Very well written @gwiss. It brings many great thoughts to a conversation that needs to be had about our (broken) school system. I really loved the Dr. Seuss references and the "college degree tummy stars" upon thars.. That made me laugh.

I believe that many parents expect schools to basically raise and babysit their kids. it is up to the parents to educate their children and best prepare them with life skills, social skills, etc. I was never taught how to balance a checkbook in high school or how to manage credit - but I learned plenty of useless stuff that I memorized to pass standardized tests and forgot almost immediately after the bell rang.. Wouldn't it benefit the system, that relies on tax payers, to educate the next generation of worker bees on how to avoid financial insolvency? It is similar to a cow drinking its own milk to survive..how long can that last?

I agree that waiting to return to an academic setting after age 20 is much more beneficial. I waited seven years after high school to enter college (late bloomer I guess..haha) but I did exponentially better than my younger classmates. I actually had a well of life experience to draw from, something which a teen fresh out of high school seldom has. I'd had many jobs, started businesses, traveled, and educated myself for many years prior to college. I'm almost convinced that would benefit many people if they didn't just follow the herd - it's just what people do. Everybody's doin it 😋

Great read! I love your writing style. Really got my wheels turning..