CHAPTER 19

Should I Quit School?

At what grade do you think you should leave school? ․․․․․

At what grade do your parents want you to leave? ․․․․․

DO THE two answers above match? Even if they do and you’re still in school, you may have days when you wish you could quit. Can you relate to the following comments?

“Sometimes I’d get so stressed out that I didn’t want to get out of bed. I’d think, ‘Why do I need to go to school and learn things that I’m never going to use?’”​—Rachel.

“Many times I’ve been tired of school and just wanted to drop out and get a job. I’ve felt that school was doing me no good and that I would rather be getting paid for my time.”​—John.

“I went to an inner-city high school and had trouble fitting in. I didn’t have any difficulty with the schoolwork, but I was an outcast and spent a lot of time alone. Not even the other outcasts would talk to me! I was very tempted just to quit.”​—Ryan.

“I had up to four hours of homework a night! I became so bogged down with assignments, projects, and tests​—all back-to-back—​that I felt I couldn’t handle it and wanted out.”​—Cindy.

“We’ve had a bomb threat, three suicide attempts, one actual suicide, and gang violence. Sometimes it just got to be too much, and I wanted to leave!”​—Rose.

Have you faced similar challenges? If so, what situation has made you want to quit school?

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Maybe you are now seriously planning on quitting. How, though, can you tell if you’re leaving because it’s time to do so or because you are just sick of school and want out? To answer that, we first need to define what it means to quit school.

Leaving or Quitting?

How would you describe the difference between leaving school and quitting school?

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Did you know that in some countries it’s normal for a youth to graduate after between five and eight years of instruction? In other lands, students are expected to stay in school for at least ten years. So, there is no set age or grade that applies to everyone equally around the world.

In addition, some countries or states may allow a student to take some or all of his or her classes from home, without going to a regular school. Students who are homeschooled​—with their parents’ permission and cooperation, of course—​are not quitting.

However, if you’re thinking of ending your school career before you graduate​—either regular school or school at home—​you need to consider the following questions:

What does the law require? As mentioned, laws governing the amount of schooling a student must have differ from place to place. What is the minimum schooling that the law in your area requires? Have you reached that stage yet? If you ignore the Bible’s counsel to be “in subjection to the superior authorities” and you leave before that grade, you are quitting.​—Romans 13:1.

Have I achieved my educational goals? What are the goals that you want your education to help you achieve? Not sure? You need to know! Otherwise, you’re like a train passenger who has no idea where he wants to go. So sit down with your parents, and fill in the worksheet “My Educational Goals,” found on page 139. Doing so will assist you to stay focused and will help you and your parents to plan how long you should stay in school.​—Proverbs 21:5.

Your teachers and others will no doubt give you advice on how much schooling you should have. Ultimately, though, your parents have the authority to make the final decision. (Proverbs 1:8; Colossians 3:20) If you leave before you reach the educational goals that you and your parents decide upon, you are quitting.

What are my motives for dropping out? Beware of fooling yourself. (Jeremiah 17:9) It’s a human tendency to give noble reasons for selfish actions.​—James 1:22.

Write here the honorable reasons you might have for ending your school career before you graduate.

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Write here some selfish reasons for quitting.

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What honorable reasons did you write? A couple of possibilities might be to help support your family financially or to engage in volunteer work. Selfish reasons might be to avoid tests or to escape homework. The challenge is to discern which is your primary motivation​—and if it is honorable or selfish.

Look again at the list you wrote above, and honestly rate from 1 to 5 the reasons why you want to quit school (1 indicating less important, 5 most important). If you drop out just to escape problems, you are likely in for a shock.

What’s Wrong With Quitting?

Quitting school is like jumping off a train before you reach your destination. The train may be uncomfortable, and the passengers unfriendly. But if you leap from the train, you obviously will not reach your destination and will likely cause yourself serious injury. Similarly, if you quit school, you may not reach your educational goals and you will cause yourself both immediate and long-term problems, such as the following:

Immediate problems: You will likely find it more difficult to get a job. And if you do get one, it will probably be lower paying than one you might have obtained if you had completed your schooling. To support a basic standard of living, you may then have to work longer hours in surroundings that will likely be even less pleasant than your current school environment.

Long-term challenges: Research shows that those who drop out of school are more likely to have poorer health, to end up in prison, and to have to rely on social welfare programs.

Of course, completing school is no guarantee that you’ll avoid those problems. But why unnecessarily handicap yourself by dropping out?

Benefits of Not Quitting

If you’ve just failed a test or had a difficult day at school, you might want to give up​—any future problems may seem insignificant compared with your present grind. But before you take the “easy” option, consider what the students quoted at the outset of this chapter say about how they benefited because they did not drop out.

“I’ve learned endurance, to be mentally tough. I’ve also learned that if you want to have a good time doing something, you have to make it happen. Along the way, I’ve improved my art skills, which I will use when I graduate.”​—Rachel.

“I now know that if I work hard, I can reach my goals. I’m taking a very practical technical training course in high school that will help qualify me for my preferred job as a press mechanic.”​—John.

“Because I persisted, I have mastered the fundamentals of reading and writing. School has taught me how to benefit from criticism and how to express myself clearly and logically​—skills that are useful in my Christian ministry.”​—Ryan.

“School has improved my problem-solving ability, whether in the classroom or elsewhere. Figuring out ways to deal with academic, social, and physical challenges has really helped me to mature.”​—Cindy.

“School has helped prepare me for the challenges of the work environment. Also, I faced many situations that forced me to examine the reasons for my faith, so being at school has strengthened my religious convictions.”​—Rose.

Wise King Solomon wrote: “Better is the end afterward of a matter than its beginning. Better is one who is patient than one who is haughty in spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) So rather than quit, patiently work through the problems you face at school. If you do, you will find that the end afterward will be much better for you.

KEY SCRIPTURE

“Everyone that is hasty surely heads for want.”​—Proverbs 21:5.

TIP

If you are struggling to cope with the school environment, see if you can enroll in accelerated programs that will allow you to graduate earlier.

DID YOU KNOW . . . ?

Youths who skip classes are more likely to end up dropping out of school.

ACTION PLAN!

If I am having difficulty with a subject, rather than quitting I will ․․․․․

If fatigue is making me feel like quitting school, I will be able to cope if I ․․․․․

What I would like to ask my parent(s) about this subject is ․․․․․

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

● Why is it vital that you learn to read, write, and use math well?

● How can having short-term academic goals help you to make the most of your time in school?

● Why is it important for you to have some idea of the type of employment you would like after you leave school?

[Blurb on page 140]

“You can’t run away from your problems. Being at school helps you learn how to stand up for yourself, a skill that will benefit you in the workplace and elsewhere.”​—Ramona

[Box on page 139]

Worksheet

My Educational Goals

A primary function of education is to prepare you to find a job that will help you support yourself and provide for any family you may eventually have. (2 Thessalonians 3:10, 12) Have you decided what kind of job you want and how your time at school can help you prepare for it? To assist you to see if your education is leading you in the right direction, answer the following questions:

What are my strengths? (For instance, do you interact well with people? Do you enjoy working with your hands or creating or fixing things? Are you good at analyzing and solving problems?) ․․․․․

What jobs would allow me to use my strengths? ․․․․․

What employment opportunities are available where I live? ․․․․․

What classes am I now taking that prepare me for the job market? ․․․․․

What educational options do I currently have that would help me reach my goals more efficiently? ․․․․․

Remember, your goal is to graduate with an education that you can use. So don’t go to the other extreme and be a perennial student​—one who stays “on the train” indefinitely just to hide from the responsibilities of adulthood.a

[Footnote]

[Picture on pages 138, 139]

Quitting school is like jumping off a train before you reach your destination