Dropouts: Are They Failing School, or Is School Failing Them?

Hello again! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with blessings and new fond memories. Due to scheduling conflicts with my designated blog day, I was unable to post until after the holidays had passed. I am glad to be back, and I am ready to jump into today's subject.

I was asked to write a post about kids dropping out of school. So, without further ado, let's "talk"!

1. Who is dropping out?

This topic required some research from me, and I was able to find some statistics that taught me a few things about the numbers. Numbers, however, don't answer the question "Why?", and we will discuss this later in my last point.

I want to give you a link to a couple of the different layouts in dropout statistics I came across:

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-high-school-dropout-rates

http://www.statisticbrain.com/high-school-dropout-statistics/

If you took the time to even skim through those, you can see that through the years, the overall rate of dropouts has decreased. It is still far too prominent. Recently in the gender aspect of the dropout rate, the amount of male dropouts exceeds the total of female dropouts.

Now, the breakdown of these charts branches far more in depth as far as racial aspects and the variations between the years. If you'd like more insight on those details, please, feel free to look at the statistics again and even take to Google and find even more.

Today, I am switching two of our "w" questions. Right now, I want to discuss why this occurs.

2. Why do kids drop out?

I say frequently that every situation is different. Upon doing some research, reading some personal testimonies, and recalling people that I know/know of who have dropped out of high school, I have noticed a few common reasons behind something that society frowns upon greatly (yet, society also has done little to prevent this).

Let's be clear on one thing, although there are majorities, there is not one sole reason as to why kids make the choice to drop out. No matter what the cause is, we ought to do what we can to find out what is wrong and do what we must to prevent it.

There are many cases in which the student makes the decision to quit school, because, despite what the average picture on dropping out is (in other words, laziness and/or stupidity), they felt that the education system was failing them and/or their schooling was not challenging them, nor giving them the amount of learning they needed.

On the other hand, in a certain survey, the report was that 35% of those that left school said they did so because they were failing.

45% of those who admitted to leaving school on the account of extreme academic challenge for them personally, went on to say that their education in their elementary school years left them improperly prepared for a high school education.

My mother has worked with and taught young children for quite a while. Having had an exposure to the teacher side of things as her child, I saw the great example of how a teacher should be in the way(s) she handled her students, as opposed to those who were not such exemplary teachers. I have heard and seen instances were a teacher simply gives up on a particularly difficult student, whether it be because of their behavior, or their poor academic skills.

Giving up on a child who clearly needs teaching as a teacher is an example of how school can fail a student instead of the student merely failing school.

I'd like to take a moment to encourage any teacher that struggles with a similar issue. Whether or not by your own hand or skill, there is a way you can impact a more difficult to reach child's life. Do not give up on them. They need someone to care enough about their education to actually make sure they are able to be taught and to learn.

3. Where does the issue lie?

There is no set source to the issue. Even if we had a flawless education system, every student is still different. We all learn at different paces and have different minds. Some people are lazy and simply do not want to put the work in, but do not assume this is always, or even most likely, the case. Sometimes, it is a matter of disinterest. I'm fairly certain we've all had a boring teacher at one point or another. An educator who is working to engage their students in the learning process will bear much more fruit than one who does not.

The issue on either side, the education or the student, stems from human error. Human nature surrounds us, but we do not need to use this as an excuse or succumb to it. All of us must never stop working to make this world a better place.

4. When does dropping out effect kids most?

The answer to this question would have to be when a dropout attempts to find a good job. I am happy to say that some dropouts later do go back to attend school, or they get their GED. But not a huge majority do.

In another report, many adults who had been dropouts stated that if they had the chance to go back to that time, they would choose to stay in school. If you did go to the links that I posted under the first point, you probably saw that the amount of money a high school graduate makes vs. the amount a dropout makes is a matter of about $200,000 or more in their lifetime.

So, clearly, it mostly affects their work situation.

I would venture to say on a more personal level that it also affects people emotionally, especially in the instance where they may or may not realize that the education system failed them, as opposed to them being a failure.

5. What is the solution?

If you are the parent of a student considering dropping out, I have a link specially for you.

http://www.parentsassociation.com/education/drop_outs.html

If you are the student, I want you to realize that there are other options.

If you don't feel challenged by the school you are attending, homeschooling is an option. I have been homeschooled since the 7th grade. This works for me personally because I can work at my own pace, and I have found more of a challenge in the particular curriculum(s) I have used. This is also a choice that comes with a lesser expense as far as tuition goes. Transferring schools is another option.

No matter what your position is concerning why you are thinking of leaving school, I encourage you to speak to your parents or authority figure(s) in your life for advice as far as what would best suit you in your situation.

If you feel that you cannot keep up in your schooling, you can get a tutor, or you and/or your parents can set up ways to get you caught up in your work, or some schools offer various programs to assist you as well.

The point is, with some guidance and exploration, you can find a fitting solution!

Never give up. You are capable of accomplishing anything you put your mind to.

I hope that this post provided you with some insight and information to further your knowledge and thinking on the matter of high school dropouts.

I wish you all the best.

Until next time!!!

The New Face of Heroin

The subject of TOA's radio show this past Monday was concerning "The New Face of Heroin". I will be reiterating some facts about this drug and offering some of my own thoughts as well. This new trend will probably pop up more than once, because not everyone can make the time to listen to the show. However, this information and these messages are important enough to where they ought to be retained one way or another. So here goes ...

1. Who is the face of heroin?

Unless you've done your research, when you think of a heroin user, you might produce a stereotypical image of some twenty-something guy covered in tattoos and a nose piercing in your mind. However, heroin users can just as easily be the perfectly polished kid in the button down shirt and jeans that are not torn in nine places.

Just because someone looks like they might be the type, that doesn't mean they are the type, and the same goes in reverse. The age old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" certainly applies. Like every situation in life, looks don't define people.

The only set "face" heroin has, is that of danger and destruction, not of any one kind of person.

It is a horrid fact of the modern day that it is increasingly easy to get a hold of many drugs. This has opened doors to even children (especially around the age of 12) to become substance abusers in one form or another.

This is simply another reason why we cannot put a proper picture of a human face to typify all heroin users and have it be applicable in every situation.

2. What is heroin?

Heroin is specifically an opiate, which means that it is from the type of drug that is made from the flowers of poppy plants, or some sort of synthetic sub. Heroin comes from morphine, and morphine, when used rightly, is a painkiller, but this also means that when this substance and its likenesses are abused, it is highly addictive.

In the case of heroin, many people assume that injecting would be the most dangerous way to partake of its effect, but the truth is that in all forms (injecting, snorting, and smoking), heroin is just as potent.

3. Where do the effects of heroin target?

It actually does not take very long at all to enter the brain. This is one of the qualities that makes it especially addicting. And just as people can build up a tolerance for things like alcohol, the same thing happens with heroin. Unfortunately, this drives users to increase their dosage for the same "high" effect. Heroin also affects the user's breathing, building upon the risk of overdose and its fatality. Another issue is the additives that heroin contains cannot be dissolved in the bloodstream. This is able to cause blood clots which can become instantaneously fatal.

Because of the way heroin works on the body, it is also extremely easy to become susceptible to being physically dependent on the drug. Therefore, it is also harder to pull away from and break an addiction. The user will suffer through withdrawals, making it even more difficult to rid themselves of the habit. Those who frequently use heroin can run into the effects of withdrawal in a matter of a handful of hours.

Overall, heroin affects everything about you. Once you choose it, it will swiftly latch onto you to the point where you may feel you have no choice but to continue in the path you have laid out for yourself.

4. When should a user stop?

Well, I would say to anyone who asked, never start for any reason of any kind. However, if you have struggled with substance abuse of any kind, I say stop ASAP. The more you abuse substances, the deeper you are in the hole we call drug usage.

Even if you think, "Oh, well, there's no big deal in trying it once ... just to experiment." It does not benefit you at all. Just because something feels good, that does not mean it is good for you at all in any way.

Don't let yourself become the new face of heroin at any time. Not even for a second. I don't care who else is doing it, it is never a good idea. There comes a time in our lives when we need to stop thinking so much about what everybody else is doing and focus on what's best for us in our lives. I can guarantee you that heroin will never be a good choice for you. Once you begin to use any kind of drug, you are no longer in control.

Many times people turn to things like heroin to distract themselves from their problems, but this will not help. It will only create another, deadly issue to deal with sooner or later.

The good news is that you can regain control. You can say no. Now is the time!

You are never too far gone to receive help, and there are many sources that are available to assist you as well! It is never too late for anything, until we draw our last breath. So don't give up! You only truly fail when you stop trying.

5. Why is it so important to be aware?

Whether we want to realize it or not, this problem is all around us. I don't necessarily mean heroin, but all drugs in general. Being aware helps us to prepare. If you want to learn more about the way substance abuse can affect people, you can find sources for more information by simply going to our site ( www.teensofamerica.net ). The only way we can all change the world is by working together. Let's help each other, and help ourselves.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to subscribe!

Suicide: Elimination

See that picture? That one right there^?

It is indeed a photograph of a suicide note.

And that, my friends, is something that should never happen. No one should ever be driven to that point, to write their last goodbye and take their own life.

This is something I can't imagine being pushed to, and something I cannot stand for, because it's not okay ... It shouldn't happen ever.

1. Who does suicide strike?

75% of suicides stem from depression. It is very vital for parents to keep an eye out for signs of suicidal tendencies in their teens, and teens to look out for this in their friends, or even themselves.

However, suicide, in one way or another, touches us all, even if you've never contemplated it yourself, or had it happen to someone you know, or what not, I can bet that you've read a story about suicide that got to you somehow. And you might've even thought, "How could somebody do that?" Or maybe it brought you to a place in your memory where that question was answered for you already because you were suicidal, too.

Some suicides are the results of other suicides. So if you think that killing yourself will only impact you, you're sorely mistaken.

I cannot begin to explain how much it saddens me that anyone could be so broken, they thought they could never be fixed- that some human being with so much potential, and very much alive in body, was so dead in spirit that they just gave up. They ended their lives, shut down every "what if", forgot about all the good that could come, because they thought the bad would never, ever end.

They did end their lives physically, but their life was left behind: their family, their friends, maybe they had a pet, maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend. Now a part of all these people is dead, too. They're left behind wondering why, and what they could've done, and how could they have been good enough to keep or strong enough to support.

Suicide rates for any age are far too high for my liking, because the number should be at 0% and stay there. Never more than that. But the alarming rate of teen suicides is a whole different kind of devastating. And no, I am not undermining other age demographics. Every situation has its own type of sadness and impact.

2. What is suicide?

It is many things, but I will tell you, suicide is anything but a quick death. Why do I say that? Because suicide isn't just the moment someone ends their own life, it's everything leading up to that. Suicide is contemplated. First it works its way into your mind, haunting your body, whispering in your ear to just give in, because what is it all for? Once it is in you, if it ever does leave, it only comes out in two ways: you overcome, or you succumb.

The title of this blog post is "Suicide: Elimination".

Suicide is an elimination. Takes life out of you, but it doesn't take you out of life.

I guarantee that if you, reading this, if you died right now, your name would forever be in the minds and hearts of others. Probably more than you could conceive.

I chose this title because either suicide eliminates you or you eliminate suicide.

It is high time that the latter be enacted. I wish for all of us to get to a place where suicide is no longer a choice, where the poisonous thoughts don't present this solution.

This is a permanent solution to temporary problems; and honestly, it isn't a solution at all. It is merely a whole new, serious problem.

3. Where can you find the signs?

I won't sit here and pretend to know all the in's and out's, because I really had to read up on these things to be more educated. I would strongly recommend you do the same. It could save a life. So, I do want to refer you to this link: http://teensofamerica.net/resources-for-suicide.html

That will take you to our site for more information on signs that someone (specifically your teen or a teen) is struggling with suicide.

4. When does suicide occur?

It is a chosen end at a very dark part of the road of life. That's when people think they've hit a dead end, when all they needed to do was find some light to see that their road extended only in a different direction.

Someone I care very much for never fails to tell me, "It gets better."

And he's right. It always gets better. Unfortunately, sometimes, it has to get worse before it can get better. Some of us don't stick around to find that out ...

Not every case of suicide is the same, as we all know, even if depression is a leading factor. The thing they all have in common is desperation.

Everyone who committed suicide was desperate for an escape.

If you do not struggle with suicide, make it your goal to be a good reason for someone not to commit suicide.

The things you do and say, even the small ones, could make a huge impact on someone in such a fragile state.

Maybe they're thinking there's no one out there who cares.

I want you to prove them wrong.

Be a friend.

5. Why do people give up?

I couldn't tell you just why every person gave up, only that, obviously, they strongly believed it was their only out, and they had, in their eyes, a good reason.

If you are contemplating suicide. Here's what I want you to do:

Don't.

I know it's not something that you can just turn off with the flick of a switch, although if I could invent it and give you immediate revival of your spirit, trust me, wonderful person, I would.

Suicide doesn't give you control. Death controls you. You don't control death. You can, however, learn to take your life back. Don't let suicide take you away from all that could be.

You're still alive and breathing, and you have to realize what a blessing that is, and that there's a reason you're still here.

Don't rob yourself of the amazing story that is and will be your life, and don't rob others of getting to live in a world made brighter by your smile.

If you know someone who is struggling with suicide, I say again, give those who are the reason why they shouldn't.

I want there to be more options for them other than turning to killing themselves. Let's be the alternative.

Let the other options be turning to real, raw, genuine friendship, and love, and hope, and happiness- the kind that death only strips away.

If you think there's nothing you can do about suicide, you're wrong. You can care. Sometimes, that's enough.

When you're at the end of your rope, why wouldn't it give at least some strength just to hear and see and know that someone cares if you let go and fall?

Better yet, don't just extend the hand to help pull them back up or the words to tell them you want them around. Toss the world's most fluffy mattress at the bottom to catch them.

Aside from my truly pitiful metaphors, I simply want to encourage you to not just help them find hope, I encourage and even challenge you to be hope.

It is a timeless tale of truth: Love (in whatever form that may be) makes a difference.

So, go on, carry your torch a little higher and help light the way for those around you. Don't you ever let that light go out. I might have to find you and hug you until you agree to keep going, and you probably don't want that.

Together, we can stop suicide from eliminating us, and instead, eliminate suicide.

Time for us to turn "Suicide: Elimination" into "Suicide Elimination".

Go forth and be thou amazing.