more highly associated with the proportion of black children or Hispanic children in their attendance areas. Saporito and Sohoni found lower percentages of white students in public schools than in their school’s attendance boundaries. They included a hypothetical regression line that shows the proportion of white students who would be enrolled in traditional neighborhood schools. When paired with the actual regression line, about 5% fewer white students were enrolled in public schools. The curvilinear regression line, which depicts the relationship between schools and their neighborhoods, showed that the difference between the percentage of white students and their catchment areas is greatest in districts that have roughly equal proportions of white and non-white students. Where schools were expected to be nearly equal proportions of white and nonwhite students precisely mark where white children were most underrepresented in schools relative to their neighborhoods. From further research, the presence of Hispanic students was found to have a slightly greater association than the percentage of black students with decreased white attendance. Scholars Wells and Crain, theorize that white and wealthier students will take steps to maintain their social status by distancing themselves from groups that they perceive to be of lower standing. From this viewpoint, the broadening of educational options of students would add another layer of stratification to an educational system that is already variegated by race and class. The district census can aid the reintegration of schools by combining districts and catchment areas, however, if wealthier and white families continue to aim to isolate themselves from minorities, the reintegration process will be much more difficult for state school boards to execute. By identifying the key factors of segregation in the United States public school system, the census can be used to determine the appropriate actions to reintegrate schools, without disrupting the substantial residential segregation that certain communities seek to obtain.

Sexual education can be identified as several things. According to Jaafar & Chan (2008), sexual education is the study of the structural, functional and behavioral feature of human reproduction. It covered different aspects, including reproductive health, affection, interpersonal relationship, intimacy, gender responsibility, body images, and most importantly, sexual development. In the words of Spielhagen (2013), generally sex education is education revolving around sexuality, prevention of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), contraceptive methods such as drugs and condoms, significance of protection, and attitudes as well as principles around sex. Additionally, there are 2 types of sex education, including comprehensive education and abstinence-only programs. Nowadays, sex education has become a highly debated topics that has continued to be discussed whether it is in homes or in school. It is discussed among scholars whether sexual education can be made as an elective subject or not. Some argue that sex education implementation in public schools is necessary because, according to Vivancos, Abubakar, Philips-Howard & Hunter (2013), the reduction of sexual transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis varied based on how young adults learn about sex. There was a 17% reduction associated with first intercourse at a younger age, 54% reduction of learning sex from peers, and 85% for both learnings from first girl/boyfriend and lessons at school. Moreover, sexual education should be introduced in order to reduce sexuality transmitted infection (STI), to stop premarital pregnancy, to eliminate unwanted behavior and to control promiscuity (Jaafar & Chan, 2008). Unfortunately, others believes that this type of education is better left off and consigned to the obscurity. This is because they are understandably afraid that young adults will be exposed to the risks of sexual behavior and STIs during school-based sex education. The importance of sexual education is more signified when, according to Mutalip & Mohamed (2012), the number of reports of misbehavior sexual activities in Malaysian teenagers appears to be increasing, even though sexuality is one of the proscription subjects in the country. There are many cases that are perfect fit for the statement above. One such instances is in Mantin, Nilai, where a young couple, both aged 17, are caught having sex in the girl’s stepmother apartment. Thus, the purpose of this essay is to discuss the importance of sexual education and, as a result, answer the question of whether this type of education should be taught in public schools.

Firstly, one such reason of why sexual education should be implemented in public schools is it may prevent teenage pregnancy. Researchers from the University of Washington found that adolescents who receive comprehensive sex education are significantly less likely to become pregnant than adolescents who receive abstinence-only-until-marriage or no formal sex education. Getting pregnant while you are a teenager does not necessarily mean it’s the end of the world for you. For sure that there are teenage parents who are doing quite well for themselves, but it is very sure not an advantageous position to be in. Teenage pregnancies also should be avoided because, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), “pregnancies among girls less than 18 years of age have irreparable consequences; it violates the rights of girls, with life-threatening consequences in terms of sexual and reproductive health, and poses high development costs for communities, particularly in perpetuating the cycle of poverty”. This usually happens in third world or underdeveloped countries, such as Togo and Madagascar, where poverty is a normality among its citizens. For an example, there are many cases where teenage parents who have to quit schools because they cannot keep up with their studies. They got to take a job because many teenage parents came from families with poor financial background. They got to earn more money because they had an extra mouth to feed. Teenage pregnancies also pose many risks not only to the parents, but also to the children. As in teenage pregnancy children are less like to be born with a low weight, which are not necessarily an indication of the baby healthiness, but it is a serious concern indeed. Teenage pregnancy children are also more likely to born prematurely. Being born prematurely is a very serious matter because it is one of the major causes of deaths in infants and young children. While the mothers may face several medical difficulties such as postpartum depression.

Secondly, sexually transmitted disease (STDs) may also be prevented if sexual educations are allowed to be implemented in public schools. According to CDC (2010), the term sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) refers to a variety of clinical syndromes and infections caused by pathogens that can be acquired and transmitted through sexual activity. There are many sicknesses that can be classified as STDs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and HIV. All of the sicknesses mentioned earlier are very dangerous because of the STDs can take up a lot of time before its symptom shows up, and I am scared it might be too late to get treatment at that point. HIV can only be detected after 6 months of its incubation in your body. That is a long, long time. Think about all the sexual partners that you can have in that period of time. It’s even more worrying if you are sexually active. According to Avert, there is no cure for HIV, although antiretroviral treatment can control the virus, meaning that people with HIV can live long and healthy lives. If you do get contacted HIV, your immune body system will be wrecked, and eventually even a simple flu may cause death. Normally, a person can get STDs by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has STDs. However, one other reasons of why it is so dangerous is that you do not have to have sex with STDs patients to contact the same disease. Only skin to skin contact is suffice to spread it. According to STD Statistics – Teen Help, nearly half of 20 million Americans that get a new STD infection each year are teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 24. I know that teenagers are very impulsive and most of them are very sexually active before they settled on a partner, but it is very dangerous to participate in all kinds of sexual activities without taking protective measures. Sure, having sex with various people or, in other terms, fooling around are fun, but I can assure you that it will you caught up to you someday if you keep doing it and you will pay the price. Contacting STDs can ruin your life in many ways. For instance, not many people will want to be your sexual partner when they found out that you have AIDS or herpes. Fortunately, there are several ways that can be used to prevent STDs, such as making sure that you and your partners are getting a medical check-up for any STDs and also to wear condom at all times during oral, vaginal, or anal sex. This may be bothersome to you, but it goes a long way towards ensuring your partner and your well-being in the future.

Thirdly, we also should implement sexual education in our public schools so that it can protect our kids and teens. According to Berliner (2000) and Finkelhor (1979), sexual abuse involves any sexual activity with a child where consent is not or cannot be given. Sexual abuse can be classified to two types: physical behaviors and non-physical behaviors. Examples of physical behaviors include touching a child’s genital for sexual pleasure or other unnecessary reason and putting objects or body parts inside the vulva or vagina, in the mouth or in the anus of a child for sexual pleasures or other unnecessary reason. Examples of non-physical behaviors include intentionally exposing pornography to children and performing sexual acts in a child presence. Both types are very wrong, and equally harmful to the receiving children. Sexual abuse is a very delicate matter. It is not an easy thing to be detected. According to Finkelhor et al. (1990), “It is difficult to establish incidence rates because most sexual abuse is not reported at the time it occurs. There are many cases of sexual abuse victims who are only discovered long after it had already occurred, some as longs as 25 years. Studies of clinical and nonclinical population of adults reveal that fewer than half of the victim tell anyone at the time of the abuse, and a large percentage never reveal the victimization until asked for research purposes” (Finkelhor et al., 1990; Smith, Elstein, Trost & Bulkley, 1993). These sad facts are mainly caused by feelings of guilt, fear and wrongly inflicted humiliation on the victims, which oppresses their psyche and, in turn, prevents them from reporting the violence to authorities and even their own parents. Some cases, however, are only discovered accidentally by the victims’ parents. This is because the victims did not even know that they are sexually abused. Many of the them are very lacking in terms of understanding what sexual assaults is, and also what they should do if they end up in situations that they might be a victim of sexual abuse. Studies of clinical and nonclinical population of adults reveal that fewer than half of the victim tell anyone at the time of the abuse, and a large percentage never reveal the victimization until asked for research purposes (Finkelhor et al., 1990; Smith, Elstein, Trost & Bulkley, 1993). The realities of sexual abuse cases are very damning, to say the least, because, according to Finkelhor et al. (2001), in general, crimes against children are less likely to be reported to the criminal justice system than crimes against adults, even when they are comparably serious in nature. If even the criminal justice system is failing to help the children in need, we must take our own initiative to ensure that our own children does not share the same fate as the sexual abuse victims. This is where the importance of sexual education comes to play. With it, they will know what sexual assaults entails, what to do in a situation like that, can recognize the characteristics of a sexual offender and a sexual abuse victim, and what sexual abuse can do to its victims. First, let’s start with the sexual abusers. They mainly work in some kind of pattern. According to Berliner & Conte (1990), more typically, offenders engaged in a gradual process of sexualizing the relationship over time. There are many cases of children that are being sexually abused by their own relatives, such as an uncle or sometimes, even by their own parents. These types of cases usually happen for a long period of time. First, they just act friendly to the children or spends a lot of time with the children to earn their trust. Then, slowly but surely, they will ask the children to do sexual favors and most of the time, the victims did do what the abusers because for God’s sake, they did not know a single thing about sexual abuse. Repeat offenders generally calculate and plan their approach to victimizing children, often employing elaborate strategies to involve the children, maintain their cooperation, and prevent reporting (Conte, Wolfe, & Smith, 1989; Elliott, Browne & Kilcoyne, 1995; Lang and Frenzel, 1988). The abusers are very evil in the fact that if the children grew tired of the sexual abuse and did not want to keep cooperating with the abusers anymore, they will blackmail the children to humiliate them or worse, they use force to keep the victim’s mouth shut. The children then, understandably scared, are forced to endure the sexual abuse, hoping someday that it will ends. Sexual education also teaches about the characteristics that can be found in sexual abuse victims. Sexual abuse can happen to basically any child. What that is observed on the surface does not always reveals the truth beneath. It can happen to rich kids, poor kids, and many more. However, there are also some patterns that can be found in its victims. According to Mannarino & Cohen (1996), empirical studies have found that families of both incest and non-incest sexual victims are reported as less cohesive, more disorganized, and generally more dysfunctional than families of non-abused individuals. Most important of all, sexual education teaches our children about the terrible effects of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse can impact its victims in many ways. Some are impacted neurologically. Einbender and Friedrich (1989) reported greater cognitive impairment in a sample of sexually abused girls, and Rost and Troupe (1991) found that sexually abused children to have deficits in school achievement. Others can be affected emotionally. Anxiety is a well-documented sequel of sexual abuse (Gold, Lucenko, Elhai, Swingle, & Sellers, 1999; Lombardo & Pohl,1997). If you have been touched inappropriately by someone that you deeply trust, you must know what it feels like to have many difficulties in building relationships in the later parts of your life because you are afraid the sexual abuse experience will come back to haunt your mind again. In the general population, survivors are more likely than non-abused individuals to meet the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, with sexual abuse survivor having up to 5 times a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder than their non-abused peers (Saunders et al., 1992; Stein et al., 1988). Sexual abuse is very crippling indeed. Sexual abuse also can play havoc with your minds. Survivors frequently report chronic irritability, unexpected feelings of rage, and fear of their own anger (Briere & Runtz, 1987; Lisak, 1993; Scott & Day, 1996). There are many cases where sexual abuse children grew up to be someone with very combustible personality. The victims did not want to feel as helpless as they were during the abused, they will everything to make sure it does not happen again, even though their reactions are in the extreme. Such feelings can be expressed internally through self-blame and self-injury or externally, resulting in the perpetration of violence against others. If left alone, the victims can even commit suicide because they just cannot accept the such atrocity has been committed to them. That is why sexual education are so important to kids and teenagers as to make sure that are well-equipped to face such horrors.

In conclusion, sexual educations should be taught in public schools because kids and teenagers need all the information on sex and many other related issues, such as contraception method, etc., and sexual educations can provide most, if not all, of it. Granted, this implementation might face some difficulties in the face of religious schools, such as Muslim and Christian schools, where such a risky topic as sex is a taboo, but these efforts are not without reasons and justifications. Some balance and middle ground can always be found when all parties involved are willing to compromise. Without sexual education, there may be more cases of teenage pregnancy, STDs among young children, and last but not least, more cases of sexual abuse in kids and teenagers again.

Should public schools have school uniforms? This question has been discussed for many years. Usually, students are strongly against this policy. First of all, they explain this by the fact that the school uniform violates their rights, it prevents them from freely expressing their personality and showing their identity. However, I think school uniforms are good. Wearing a school uniform has a number of advantages that I want to highlight in my essay.

The first reason why school uniforms are good is that they help not to judge students by their clothes. This eliminates comparing each other for what they wear based on their family income. As a result, it promotes equality. Moreover, it prevents financial violence and stops gang activity.

Second, it is very affordable. Wearing a school uniform will help you save money on important needs, as you will not need to buy more clothes for everyday wear. And most importantly, it will save you time that is usually spent on shopping for new clothes.

Thirdly, I believe that the school uniform creates a strong school spirit. The school uniform represents the school. In addition, a student is ‘identified’ by his uniform, and if he is not wearing a uniform, it will be difficult to identify him.

Finally, the school uniform makes the school more organized because the students wear appropriate clothes, otherwise, there will be a lot of mess and a lot of different colors and clothes that are not suitable for school. Moreover, it also requires less monitoring for the staff on a daily basis and every child would look nice while representing their school.

From my point of view, introducing a policy of wearing school uniforms on a mandatory basis is absolutely the right decision. Every school should have a school uniform because it represents the school and makes it strong. This helps to identify the student. In addition, it is affordable from a financial point of view. And the last point, which is the strongest in my opinion, it forces the student not to judge others by their appearance; in fact, he can’t stop pulling, but it reduces and makes the student feel comfortable. And while most students feel that school uniforms prevent them from expressing who they are through the way they dress, because they have to wear the same clothes as their peers, I still believe that this policy is the right one.

Canada, more than ever before, has come to be known as a land of refuge for those fleeing their homelands due to war, economic hardship, and environmental disaster (Government of Canada, 2016a). As of January 29, 2017, 40,081 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2017). This number is mainly comprised of women and children and, in this context, the education of refugee children has become an important topic for the Canadian schooling system (Government of Canada, 2016b). Students from many different cultures enter mainstream classrooms in Canada. Significant numbers of these students are refugee students who have faced traumatic situations. These students generally spend most of their time in mainstream classrooms and yet their teachers are inadequately prepared to effectively meet their educational needs. This has a significant impact on helping refugee students to develop their learning. According to Ratkovic et al (2017), in Canada, limited studies focus on refugee children from war-torn countries and their transition to Canadian schools. Specifically, there is little research on refugee students in early primary grades of Kindergarten through Third grade ( ages four to eight). Since 2007, there has been a general increase in service models for British Columbia’s rapidly rising refugee child population and, in particular, an increase in Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs. These programs are, in part, a response to the nuanced issues faced by refugee children and their families. With further research in the field of Early Childhood Education, we can provide a rich context for better understanding the different ways that service models address the needs of this population (Navabi 2011). It should be noted that for this literature review, early childhood educators ( ECE), used interchangeably with early learning teachers, involve Kindergarten through Third Grade as this is the primary education subsect in Canada.

Recent studies have demonstrated that there are considerable gaps in the literature and policy addressing refugee students’ experiences in the Canadian educational system. Further research is required to fully understand the strategies early learning teachers use to ease the refugee student transition, empower refugee students, and inform policy development.

Since teachers spend the majority of the school day with students, their insights about how to serve these populations of children and adolescents are critical. With the increase in the number of refugee and immigrant children in schools, educational services will need to adjust and adapt to the needs that these children and families present to the educational system (Nwosu et al., 2014). School systems that fail to make this adjustment are likely to insufficiently attend to the needs of refugee and immigrant students, resulting in continued cycles of poverty and negative outcomes.

Teacher pedagogy related to teaching refugee early learners comprises a critical factor in facilitating student success in school. Pedagogy refers to the interactions between teachers, students, and the learning environment, and the learning tasks ( Farquhar 2003). This broad term includes how teachers and students relate together as well as the instructional approaches implemented in the classroom. Pedagogical approaches are often placed on a spectrum from teacher-centered to learner-centered pedagogy; though these two approaches may seem contradictory, they can often complement each other in the realization of educational goals. Pedagogical effectiveness often depends on ensuring that the approach is appropriate for specific school and national contexts.

This study will employ the Narrative Inquiry approach. Narrative inquiry was first used by Connelly and Clandinin (1998) as a methodology to describe the personal stories of teachers. Narrative researchers look for ways to understand and then present real-life experiences through the stories of the research participants. The Narrative approach allows for a rich description of these experiences and an exploration of the meanings that the participants derive from their experiences. It is a methodology in which the researcher attempts to illuminate the meanings of personal stories and events. Therefore, this Narrative Inquiry will aim to tell the stories of early childhood educators and reveal their pedagogical approaches to teaching refugee students. What will be uncovered in this study is yet to be determined. Throughout this literature review specific gaps in research and practice will be shared. The end goal is to build the significance for a study that examines how one of the main service provider’s pedagogy (i.e., teachers) influences refugee early learners.

The literature provided in this Literature Review will help to determine the central research question: 1) How do early learning g teachers in mainstream classrooms ( K-3) develop their pedagogical approaches for teaching refugee students

Why Early Learning Teachers?

Newcomer families with young children rely heavily on the expertise of early childhood educators to ensure their children are getting the very best start on their educational journey. ECE caregivers working in the immigrant and refugee serving sector require special skill sets. Kirova et al ( 2016). Education is a key aspect of refugee children’s social and emotional rehabilitation and healing (Sinclair, 2001). However, students are also dealing with feelings of grief and loss and may find it difficult to thrive in a school setting. As a result, the school experience can be a difficult transition for refugee children. Traumatic experiences that children may have gone through or witnessed can manifest as troubled behavior (Strekalova & Hoot, 2008). These behaviors may include explosive anger that is inappropriate to a situation, rule testing, problems with authority, age-inappropriate behavior, inability to concentrate, withdrawal, and lower academic achievement (Strekalova & Hoot, 2008).

Cummins (1994) suggests that teachers have a critical role in the schooling experience of refugee students, as the values and attitudes expressed by teachers impact students’ sense of belonging within the learning community. Teachers are often responsible for identifying the unique challenges and needs of refugee students resulting from possible traumatic experiences in the premigration and migration periods; they are also expected to provide the necessary support to these students in the classroom and school (Strekelova & Hoot, 2008). In her study of refugee students from a Manitoba school, Stewart (2012) found that due to limited resources, training, and understanding, teachers often lack empathy and do not want refugee students in their classes. Furthermore, she found that teachers were not able to differentiate refugee students from other immigrant students and believed that they shouldn’t be given preferential treatment. Overall, Stewart ( 2012) found that teachers feel overwhelmed and under-prepared to teach refugee students. Facing children with limited English and academic skills, at the same time as dealing with trauma, leaves teachers desiring professional development to help them best serve the refugee students in their classrooms.

As an educator, I know that a caring environment that is supportive and secure is important for all students, including refugee students. Unfortunately, I also feel that this is becoming more difficult to provide due to strenuous curriculum expectations and increasingly tighter budgets. Refugee students need to have environments and early learning teachers who are capable of addressing their trauma and helping them work through it. As an educator, I feel that the biggest impact I have on students is through the relationships I have with my students. If educators can maintain relationships with non-refugee students in their classroom, then it seems plausible that these relationships can be extended to refugee students as well. According to Stewart ( 2012), relationships are crucial to the success of refugee students. Therefore, early learning teachers must form meaningful and trusting relationships with students, families must be included in their children’s education, and the community surrounding the school has to be given positive experiences with refugees ( Stewart 2011). This point is further enhanced by a study done by Navabi ( 2011). She states that it is important to establish a supportive environment for refugee children and their families. This will enable children and their families to feel emotionally supported and to feel that the program applies to their lives It will enable children and their families to develop knowledge and skills to thrive in their new context and increase opportunities for children and their families’ learning. As a leader and educator myself, I also wonder if all these strategies will allow all staff to develop flexibility and resilience to deal with issues as they arise. However, as noted below, much will be dependent on the early learning teacher’s knowledge.

Early Learning Teacher’s Knowledge

Investigators in the area of early learning teachers’ knowledge include in their discussions such concepts as teacher beliefs, narratives, attitudes, and practical knowledge.

According to Elbaz (1983), a teacher constructs practical knowledge through observation, experience, and engagement with students. Grossman (1990) pointed out that research on teacher education has been prescriptive and focused primarily on behaviors and not on teacher knowledge. Grossman (1990) delineated four areas of teacher knowledge: “general pedagogical knowledge; subject matter knowledge; pedagogical content knowledge; and knowledge of context” (p. 5). In addition to these Carter (1990) referred to a category known as teacher practical knowledge. She defined practical knowledge as referring to “knowledge teachers have of classroom situations and the practical dilemmas they face in carrying out purposeful action in these settings” (p. 299). Similarly, Connelly and Clandinin (1988) define personal (teachers’) practical knowledge as “a term designed to capture the idea of experience in a way that allows us to talk about teachers as knowledgeable and knowing persons” (p. 25). In the same way, Johnston (1992) refers to teachers’ practical knowledge as “knowledge teachers use in their classroom situations, with an emphasis on the complexities of interactive teaching and thinking in action” (p. 124).

As the literature points out, there is a lot of overlap in the approaches of various researchers to this concept of teacher knowledge. However, one approach used by Schön (1983) is the epistemology of practice and is the approach that connects well with early learning teachers. This approach separates theoretical knowledge and formal knowledge from practical knowledge and is useful in examining teacher practices/pedagogy. Formal knowledge is the concept of knowledge as it appears in conventional behavioral science research. Practical knowledge includes practical, personal, situated, local, relational, and tacit knowledge. According to Schön (1983), the everyday activities of the professional depend on knowing- in action. Reflection-in-action is one step beyond. While “doing,” the practitioners start asking themselves questions about what they are doing. This occurs particularly when there is some unanticipated event or difficult phenomenon with which the practitioner is confronted. When looking at my own experiences, this could occur with events such as a young child not wanting to leave their parent(s) during the school day. As a mainstream early childhood teacher, I can employ various techniques to help this child adjust. However, this may not be suitable for my refugee students who have come from many traumatic situations. Reflection-in-action often results in a change to knowing-in-action. Reflection-in-action refers to the way teachers think on the spot. This reflective thinking helps to guide teachers in making informed decisions about their teaching. Researchers view reflection-in-action as a way to improve pedagogical practice within the context of the classroom and can aid in this research by providing insight into determining if reflection is used. For example, if I take the above scenario of a child not wanting to leave their parent, I could employ various techniques that are suitable for young children such as engaging in quick goodbye routines or distraction. However, through reflection in action, I will in the moment, come to realize that these most likely will not be successful for refugee students and will require me to change regular practice.

Throughout the seven Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations (OCSGE), I choose the reflective, creative, and holistic thirteen. It is the person who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an inferred conscience for the common good. In Catholic schools, the students are taught about human rights, pride, regard, and care for others. As a student, they need to figure out how to take care of an issue and properly find a solution. Throughout the course, we have learned about the seven deadly sins, social justice, and cardinal virtue which helps me to fulfill this expectation of OCSG and will continue to do so in the future.

Firstly, in the course, we learned about sins which means it is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience. There are a total of seven deadly sins which are pride, envy, lust, anger, gluttony, greed, and sloth. One of the seven deadly sins has helped me to make a responsible decision, which is anger. Anger is a sudden outbreak of emotions. Most people tend to make wrong decisions while they are angry, for instance, myself. I can apply this sin to my own life. For example, in English class, I failed a major assignment and a test. I was very upset and frustrated which led to anger. My little cousin bothered and annoyed me when I got home, I pushed him and got him hurt. This made a huge family issue between my mom and aunt and now they don’t talk to each other because of the conflict that occurred. This issue helps me to understand that my decisions have severe consequences and I learned to make wise and responsible decisions when I am angry. To conclude, the sin of anger helped me to make responsible decisions and made me fulfill the OCSGE.

Secondly, in this course, we have learned about social justice which is an idea of fair and just relations between the individual and society, as estimated by the circulation of wealth, opportunities for personal activity, and social privileges. Among the different types of social justice, I chose child labor. Child labor is considered a serious moral issue and it affects a lot of children. The concept of Social justice helped me to fulfill all OCSGE and made me think holistically. A holistic thinker is a person who cares about everyone, not just themselves. For example, one day I was walking with my uncle near a factory area and we saw many children working there rather than going to school. my uncle went to the boss to talk and told him not to hire children because child labor is morally wrong, it violates the dignity and ignores the rights of a child. Children should focus on their education and they’re not supposed to work under age, no matter how poverty the family going through. This conversation made me think holistically that you should not only care about yourself, but you should also care about the people around you. To summarize, social justice has helped me to think holistically and made me understand the OCSGE.

Finally, in this class, we have learned about cardinal virtues. virtue is the quality of being ethically reasonable. virtues are significant because they are fundamental characteristics vital for our prosperity and happiness. Plato and Aristotle have different opinions on four cardinal virtues which are Prudence Temperance fortitude and justice. Among the four different types of cardinal virtues, I chose Prudence which helps me to understand the expectations of OCSG and made me a reflective person. Prudence is someone who Consistently thinks about his own activity and the importance of life. according to Aristotle prudent means how to make good judgments in life. I can apply this to my own life. For example, me and my family have experienced poverty and it taught us the value of money. From those experiences, I have learned how money is important in life and I think before spending it. I do not spend money on unnecessary things because I know what the value of the money is. In conclusion, being prudent has helped me to be a reflective person and made me understand the OCSGE.

To summarize, In this grade 11 Mixed religion class, we have gained knowledge about the seven deadly sins, social justice, and Cardinal virtue which ultimately helps me to understand the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. To begin with, the sin of anger helped me to make responsible decisions and made me fulfill the OCSGE. next, social justice has helped me to think holistically and made me understand the OCSGE. Lastly, being prudent has helped me to be a reflective person and made me understand the OCSGE.

High schools are the building blocks for our careers. This is the time in our lives when we discover our key interest in who we want to become and what we want to do for the rest of our lives. However, this is not always the case. There is a major crisis in high school education that is affecting student career outcomes. Through thoroughly conducted research, studies show that corrupt reform policies, lack of student resources, and the lack of connection to real-world scenarios have and can negatively impact student academic success. Thus, resulting in higher dropout rates, an increase in the workforce, and a decrease in seeking post-secondary education. Evidence has revealed the positive impact Career and Technical Education has posed on this crisis. The purpose here is to shed light on the issues surrounding education, and the effects of these issues, bring forth what can help in career preparations, and propose some ideas regarding how to help high schools do a better job.

Education reforms have been around for many centuries. The purpose of education reform is to continuously improve the education system resulting in higher success rates. However, student performance has been continuously dropping in the last decade due to corrupted reform policies (Croft et al. 71). In the article, ‘The Perfect Storm of Education Reform: High-Stakes Testing and Teacher Evaluation,’ Sheryl J. Croft describes education reform as, ‘One inspired by [racial] equity and the other by inequity,’ (Croft 71). Valuable education reforms (e.g., A+ Education Reform Act) that were once in place and brought great success, are being replaced by corrupted reforms that stripped 4.5 billion dollars from minority-dominated public schools (Croft et al. 71-72). This extreme cutback had massive devastating effects that can be described as a domino effect. Croft states the effects that will introduce my next case, ‘. . . low-income students were exposed to a political onslaught of financial deprivations that led to a reduction in staff, resources, professional development funds, and furloughed days, charter and private schools and the students they serve were sheltered by legislative maneuvers and financial appropriations,’ (Croft 72).

As previously discussed, student resources were cut. This means that staff members were fired such as teachers and counselors, funded programs that helped with career development were no longer available, along the loss of student-teacher relationships. These are key factors to academic success. In the article, ‘College and Career Readiness Counseling Support Scales,’ Lapan et al. discuss the importance and outcomes of frequently meeting with your counselor, developing an appropriate close relationship with them, as well as the impact of counselors utilizing career development programs. Lapan states, ‘This national focus is fully aligned with long-standing priorities of leading counseling and career development organizations,’ (Lapan par. 3). Through approved research, they were able to provide information regarding how helpful and useful school counselors were to graduating seniors. Studies have shown that when counselors and students developed a better relationship with one another, students had better secondary education results (Lapan et al. par. 4). The results pulled from their research showed that their consumer empowerment model was able to provide better communication amongst students, families, and schools as well with what type of career preparations they should be receiving (Lapan et al. par. 58).

Ed Hidalgo, a speaker from the YouTube channel TEDx Talks, preaches the importance of these assessment models counselors use in the video titled, ‘How can a child aspire to a career they don’t know exists?’ In this video, Hidalgo speaks up on the lack of dedicated time and effort in figuring out who we are and where we, as students, fit in (0:53). We can draw a connection that the cut in student resources played a part in this experience. Hidalgo addresses how it is important to have an underlying foundation such as sciences and English (1:23). However, learning what our strengths and what we excel at are just as important. It wasn’t until much later in his career that he discovered the importance of career preparation models such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which he later implemented into early education (Hidalgo 4:17). Career assessment models can analyze students and develop specific career opportunities based on student interest. Assessment models are crucial to career development for high school students. Students can figure out what paths they want to take and what careers they feel they may be best at. It allows students to develop ideas early on about their future, which in turn can increase the career force. Academic success is dropping due to the cut in resources like these.

Career preparations include the implementation of Career and Technical Education. These are funded career academies that provide students with an opportunity to focus on career paths that pique their interest. These academies provide the relevancy that is missing in regular high school education (Vail par. 7). Career and Technical Education, also known as CTE, needs to remain the major topic of high school reform. The reason is the significant outcomes it has shown in the high school completion rate, labor force, and post-secondary education which Shaun M. Dougherty discusses in his book, ‘Career and Technical Education in High School: Does It Improve Student Outcomes?’ Through thoroughly conducted research, studies showed that students graduating and going straight into the labor force were able to find higher-paying jobs than those who did not take CTE courses (Dougherty 12). Several studies also proved that implementing CTE courses helped increase high school completion rates and enrollment in four-year colleges (Dougherty 12). It is crazy to think that you can earn an associate degree in high school through courses that focus on the career path of your choice (Vail par. 8). CTE provides amazing opportunities to students. Here, they get to learn whether or not a major is for them along with developing key skills that will benefit them in the workplace.

Many teachers agree that there is a lack of resources and support systems for students at school that results in dropping out (Bridgeland par. 9). Bridgeland et al. discuss the perspective of teachers and principals on high school dropouts, the problem, and the reason why students drop out in the article, ‘The High School Dropout Problem.’ Bridgeland found that less than a third of teachers believed that schools should expect students to reach significant academic standards, college readiness, and extra support to student’s needs (Bridgeland par. 8). They concluded through research that very few teachers and principals believed that dropping out was a major crisis (Bridgeland et al. par. 11). There were various reasons listed as to why students drop out such as lack of parental involvement, boredom, lack of support at home and school, no connection of school to real life, and felt unprepared for high school due to previous schooling (Bridgeland et al. par. 15-18). Even in Kathleen Vail’s article titled, ‘Technology Drives Career and Technical Education in High School Reform,’ she addresses some key reasons why students drop out and why major reform needs to happen. Vail shares a quote from Edward E. Gordon stating, ‘Look at the dropout studies. Students aren’t falling through the cracks; it’s the Grand Canyon . . . Students are dropping out because they are bored and see no connection between what they study and the real world. They need Shakespeare and history and biology, but they also need career component education so they can see the connections,’ (qtd. in Vail par. 40). Student resources need to continue being funded and implemented as we have discovered one of the devastating effects. If students do not obtain a high school education, we can conclude that there will be a decrease in the career force.

The problem is that if one of the major reasons why students are dropping out is due to lack of support (which we have discussed the cut in student resources), then the limited faculty that remains needs to step up to the plate and provide that extra support for students. The amount of support provided should be endless whether that is received from the principals, teachers, security, counselor, or even the lunch lady. Faculty members should believe that all students can achieve success no matter their struggles. Teachers believing in students is crucial, as it can impact academic success in the classroom.

Teacher-student relationships can have an extraordinary impact. When students have good relationships established with their teachers the learning environment becomes more productive. Allowing students to express their needs, praising good achievement within the classroom, and providing and offering student engagement can provide a sense of support which can increase high school completion rates (Pas par. 2-3). Research concludes that students not feeling connected in the academic workplace can establish poor behavior (Pas et al. par. 1). When poor behavior is established frequently in the classroom, studies show that less academic work is conducted resulting in low academic success and negative peer interactions (Pas par. 1). We can draw a connection and conclude from previous research discussed that providing student support and believing in students can prevent high school dropouts.

In conclusion, corrupted education reforms were the initial cause of education issues, which resulted in a domino effect. The effects were following issues such as lack of student resources and support. Student resources include teachers, counselors, and career preparations such as Career and Technical Education along with career assessment models. We discussed the importance of student-teacher relationships, student-counselor relationships, career preparation instruments, and academies. The results of having these resources were outstanding such as increased post-secondary education, increased high school completion rates, and an increased relationship to the real world. The lack of these resources results in high school dropouts.

If the main source of the problem is due to corruption, then laws need to be set in place that keep effective reforms. Reforms should go through extensive evaluations before being put into motion. Teachers and counselors should go through extensive evaluations yearly as they have one of the most crucial impacts on students. If they are not using all the resources available and not meeting standards such as high test scores, then termination should be the next option. Effective staff members are important in the outcome of student success. Funding for new schools, such as charter and private schools, should be funded through communities and fundraisers that support such an idea. Career and Technical Education programs should continue being implemented in public education as they pose outstanding results. The major takeaway here is don’t try and fix what isn’t broken.

Works Cited

1. Bridgeland, M. John, et al. “The High School Dropout.” Education Digest, vol. 75, no. 3, Nov. 2009. p20-26. 7p.
2. Croft, Sheryl J., et al. “The Perfect Storm of Education Reform: High-Stakes Testing and Teacher Evaluation.” Social Justice, vol. 42, no. 1 (139), 2015, pp. 70-92., www.jstor.org/stable/24871313.
3. Dougherty, Shaun M. Career and Technical Education in High School: Does It Improve Student Outcomes? Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 2016.
4. Lapan, Richard T., et al. “College and Career Readiness Counseling Support Scales.” Journal of Counseling & Development, vol. 95, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 77–86., doi:10.1002/jcad.12119.
5. Pas, Elise T., et al. “Profiles of Classroom Behavior in High Schools: Associations with Teacher Behavior Management Strategies and Classroom Composition.” Journal of School Psychology, vol. 53, no. 2, Apr. 2015, pp. 137–148., doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2014.12.005.
6. TEDx Talks. “How can a child aspire to a career they don’t know exists? | Ed Hidalgo | TEDxKids@ElCajon.” YouTube, 1 Jul 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRQLj2erYPk
7. Vail, Kathleen. “Technology Drives Career and Technical Education in High School Reform.” Education Digest, vol. 72, no. 8, ser. 4-11, Apr. 2007. 4-11. 8p.

As stated by a popular television show, talking about what our generation is known for, “our one defining trait is a numbness to the world, an indifference to suffering”(American Horror Story). Because of the number of people that are in pain, mental health should be an excusable reason to take days off school. Universities and High schools should give students mental health days to deal with their issues.

Depression: “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act” ( Ranna Parekh, M.D., M.P.H. January 2017). Students who suffer from depression or other mental health issues such as anxiety or panic attacks need breaks from spending hours every day studying and stressing about assignments. This could allow the youth to seek the help they need such as therapy or simply resting their mind at home.

Two parents speak out about the law that says students can take mental health days in Oregon, “Parents Roxanne and Jason Wilson agree. They say the law might have helped save their 14-year-old daughter, Chloe, who took her life in February 2018.” (newsela)

Approximately 17% of teenagers commit suicide and 20% of all teens suffer from depression, according to childtrends.org. Giving students a break from school might lower those percentages. Mental health days are needed more than ever now since suicide rates are only increasing, making it the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Some students experience fear of missing school due to the fact that they would have to make up for a lot of work which would only negatively impact a teen’s anxiety. If students were able to be excused from most assignments that wouldn’t have a large impact on their grades, then they would be more likely to allow themselves breaks. The due dates of tests and projects could possibly be pushed back as well. We need to give teens the assurance that it is okay to deal with their mental health or their overwhelmed minds. One way schools could make this possible is by giving students 1-2 days a month to use if they are experiencing depressive episodes or extreme burnout. “Stress and burnout affect both our mental and emotional well-being and both fall under self-care” (Erin Pawlak).

Having time off school for a few days during the semester could prevent future burnout and gives students the opportunity to receive the help they need instead of letting it build up, potentially saving them from possible harmful thoughts.

There will always be the question “Will students just abuse the privilege of mental health days?” It is a possibility, of course. But should school districts risk losing students to suicide just because a few teenagers may take the opportunity to lie about their well-being?

“One of my fears initially… would be the students that would take advantage of this, potentially manipulating it for the reasons that are not what they are initially intended for,” Watts said in an article on mental health days written by Veronica You on countable.us.

As spoken about in an article on newsela, “ We need to say it’s just as OK to take care for mental health reasons as it is to care for a broken bone.” (associated press. Published on August 5th, 2019)

Schools, parents, and everyone else needs to accept the fact that mental illnesses are illnesses and we as a society have to figure out ways to help those in need. Parents should, however, should know when to allow their child to take a mental health day and when they shouldn’t. Amy Morin, a licensed psychotherapist, argued, “when they’re feeling so bad that they’re struggling to function, and going to school is likely to make it worse, a mental health day might be just what the doctor ordered”(psycholgytoday.com).

For example, a mental health day is great for those dealing with breakdowns, emotional burnout, depression, or severe panic attacks. A mental health day is not great for those who are nervous about a school presentation or when they remember they didn’t do a homework assignment.

To conclude, mental health days should be given to students. Whether it be only a couple of days a semester or a couple of days a year, teens need breaks to deal with their mental illnesses or stress. Letting teenagers have this time to heal and destress could potentially improve their worth ethic, mindset, and well-being. Some states already have a law that gives mental health days such as Florida and Oregon, and hopefully, more will join them.

Introduction

Attention getter (teaser): Congratulations, you’re pregnant! You’re going to be a mom! Those were the words I heard around the same time I decided I was finally going back to school 9 years after graduating high school.

Significance (why important to them?): I hope my story inspires you to not give up your dreams and goals even if at the time it seems impossible to achieve. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Central idea/thesis: Two important life decisions motivated me to work harder and not give up easily.

Preview of main points: I finally decided to go back to school in the same year my husband and I decided to have a baby.

Body

First main point: My husband and decided to finally have a baby after about a year and a half of being married.

Subpoint: The excitement we felt was unexplainable and we knew our family would be equally as excited as us.

Support: After being married my husband and I knew we wanted to add to our family. We made plans of when it would be the best time. The planning of this went as far as deciding at what age it would be best to make a little addition that required work and attention. We wanted to have energy for our kids when they began to be more active in the future. The timing was important for us.

Support: In June of last year we finally found out we were going to have a baby! We couldn’t wait to share the good news with family. Immediately after finding out, we broke the good news to my husband’s family. I waited until the day after to surprise mine. It was hard to keep it a secret, so we didn’t wait to say anything! Our plans seemed to be going accordingly as planned.

Subpoint: I knew being a mom wasn’t going to be the easiest task.

Support: Although there was excitement, there were also worries. “Your life is going to change forever”, “Your priorities are going to have to change”, “It’s going to be difficult!” and “You won’t have time for yourself”. Those were just some of the things that were said to me when I announced my pregnancy to some people.

Support: I knew my life wouldn’t be the same and my priorities would have to change. I just wondered why it felt like people were trying to discourage me rather than just be happy for us. I had plans for my future self when I found out I was pregnant so everything that seemed negative made me question my future plans. I was ecstatic about my pregnancy, but it did make me wonder if I was going to be capable of achieving the goals I had set for myself. I gave birth on February 3rd, 2020 and that’s when the real journey began.

Transition: Internal summary of point I, the internal preview of point II: Being pregnant and then being a first-time mom isn’t an easy task. That same year my husband and I decided to become pregnant, I decided it was time to go after a dream and goal I had for myself.

Second main point: Becoming pregnant is already a huge decision but I decided I also wanted to become a student.

Subpoint: I became a college student a few months after becoming pregnant.

Support: Becoming a college student was something that was on my list of goals I wanted to complete. Going back to school meant that I could be proud of trying to better myself. I was taught that education was an important step if you wanted to become someone in life. Making my parents proud is also an outcome I wanted to achieve by going to college and graduating eventually.

Support: My parents immigrated to this country from Mexico to give us a better life. They have worked hard their entire lives to make sure we didn’t have to go through the same things they did. Going back to school meant that I could show them that I was grateful and thankful for them having to go through struggles to give us a nice life. There were many events in the past that set me back from even starting the process of college. I felt like I was failing.

Subpoint: Sometimes in life, you just have to take a leap of faith.

Support: Although it was something I wanted to do, I didn’t put my full focus on attending college after graduating high school. Instead, I decided that I was going to work first. One thing led to another when the thought of going to school came to mind. The “right” timing just didn’t seem to show up. Bumps in road after bumps in the road seemed to just show up when I thought of applying. Nine long years passed when I decided that enough is enough. I was going back to school no matter what and this time I was determined! It just so happens that it was the same year that my husband decided we wanted to have a baby.

Support: It was last year when I first started college. I decided to take a leap of faith that was needed. Many obstacles and many thoughts of “I can’t do this” had crept into my mind every time I wanted to go back to school. Becoming pregnant wasn’t going to stop me from achieving my goals. Being pregnant was actually a motivation to give the school a start. I want to make my baby proud one day. It was going to be hard work but nothing good in life comes easy. My thought was, “If not now, when?”. Pushing through obstacles in life is just part of the process of becoming successful.

Conclusion

Summary of main points: Going to college and being a first-time mom isn’t easy especially if it’s during the same time frame. I used to have what I like to call a weak mindset. Before starting school, I did not push myself hard enough mentally to get to where I wanted to be.

Concluding statement (pleaser): It might be hard and difficult at times but you sometimes just need to push through to reach where you want to be. Some goals might seem hard to achieve in life under certain circumstances but it’s your strong will that won’t make it impossible.

Here’s the thing. I can tell you how to answer a polyamorous equation. I can give you a completely memorized timeline of both World Wars. I can recite the 9 animal phyla and their characteristics. But you know what I can’t do. I can’t cook. I have no idea how to pay taxes. I know absolutely nothing about financial stability and If I’m honest I really don’t know anything about healthy living or important communication skills. These things seem a little more important to me than polyamorous equations considering they affect my life, but for some reason, I have no idea how to do them or really have any understanding of them.

The reason is this. Schools do not teach important life skills that are necessary for students entering the adult world.

The joint study between Monash University researchers and the Australian Scholarship Group (ASG) collected statistics on what parents thought of the education system. According to the study, 69 percent of parents believe schools should do more to teach their children about social skills and other real-life behavioral problems. Even parents want to see this change! It may also be the fact that by not having your teens and young adults prepared for the real world, they will stay at home for longer and be much more dependent on their parents. 43% of 20–24-year-olds were living in the family home in 2016, up from 36% in 1981, and 25-29-year-olds still at home has also grown from 10% in 1981 to 17% in 2016. Don’t you want to see your kids independently thriving?

Students are taught to memorize information rather than learn critical life skills such as financial management, healthy living, emotional management and training, communication skills, and all-around personal growth. I must give some credit to schools though, in my time at school I have learned a lot of information, but just not enough for me to confidently enter adulthood. Whilst the information taught in schools is helpful and significant it is not entirely useful for students to become well and easily-adjusted adults.

‘Schools teach knowledge, but life requires wisdom’

Here are some possible changes I would like to see made:

1. Incorporate life skills into already existing classes – to avoid people like me nearly burning the house down by putting alfoil in the microwave offer some sort of basic cooking class in science for those schools that don’t already have a food science class. In maths class, give the students the basics on smart credit usage and savings to avoid young adults having heart attacks by looking in their bank account and realizing they only have -2 dollars left. In health classes, teach the importance of health insurance. How important is insuring my life and health? I have absolutely no idea.
2. Offer additional classes for important life skills or simply an all-around life skills class – something like this would’ve been my main choice as a subject or subject. Offer a class in financial management, psychology, emotional management, goals, personal growth, communication even just general things that seem so small but are so important to know. Having a class like this would offer so much relief to high schoolers entering the adult world. It would mean that maybe adults would be able to stop saying ‘I still have no idea what I’m doing because we could get our minds straight, our ideas set, and know exactly what to do as soon as we enter adulthood.
3. Stop throwing kids off the cliff to adulthood – being a teenager is hard enough. I know what the adults are probably thinking. Oh my gosh, children who get everything really have it rough. But with the stress of exams, social pressures and so much more I and many others don’t have the time to learn about financial stability. Having a class that could offer to teach kids these basic skills will mean we won’t be completely thrown into the deep end. Maybe we would then be able to get ourselves together to enter adulthood confidently.

The idea of learning life skills in school seems like a very ideal idea to me, a 16-year-old high schooler. I would love to be able to confidently say that when I become an adult I will have great credit (whatever that means), supportive health insurance (if that’s the right term to use), and I will no longer risk burning my house down with a basic cooking appliance. Sure, the things I learn in school a great, interesting, and challenging but they aren’t really going to help me know exactly what I need to, do to become an adult.

Of course, I can’t generalize this idea as many schools do offer courses in job preparation and cooking but regardless of this, there are gaps missing in our education that, if taught, would easily help us settle into the real world. I want kids to be able to stop constantly asking themselves ‘when am I ever going to use this information?’ and ‘how will this help me after high school?’ by offering information that will. The transition into adulthood is already stressful enough and the fact is kids aren’t being prepared well enough for the real world. Schools don’t teach enough life skills that are necessary for teens entering adulthood.