Back To School or Back At Work?

Today is my youngest's birthday and she really doesn't feel like going back to school. I'll leave it open for now why not, but it has to do with the fact that she's been at school for years, most of the time at school she doesn't learn anything and is seen as a complete waste of time, the teachers are condescending and not very flexible (and find it intolerant that the student knows and can do more than they can) and that she's been working abroad for over 6 months now and that's of course a completely different world than sitting back at school doing nothing (indeed, she's been doing nothing at most lessons for two years now and out of boredom she takes a book with her to kill time).

What does a school day look like?

Get up at 4 in the morning, the bus leaves before 6 (1 hour by bike through no man's land to the bus stop), then walk a bit, the next bus into town, walk another 20 minutes with a 20-kilo school bag and then be locked in a school (the doors are locked and regardless of the fact that many students are of age and have been travelling alone through the country for 10 years and walking the capital, it is 'irresponsible' to let them walk to the supermarket to buy a sandwich during lessons that are cancelled.)
After a day at school where there is no time between lessons to eat or drink something, it is back home. The travel time is on average two hours and in the winter that is no fun when it is already dark at 3 in the afternoon.
Once home, they eat and then have to do homework until the early hours and the average sleep time is 4-5 hours.
This is the life of a student. The best time of your life, like some say. Wasting time travelling back and forth with a heavy schoolbag that gives you backache, without time to eat or drink and even visit the toilet is considered unnecessary by the average teacher.

After we had a chat last night (I didn't go to bed until 4:30), I gave her the option of not getting back and continuing to work I (for a better salary and not that pitiful wage of 2 euros per hour while she runs the company and trains everyone, including the new manager - the company is now at number 4).
She thinks it's a shame because then there is no piece of paper, but I wonder who still cares about a diploma. This is no longer the case with us and if a flashy career is possible, you should probably ask yourself whether it is wise to continue studying (I already had that path with a previous daughter and by the time she graduated, there was no job to be had for years. If there is one thing that is a shame, it is that. An education of years with which you can ultimately do absolutely nothing because you are too highly educated and too expensive, even if you indicate that you do not care if you are the janitor or salesperson.

We cannot look into the future, but a person also has to live and that is clearly not possible if you spend most of your life in school and then have no job and no money to spend. I also think it is a rather heavy burden for parents and other family members to keep all unemployed children alive. And if this is the case for years, then I ask myself: How big is the chance that you will ever get a job and if so, will parents and family be paid back?

_{Header/Photogrid: Canva
Picture: AI-generated by me - bing.com/create
1-10--2024}

#student #choices #studentlife #backtoschool