Free write: Highschool dropouts

My research topic is high school dropouts. This topic is very close to my heart because my best friend since elementary school, Catherine, quit school when she was seventeen years old, and she has struggled immensely with paying rent, keeping a job, affording food, and upholding relationships. These things almost never cross my mind because I have a planned tuition payment plan that includes my living quarters and a food plan, am a full-time student that is working towards a degree that will help me find a stable job in the future, and I’m surrounded by people my age that have goals similar to mine. It seems to me that all of Catherine’s struggles stem from her not going to school. While all of her friends were finishing their junior and senior years of high school, Catherine was spending her days sleeping, eating, and occasionally picking up shifts at restaurants. This caught up to her by making her struggle in the areas that I previously listed: she lost touch with everyone from school because they were all caught up with schoolwork, athletics, and applying to colleges. Also her mother (wisely) refused to pay for her living situation if she didn’t go to school, so Catherine had to pay for bills for her car, new apartment, and other expenses on her own. All of these added up and now Catherine feels like she is in a deep hole that she will never be able to get out of. If she had stayed in school, her life would be much more on track. High school brings structure into students’ lives, which helps not only while attending class, but also outside of school. Personally I always am more productive when I have a scheduled time to do activities, no matter if I’m working out, studying, or hanging out with friends. High school also keeps the brain engaged: if a young brain isn’t promptly engaged then it will become sluggish in many areas. These areas are okay to be left off on when the child’s brain matures when they become an adult and stop attending school in exchange for working a job; because essentially the brain is supposed to have learned the skills when the child was in school. High school also surrounds the student with kids that are the same age and have the same goals, which makes it easier to make friends and stay social. High school also offers physical education and athletics that will keep the student healthy while providing yet another opportunity to make friends. Though I will have to research the topic further since relying only on about ten people I know is not ethical, I plan on arguing that the mandatory age for quitting school should be increased to eighteen or twenty-one (I don’ know yet, will with research) when a child’s brain is closer to being fully developed and they are in the right place mentally to make the decision to quit school.