Students Sound Off: High Schooler Kelly Tan Says The Key To Keeping Kids In School Is Building A Community Of Learning

"Students Sound Off," is an ongoing student blogger contest aimed at providing students a loud and clear voice in the education debate presented by HuffPost Education and Get Schooled. As the second post in the series, student Kelly Tan answers the question:

If you were given the chance, how would you help kids at your school graduate?

Failing high school is not as rare as we can hope. This is a contradiction with the "superpower" image the U.S. hopes to maintain, and contradictions cannot exist. What this means for this country is that it will eventually be phased out by another country, one where education is a priority. A country where a high majority of its high school seniors actually graduate and go on to receive a higher education. These are the people that will make a country great, but they are also the people that we lack. It is clear that if the U.S. wants to continue to be a superpower, it will have to motivate students to succeed.

People, especially around adolescence, feel a strong sense of loneliness. When you're lonely, it's difficult for hope to grow. Some adolescents often believe that there is no reason to do reason to really try at anything because the end doesn't vary, regardless of how you got there.

They don't seem to realize that the road to the end is the best part, simply because they have no one close to point it out.

In order to increase the rate of high school graduates, schools should promotes clubs and other school communities. A byproduct of promoting school communities is the formation of bonds. Adolescents spend time with people who they share the same qualities, values, strengths, and weaknesses. People see how many people are like them. They gain friendship and companionship. These friends will provide an unspoken encouragement for success and
ambition. They might even inspire competition, the drive for improvement. They will do many things for students, and won't stop at encouraging students, but will continue on to help students realize that the journey is meant to be enjoyed.

The best part about this plan is that it is budget friendly. Clubs can hold their own fundraisers if the need of funds should ever arise. Students can manage themselves; responsibility is another welcome side effect. The members of the club will learn to depend on others; a skill valuable if they should ever find themselves in a position where interactions are involved.

Today's youth will learn the tools they'll need to become the efficient and productive workforce of tomorrow. They'll gain the drive this country needs to pull itself out of the dark ages and into one of peace and prosperity. A period we need direly need as a failing nation as of this millennium.

This plan for the schools of the United States will succeed. We're all lonely people. It'll do us all a great deal if we knew that sometimes life isn't as lonely as we make it out to be. Humans are social creatures. Would it be so wrong for me to infer that people would do much better
if there's someone doing it with them, no matter what they want to accomplish?

Are you a high school student who wants to sound off to the HuffPost community and win a chance to blog with a celebrity, politician or activist? Find out how on our contest page or read other essays by high school students.

This contest is brought to you by Waiting For "Superman".

Comments

[AmericanRealistSR]

09:18 PM on 12/31/2010

Kelly, while I admire your optimism it is not the nation's job to motivate students to succeed. Other countries that outperform our own don't spend resources making sure their students have the opportunity to socialize and make friends. Kids in those countries succeed because that is what is expected of them. Would an abundance of clubs on campus have helped you to proof-read your essay? Or perhaps you could have submitted a copy to your English teacher and cultivated that relationship? I graduated from a high school with all the clubs you describe. The reason I was successful was due to the support of my parents, teachers and the understanding that I alone controlled my destiny. If I failed, it was because I earned it. Not because I didn't have enough friends or fun ways to build relationships. The community of learning already exists, but all within it must assume their responsibility. Having fun and making friends is a byproduct, not a means for success. Kids today are the most social they have ever been thanks to social networking and cell phones. We all wish everything in life was fun and uplifting. Sadly, the real world doesn't work like that. The journey (school) is not meant to be enjoyed. It's meant to give you a basic education. Again, stay optimistic. You are a freshman. Enjoy this time of not paying bills. That alone is worth it.

[teacher39years]

10:02 PM on 12/27/2010

I was just wondering how "Waiting for Superman" sponsors a "contest."

[Mountain Momma]

10:49 PM on 12/27/2010

And why?

[lushGreen]

09:54 PM on 12/27/2010

gotta love that picture, all shades...

[mamababa]

09:51 PM on 12/27/2010

One way to keep kids is school is regular caning.

[ohtartuffe]

07:24 PM on 12/27/2010

Here's how Magnolia High School students create a community of learning - create a culture of acceptance --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po9qy-tjeYw

[gutenmorgen]

02:11 PM on 12/27/2010

"It is clear that if the U.S. wants to continue to be a superpower, it will have to motivate students to succeed".
Proof that Kelly Tan has already been brainwashed in her school.

[corwin]

10:04 PM on 12/27/2010

How?

[Thisbetan]

11:30 PM on 12/27/2010

Are you so cynical that you disbelieve a young girl's hope that the country she has citizenship in does not burn to the ground? Even disregarding loyalty, patriotism, and "brainwashing", the failing U.S. is a global problem. The U.S. has 40% of the world trade. Because of that, a lot of currencies are quoted against the dollar. So if my wish that the world does not collectively fall into poverty is brainwashing, you better check the definition of brainwashing to see if you're using it correctly.

[Kenz300]

01:55 PM on 12/27/2010

It is too bad our education system does not spend more time on financial literacy.

Teens and adults in middle, high school and college need to be taught:

Preparing a resume

Job interview skills

Balancing a check book

Saving and investing 101

Preparing a budget

Insurance - health, auto and home

Credit -- credit cards and their proper use

Home mortgages -- types and cost

The expense of home ownership

The expense of raising children

The value of an education and your life time earning capability

Too many young people have had no guidance on their financial path and set themselves
for failure by digging a big hole they can not get out of.

Maybe if they saw how learning financial literacy would help them throughout
their life they might be interested in paying attention and STAYING IN SCHOOL.

All kids are interested in money..... ... we need to help them make good decisions about
money and their future.

Staying in school is one of those decisions that will lead to a better financial future.

We all need to live within our means..... . spend less than you make and you will be a survivor.

[floyd1976]

04:21 PM on 12/27/2010

Oddly enough, there is a program by a major bank (I won't say the name) that does exactly this. It hits all these points you mention, and, let me tell you, I wish our school had never adopted it. The kids simply hate it and have zero interest in learning these things. They are far more motivated in science class, or, any other class for that matter.

Yup, kids are interested in money, but, for many of them, they're interested in money right now, not a year from now, a week from now, or an hour from now.

[Mountain Momma]

10:48 PM on 12/27/2010

We can teach kids these kinds of things if we are really creative and make it fun. I taught in a residential facility for juvenile offenders. Every week, my students got "paychecks" I made out. Their salary was determined on the level they had achieved in the program. They got occasional "bonuses" for perfect scores on tests or completing work early. A local bank had donated a bunch of starter checks (no account numbers) and registers, so each student had their own "account" in my bank. They'd deposit their checks and could withdraw cash (Monopoly money) and I would have occasional items for sale (free time, game time, assorted doodads or candy) that they could purchase with cash. They also got "bills" for rent, utilities, cable, phone, etc. If they didn't pay their cable bill - no tv time. They had to learn how to budget what they saved so they could pay bills and have a little spending money. Plus, I had students start working harder so they could get more bonuses or higher salaries so they could buy more things. When I had students working at more advanced levels, they could take out loans and learned about paying interest on loans, and I worked it into our math lessons. At one point, I had one student who understood it all so well, he got a "consulting job" as a "financial adviser" for his peers!
Make it real and they'll learn. Use a prepared curriculum - it'll be a

[Thisbetan]

11:34 PM on 12/27/2010

I never did say anything about money.
I had chess club or key clubs in mind.

[MerryW]

01:28 PM on 12/27/2010

This is a great idea to get kids involved in writing and speaking and doing together. Education is about learning to think and express yourself concerning what is important. Education is to encourage a fluid growth.

[yakmeat]

01:25 PM on 12/27/2010

Kelly-

While I agree with you about the importance of peer relationships, (especially in adolescence) I couldn't help but notice numerous grammatical and syntax errors in your writing. Had I submitted this piece to any of my teachers in high school, it would have come back to my desk riddled with red ink.

Often when we write, our thoughts tend to flow faster than our pen (or keyboard) does. Spend some time reading what you have written, at both "micro" and "macro" levels. This will help to ensure correct sentence structure and spelling (micro) as well as avoid redundancy or awkward phrasing (macro).

Keep writing! Everyone has thoughts, but those who are capable of expressing them articulately have better success in turning them into action and reaching their goals.

[Thisbetan]

12:00 AM on 12/28/2010

Thank you for perhaps the one piece of constructive criticism. I AM embarrassed to have so many mistakes; ones I've only spotted after I sent it off.

[tultican]

12:42 PM on 12/27/2010

What is our purpose in educating youth and society in general?

The youth in this article has learned the prevalent philosophy distorting current education thinking. “Today's youth will learn the tools they'll need to become the efficient and productive workforce of tomorrow.”

The goal of education needs to be happy human beings not productive workers, balanced insightful people not efficient cogs in the corporate machine, humans not machines. Unless we get our purpose right no other strategy will matter.

[Tauna Rogers]

01:50 AM on 12/30/2010

Thanks, tultican!

[whitemale08]

12:37 PM on 12/27/2010

If you want to keep kids in school then give them a future to hope for.

That means first by putting the Federal Reserve System into RECIEVERSHIP/BANKRUPTCY re-organization so that all of the TRILLIONS in bail out claims are written off under Glass-Steagall.

Take that 3.3 TRILLION in credit to usher in a MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, that will rebuild every major cities water systems, build nuclear power stations and grids accross the country and nationalize once again a man-moon NASA space program for the future.

That way their parents are back to work and the students will be inspired to work on future discoveries in science/technologies that will one day make it possible for themselves and their children live and travel beyond planet earth.

[RageCage]

12:11 PM on 12/27/2010

Uh. This looks exactly like it was written by someone that hasn't graduated high school yet. It's awkward to read. My favorite:

"Some adolescents often believe that there is no reason to do reason to really try at anything"

Huh?

[Eriq]

12:27 PM on 12/27/2010

Right. It's normal for an article to be edited before sending it off to print...
Isn't that right, HP?

[Thisbetan]

11:21 PM on 12/27/2010

I'll admit to not proofreading it before sending it in, but if it makes you feel better to condescendingly point that out, that's fine too. And you're right about my not having graduated yet; that happens when you're a freshman. Grammatical errors happen, so let it go. What would interest me more is your feedback on my thoughts.

[changing]

10:46 AM on 12/27/2010

Are you kidding me-brought to you by Superman? Shame on you HP.

[researcher]

01:01 AM on 12/27/2010

super power status will take america to third world status. that simple that complex.

the super power status is so powerful in america that even the educators use it to make the case for better educational systems.

super power status is a national ego thing and thank the universe that any nation that makes it their number one agenda that nation will self destruct.

look around that destruction is all around us in every aspect of our lives from states going bankrupt to cities that can no longer fund organ transplants, to the federal gov borrowing money and printing money to even stay afloat all the while reducing taxes for the rich.

if that does not tell the self destructive attributes of a nation you have let patroitism and nationalism warp your mind. ie it is common to do that of course history tell us that over and over and over.