Mom, I failed English again... Essays - Students, Counterculture

Mom, I failed English again... Today many young black males do not realize the importance of an education so dropping out of school becomes an option. They just easily end up dropping from school without thinking about their future. They are thinking that their friends or dangerous lifestyles will support their financial daily lives, thus they do not feel worried about continuing their education. There are a number of sobering statistics concerning the male high school dropout rate in the Baltimore City. About half of all black males who enter high school don't graduate (Barbara Pytel). As of 2000, 10.9% of 16 to 24 year olds were dropouts (Pytel). The dropout rate in Baltimore city is almost a quarter higher than the average of all cities. Statistics also show that young adults whose families are in the lowest 20% of incomes are six times more likely to drop out that those whose families are in the upper 20% of incomes. The U.S. Department of Corrections indicates that 60% of all prisoners are dropouts; 12% of th ose are black males. Due to this disturbing statistic most black males in urban area schools are usually racially profiled at an early age by teachers. Moreover, there are several reasons that make young people decide to drop out of school some of which are getting poor grades, not getting along with teachers and/or students, or having a drug or alcohol problem. Those reasons make the young people end up by dropping from school. But with a deeper look, the reasons male students in urban areas drop out of school is because of school experiences, neighborhood influences, and family. The first reason why black males in urban areas drop out of high school is because of school experiences. A large majority of dropouts were only taking the bare minimum general high school requirements. Another large majority of dropouts were held back at least once in school life. This may have a lot to do with school stability. School stability is essential to a successful school experience. More than half of male dropouts have switched schools or moved. Stableness allows the student to feel comfortable enough to try. The more stable a situation is, the more comfortable they become with the surroundings, the better they get along with teachers and students. This leads to the social behavior in school. Most dropouts carry an ?I don't care? attitude toward school because they are not pushed too. Schools in Baltimore city hold some of the worse schools in the state. The teachers are poorly qualified and the ones who are have so many students in the classroom that it is impossible to h old a personal relationship with each one (Robert Belfanz). The ?I don't care? level of thinking often leads to the start of a negative downward spiral in the commitment to school. Thus students start to look for acceptance and refuge with ideas, concepts, and friends outside of school. Leaving the male student with no positive attachment to their school is usual the consequence of this. According to a survey of high school dropouts; 51% did not like school, 35% could not get along with teachers, and 39% was failing school. The next reason why black males in urban areas drop out of high school is because of neighborhood influences. Riding by on a bus you notice that city life is different than suburban life. A look inside Baltimore city, you see everything from drug addicts, drug dealers, gangs, low income housing, and basically a poor quality of living. As stated in the introduction statistics show that young adults whose families are in the lowest 20% of incomes are six times more likely to drop out that those whose families are in the upper 20% of incomes. From the outside looking, it is easy to say that even if someone was to live there, they do not have to indulge in that way of life. But for a young black male, it is not as hard. At least once a day they pass all of what city life has to offer on the way to or from school. They are exposed to the hard lives of drug addicts and the lavish,