Examining How to Best Prepare Teens for the Future

Not all students go to college. Some go straight into the workforce and most of them are not prepared for what lies ahead. The boss doesn't check every thing you do to make sure it's right or even done at all. Many students are fired because they cannot handle the responsibility of managing their time wisely and have no specialized training.

Preparing teens for the future is the question I am addressing. The future can be defined as job retention. We need to give students some idea of how it's going to be after high school. Teachers need to stop teaching students to tests and start teaching them life skills.

There are many uncertainties to consider when dealing with how to prepare teens for the future. Take for example many teens don't get the chance to go to college because of uncertainties in their lives, such as not being able to pay for college or receiving a government grant because their parents income falls just above the amount you can make in order to receive financial aid. We could also say that their grades are just half a point below where they need to be in order to receive a scholarship. The student has no possible way of coming up with thousands of dollars to go to school so instead they enter the workforce and live at poverty level or just below property while barely making enough money working at McDonald's to pay for all their bills. In this situation it appears the student may never go to college because they are not making enough to save for college.

A issue that may cause uncertainties is drug usage. Drug use complicates our problem by causing their own uncertainties, such as a loss of brain cells, overdoses, impaired thinking and several long-term effects. Brain cells can become dependent on drugs and need them to function, and this goes for all drugs -illegal and prescription Because emotions, memory, and judgment are controlled by the brain these are affected. Some drugs slows down or even stops neural transmissions. "Effects of inhalants include diminished ability to learn, remember, and solve problems" (Swiercinsky 1999). In a survey done on 2,800 Americans "sixty nine percent cited drug abuse as a major problem" (McGeady, 2006).

Another uncertainty that that complicates the problem at hand is dysfunctional families. A dysfunctional family can be considered a family in which certain negative conditions interferes with healthy family functions. Coming from a dysfunctional family can affect students' grades and outlook on life. Students coming from dysfunctional families often find themselves taking on adult roles, and many of these students never get to experience childhood. Again refer to a survey done on 2,800 American "Sixty-three percent cited dysfunctional families and lack of job skills" (McGeady, 2006).

Not all students learn the same way. What works for one student may not work for another. Other uncertainties that affect the future of teens is over crowding in schools. Many schools have too many students and not enough room. They also are not enough teachers or supplies, such as books, computers, desk and chairs for students to receive the education and training they need. These are just a few uncertainties that can cause problems for teens.

Now, I would like to tell you about a few uncertainties I faced while making the transition from high school to the real world. I went straight from high school to working at a preschool. After about two years I decided I wanted to go to college. My parents weren't going to pay for it. I didn't qualify for any scholarships. So I applied for financial aid but, my parents made to much money for me to receive assistance. So, there was no college until after I was married' because then I was able to use my income, rather than my parents'.

There are several assumptions related to this problem. One major assumption is that everyone will or wants to go to college. Another assumption with the problem is that students and young adults are receiving enough training to go directly to the workforce. The main assumption is that young adults can not hold down a job, because they have not yet learned work ethics.

American schools are not on the track, they should be. Our politicians, administrators and even some educators are not doing what is in the best interest of the students. Teens are the future of tomorrow, but the way things look the future may not be so bright. Teens are not reaching their full potential and are wasting their lives away.

The problem seems to be, that, they are not being properly prepared for the future. So that leaves us with the question:. "What is the best way to prepare teens for their future?" Teens and young adults who do not attend college or technical schools tend to earn less money and are more likely to live in poverty.

After high School, teens are in for a surprise, and it's time for a reality check. Teens will have to take responsibility for every thing and most of them will no longer have adults to rely on. They will be expected to start and finish tasks on their own. They will be entering a world where there is little, if any, guidance. Teens will have to go off in to the real world and find a job and pay their bills.

When asked the question:, "What is the best way to prepare teens for the future?", just about everyone has a different response. Some say all we need to do is put the basics back in education, Such as teaching not only teens but all students to read and to; perform mathematics. Others say no, that's wrong. let's offer some kind of job specific training, like letting students receiving machine or electrician certification, while they are still in high school. Some even say we should do nothing, because job hopping is part of learning. The answers go on and on. Each answer that has arisen seems to have enigmas.

One answer may be to put the basics back in education, meaning students need to be taught to read and write, and how to add and subtract, before being taught algebra and geometry that will most likely never be used after high school. This idea kind of goes along with the "No Child Left Behind Act." The Act "high standards and accountability for the learning of all children, regardless of their background or ability"(NEA, 2002).

Another example is on the job training (OJT) that is offered in several schools in the state of Florida. Students who enroll in OJT work rather than being in a classroom. The idea of the program is that students are learning job skills and experience at work that they wouldn't receive in the classroom.

Another solution to this problem is to do nothing, some say. According to some people students learn through hard times and struggles. This view is more popular with the older generations. They may feel that losing your job and having to find another build character.

There are three things to consider when thinking about this issue. The first one is that many people believe that younger adults cannot be prepared for the workforce, because part of their learning experiences is job hopping. Another issue to consider would be the different kinds of programs that can be created to help prepare teens for the work force. A final issue to consider is the funding and time it would take to create a program to prepare teens for the workforce.

In some situations, students may want to go to college and work very hard to get there, but end up falling just a hair short of where they need to be. Sometimes all they need is a little financial help, because they don't qualify for financial aide or any scholarships. Other times, students have trouble in school because of embarrassments of their family or maybe the amount of money their family has. They end up focusing on how to hide these things, rather than considering their future. In other situations, students may become involved with drugs or gangs. Drugs have a huge impact on student's thinking. It not only influences their grades but all of the decisions they make.

In the Viewpoint essay "Job training can help teenagers" (2006), McGeady talks about her experience running a homeless shelter for runaway teens. McGeady uses this piece of evidence to back her clams. "According to the sampling of 2,800 Americans, one in every two adults personally knows a young person who could be labeled "at risk"--children unable to function normally in society. Americans increasingly feel this crisis where it hurts the most-- in their neighborhoods and homes. Respondents said one-third of the seventeen to twenty one year-olds in the country fall into this at-risk category. One-fourth said there's a young person at risk in their own family. Not surprisingly, sixty nine percent cited drug abuse as a major problem. Sixty-three percent cited dysfunctional families and lack of job skills". (McGeady, 2006). McGeady also says that while we are reading this a child while run away, drop out of school and that a teenage girl will have a baby.

McGeady is a Catholic nun who is in charge of a shelter for teens. I don't believe that we can rely on the information that is provided by McGeady because a lot of what she says is just from her experience. She says that while running the shelter about 200,000 teens end up there. Her information can not be trusted because we are not certain if her numbers are correct. The reason I say this is because I did a little reach on her and found a lot of information. (TPPF, 2005). this web site talks McGeady but gives different numbers than she does in her essay. For example, it says she only cared for about 41,000 kids, not 200,000. The information for her evidence doesn't say where it comes from, but she does mention New York City in the essay.

A strength to this viewpoint essay is it that McGeady explains the problem and the cause of the problem. A weakness is that it only lists a limited number of "whys" to the uncertainty. Examples of uncertainties she uses are drugs and dysfunctional families. An assumption that McGeady makes is "a child drops out in the time it takes to read this sentence" (2006). A strength to her assumption is that it is very persuasive. A weakness is that she has no proof to back it up. A bias in her case is that she is referring to her own experience running a homeless shelter. A strength to her bias is that she knows from her own personal experience. A weakness is that just because she experienced it doesn't mean it's the same everywhere.

A alternative view to this is from Extension Journal, (Astroth, 1993). They believe that teens aren't at risk at all. An article written by Extension Journal says that teens are being labeled at risk because of "the popular myths circulating in the media about "at-risk" youth without questioning their basis or using research to help us more accurately discern the situation of today's youth". (Astroth, 1993). The article indicates, that teens are not at risk but out of control.

In the Viewpoint essay "A German-style apprenticeship may not be effective" Couch says that the German program is no more effective than American-style traditional schooling. "We are the only major industrialized nation with no formal system for helping our young people. Particularly, the seventy five percent of high school youth who don't go to a four year college--make the transition from classroom to workplace". (Couch, 2006). Couch is saying that well over half of the students who finish high school don't go to college. He is saying that they go straight to the workforce.

Couch says that the German apprenticeship programs have not been proven effective. The information that he has researched is from the 1980's. Couch is a teacher at a University in New York and he complicates the subject by bringing politics into it. He refers to Bill Clinton several times in his essay. After doing a little back ground search on Couch, I found that he has written many other papers about other topics related to this subject, such as Last hired, first fired and New evidence on the long term effects of employment training programs.(Couch, 2006).

He wrote that the 75 percent who don't go to college go to the workforce, and that leads us to believe that the other fifteen percent are going to college. A weakness is that it doesn't explain "why". An assumption that Couch makes is that apprenticeships programs are only in the field of manufacturing. A strength to this statement is that apprenticeship programs are very limited. A weakness to his assumption is that apprenticeship programs are not limited to manufacturing. Apprenticeship programs are certifying electricians and even cosmetologists as well.

In the viewpoint essay "Progressive educational policies would benefit public schools" Meier talks about how students would benefit from learning communities. She says "instead of drafting national academic standards and implementing impersonal, one- size fits all teaching methods, parents, teachers and communities should work together to design small school or groups with in schools that address students' needs and interests". (Meier, 2000). Meier then talks about using a kindergarten method to teach. She says that kindergarten teachers individualize learning.

Meier was a former co-director of elementary schools in New York City. She is currently the director of a school in Massachusetts. Therefore she has some first hand experience on the subject and she has been working to reform education for over four decades . Meier is a learning theorist who encourages fresh approaches to learning. She is also is on the editorial board of Dissent magazine.

A strength to Meier's evidence is that she offers two different solutions: learning communities and the kindergarten method of teaching. A weakness is that it proposes that small schools are built for learning communities, rather than using the schools that we already have built An assumption that Meier makes is that kindergarten teachers get to know all their students. This may not always be true. A strength to her assumption is that it is nice to think that the teacher gets to know each student, even the ones who don't do their homework. A weakness is that unfortunately, it is not always true. Many students fall behind because they do not receive any individualized attention.

In the viewpoint essay "The lack of job opportunities in the inner city" Slessarev talks about how African Americans are falling further into poverty. "In the late 1960's black youth unemployment rate began to rise again, steeply, and continued to do so throughout the 1970's" (Slessarev, 2006). Here, Slessarev points out that black income has always been low. This study was done in 1990.

The study was done in order to further research about urban poverty. Slessarev has written a book about poverty called The Betrayal of the Urban Poor (1997). The book talks about African Americans who are living in the inner city and the reasons that they are living in poverty.

A strength here is also the bias. It gives specific detail into African American income. A weakness of this evidence is that it was done several years ago (1990). An assumption the author makes is that the evidence might still be true. Another assumptions made by Slessarev is that only people in poverty live in the inner city. A strength to her assumption is that it does seems like the city is mostly made up of minorities. A weakness is that we have no numbers or facts to confirm it.

In the viewpoint essay "The parent trap" Loveless (1999) talks about parents and all family members getting involved in children's education. He says it helps to keep them out of trouble and improves their grades. Loveless did a little digging and found that 10 to 15 hours a week were spent on extracurricular activities, 15 to 20 hours were spent hosting a social event, 20 to 25 hours were spent hanging out with friends, and 20 to 25 hours spent working at an after school job. Only four hours a week are spent on homework and on average no time spent together as a family. (Loveless, 1992).

The author wrote: "Many parents become agree when they find out they will have to spend time with their children, to help improve their grade" (Loveless, 1992). This paper doesn't give us any information about Loveless, so we are not quite sure where he is coming from. His study was done solely in a small part of Virginia, so the results may not be very accurate. Loveless has a Ph.D., from the University of Chicago. I found that Loveless has written other paper just as couch that related to the subject at hand; such as What Happens When Regular Public Schools Convert to Charter Schools?(n.d.) , Bridging the achievement gap and several others (2002).

A strength to the evidence provided is that Loveless breaks down the number of hours that are spent, on social events, sports, homework and work. A weakness is that he doesn't directly say if it is 20 to 25 hours spent per week or month on social events and so on and so forth.. A assumption that Loveless makes is that parents are not spending any time at all with their children. A strength here is that not all parents spend a lot of time with their children. A weakness is that some parents do spend a lot of time with their children, while other spend dinner time or car rides with them.

In the viewpoint essay "Character education programs do not teach students ethical behavior" Kohn talks explains how youth lack ethical values. He goes on to future explain how this affects chances for success in the future. Kohn says "what goes by the name character education nowadays is, a collection of exhortations and extrinsic inducements designed to make children work harder and do what they're told" (Kohn, 1997). He says that this initiative programs students to do as they are told, rather than engage them. Kohn say that we need to teach students ethical values, rather than program them to do a certain behavior.

Kohn has given many lectures on many different educational issues. He has written a book about how to discipline children. Kohn has been a teacher and written many books on education, such as The schools our children deserve (2000) . Kohn says in his books that there is no proof that homework improves learning. (Kohn, 1997).

A strength to this evidence is that Kohn says that we can see how students are being programmed, rather than taught. A weakness is that he doesn't fully explain what he means by programming students. An assumption that Kohn makes is that students are not being taught but programmed to behave and work harder. A strength to this assumption is that he offers other ways to teach, rather than program students. He says we can reward students when they are caught being good. A weakness here is that students will come to expect something every time they do something right. A problem with that is that if they don't receive a reward they might stop doing what we want them to do. Another problem is that they may have the "I don't care attitude", meaning whatever we have to offer them they don't want. If we try to punish or discipline them, they don't care.

In the viewpoint essay "Youths should be encouraged to volunteer "Sector says that encouraging youth to volunteer not only keeps them out of trouble, but can also help build work skills, and ethics. According to Sector, "volunteering engages teens in civic life and gives them opportunities to develop leadership skills" (1999).

This viewpoint essay has a little bit of a different spin of it , because it wasn't written by an individual but by a company called Independent Sector. Independent Sector encourages children aged 12 to 17 to volunteer. Sector also indicated that "teens who volunteer increases their knowledge of the world" (1999).

A strength to this essay is that it was written by a company that specializes in getting teens involved in their communities. A weakness is that they are most likely trying to be persuasive. An assumption that is made in the essay is when Sector says "If you ask most adults to think of a word to describe most teens, it isn't volunteer" (1999) A strength to that assumption is that you never hear about teens volunteering or doing good things on the news. A weakness to that assumption is that some adults do know many teens who spend lots of time helping their community.

In the viewpoint essay "Apprenticeships would increase opportunities for youths" Barr talks about apprenticeship programs in Germany. In the essay, he further explains how his apprenticeship program is different and how it would works. An apprenticeship program is where students are trained in a certain career field, spending part of their time in a classroom and the other half on the job. Before telling us what his apprenticeship program would be like, he first tells us what it wouldn't be like. He explains his program like this. "The youth apprenticeship concept, in contrast to the existent programs, is designed to steer non-college bound students, as early as their second year in high school into skilled jobs"(Barr, 2006). He goes on to explain how this will decrease the number of youth who end up lost in the world.

Barr is a CEO of a major corporation. Barr's evidence seems to be very reliable. He gets lots of his information from books, such as Head to Head (2002). This book is about youth entering the workforce.. From experience, he feels that some kind of on the job training program is the best way to educate youth.

A strength here is that Barr explains what he doesn't mean by apprenticeship. A weakness is that he doesn't suggest any other options. An assumption that Barr makes is that schools are not properly preparing students for the work force. A strength to Barr's assumption is that it would explain why more students are dropping out of high school. A bias here is that Barr thinks that only his apprenticeship program will work. A strength to Barr's bias is that he has planned away that he think will best prepare teens for the future. A weakness is Barr fails to remember that all students learn differently and that not all students can afford to participate in an apprenticeship program.

This brings us to the question "what can we do"? There are several ways that this problem may be solved, For example, these include community volunteer and apprenticeship programs as well as, learning communities. Schools could start teaching youth ethical values, and family involvement in teen life could increase. Schools also could assign each student a mentor. Now I will briefly explain how each of these programs could work.

A community volunteer program would involve students having to meet a set number of community service hours to graduate. Students would spend several hours volunteering at various locations. While volunteering, students will be learning many very important ethical values. This program may even help students decide on what kind of career they want to enter. This program may help prepare students for the future by providing on-the-job training. It may teach student morals or work ethics.

A benefit to this program is that it is free. A downside to this program may be lack of community programs, or businesses willing to participate. Some may feel that teens might cause problem in the work place. A teenager may volunteer at a local nursing home and reveal confidential information to fellow students. On the other hand, teens may not be too happy about having to volunteer or work for free in order to graduate. Another problem here might be transportation because, not all students drive so, they may not have a way to get to their volunteer location. One final problem with a community volunteer program is that volunteering may affect extra-curricular activities and, possibly, grades. It may cut into homework or study time.

There are already several schools that participate in apprenticeship programs so, a national program should be created so that everyone has a chance to experience it. Apprenticeship programs usually consist of spending half the day at school and the other half being trained for a specialized career, such as child care giver, electrician, auto repair worker, barber, and much more. Germans have been using the apprenticeship program for years. Students enter at the age of 15. Students undergo a rigorous counseling before being asked to make a decision about finishing high school traditionally or going through an apprenticeship program. If the United States used a program such as this, perhaps we wouldn't have so many high school dropouts.

The apprenticeship program benefits students because after finishing high school, students will not only have a high school diploma but a degree for a specialized trade. There are two main drawbacks to the apprenticeship program and they are the cost and the small variety of programs offered. Apprenticeship programs are not free so some students may not be able to participate in them. Apprenticeship programs only offer a select number of training programs. Students may not be able to find the program they are looking for. Some people may feel that apprenticeship programs are cutting in on the basic education.

Learning communities are another great way to help students focus on what careers they want to follow. Learning communities are popping up in high schools across the country. Rather than having traditional forms on learning where everyone is learning the same thing, teachers can adapt their lesson plans and modify learning by including arts, sciences and technology. For example, in reading books like Hamlet, a student will be reading books about science in an English class.

Learning communities are a good way to help students focus on their career choice. A drawback from learning communities is that most of them only focus on art, sciences and technology, so just as in the apprenticeship programs the choices are very limited. So if a student wanted to go into the teaching field, none of the learning communities would really suit them. Another drawback is that students may change their mind about what learning communities they want to enter. Let's say a student is in an art learning community that focuses on art related careers, but the student decides that he or she wants to be a marine biologist. Then they would have to switch communities.

The most important features that employers are seeking students are lacking, ethical values which seem to have disappeared are what employers are seeking. Schools and parents aren't teaching students right from wrong. Ethical values need to be brought back into our schools and families. We need to enforce rules and teach children and youth that all of their actions have a consequence.

Schools need to reinforce ethical values beginning at a young age. Schools can do this by not letting student who break the rules get away with it. Families can even get involved in this by enforcing what's right and wrong at home. Parents can set aside time to spend with their children and talk to them about situations and problems in their lives. A downside that I see to this idea is, that parents may not have time to spend with their children. A drawback here may not be a drawback at all. Wouldn't it be nice to have your children respect you and others around them? Another drawback is that some people may find that ethical values go against their personal religion or rights. For example, making students say the Pledge of Allegiance. Some people feel that saying the words "under God" violates their rights.

It is rare today that you find a stay-at-home parent. In many families, both parents have to work to make ends meet, and because of this students are missing out on having one or both parents in their life. Parents play an important role in their teens' live. They have an influence on the decisions they make. This is because parents are their children's first teachers and most important ones at that. Years of research show that when parents are involved in their children's education, students have higher grades and, better self-esteem. They are also less likely to be suspended from school and have a greater chance of going to college.

A drawback to this would be a loss of income. Parents may have to work fewer hours resulting in less money. Another drawback to this is teens may be embarrassed by their parents and not want them around. A third draw back is that teens may not want to spend time with their parents. Teens might fight with their parents, thereby weakening their relationship. A fourth drawback is for the teens whose' parents are spending time with them. It is a lack of privacy. Since parents will be around more often teens may not be able to hide things. A example of this is if a teen is secretly smoking, it is not likely that their parent will miss it because they will be together so much.

The best thing to do to prepare teen for the future is kind of like a combo deal. We should, first and foremost, encourage parents to get involved in their child's life. Secondly, teaching teens ethics and moral values would, by far show tremendous improvement. The next thing we need to do is to make sure that each school has some kind of program to help students focus on their career path, such as learning communities. Another big thing that would help prepare teens for the future is a mentor program, whether it be with an older teen or an adult. I think that apprenticeship programs will help students who aren't planning on going to college. If we add all things thing up we should see more teens succeeding rather than wasting away in society.

First, involving parents in their child's life can improve self-esteem and grades. Second, teaching ethics in school and at home, could improve teens' future because not only will they know right from wrong, but they also will most likely avoid the temptation of doing something wrong. Third, learning communities will help students find a career that interest them. Everyone knows that if you like what you do you never work a day in your life, but if you hate what you do, you most likely dread getting up each morning. meaning that if you like your job then it's not really work. Fourth, a mentor is kind of like a guidance counselor but who spends more time with teens, than a guidance counselor. Their purpose is to help teens stay on the right track. Fifth, an apprenticeship program will help train and certify students who are not planning on going to college. This is the best way to prepare teens for the future. Putting all of these things together has a bigger advantage, especially because not all students learn at the same rate. If we use all these approaches, we are less likely to overlook someone.

Many students go straight from high school into the work force and are faced with the harsh reality that there is no one to baby-sit them. They have to be reliable. Most of the things that are used on the job are not learned in the typical high school classroom. That's why all of these things are a great why to prepare teens to face challenges in the future.

In conclusion, there are several ways to prepare teens for their future. One of the above ideas or programs may be helpful for one teen, but may fail another. This is because each student is different and each needs different things to help them learn. Each student faces many uncertainties in their day-to-day life. Education plays a important role in the future of everyone. We need to make sure that students are properly educated before entering the real world. What can we do to help prepare teens for the future?

References

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