5 Years of High School Under Long Thompson?

Jill Long Thompson and Dennie Oxley, the Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, are proposing high school for some Hoosier students go into a fifth year for those who need more time to graduate, saying the plan would improve Indiana's graduation rate.

Yes, it would change the percentages, but I whole-heartedly DISAGREE with this because translated it says we would just be 'lowering the bar' to get more students to pass.

If students are so unmotivated in the first place, how is an extra year going to help? Perhaps they've not found their calling in life yet -- and most high school students haven't -- but what I'm saying is that there be alternative paths to help identify what exactly piques their interests and finds their passion. (Identify & treat the disease, not the symptoms.) After all, schools seem to train students to be good employees, who are all college-bound. That's not always the case.

Some will want to work for themselves. Others will take a vocational route in life, or they will pursue a particular unionized trade. I'm wondering if a poll was taken in the high schools today, could students identify what an electrical, pipefitter, laborer, or iron worker really does? Would they know those unions even exist?

In a related topic, would a poll reveal that they truly understand that geography, work weeks, and willingness to move, live in a big city vs. small town, and work odd hours will directly dictate your happiness in a particular field?

For example, a student wanting to be home every night with their family but has expectations of a long-haul trucking salary may be disappointed later in life. Or, what about an EMT who wants to work 9-5 Monday through Friday? It's probably not going to happen -- at least around small town America. What about a young person, who wants to open and own his or her own restaurant, but has expectations of working only 40 hours a week? Want to be a marine biologist and work in Greene County? Maybe Crane has something available, but I'm guessing that would be limited. It would probably be your only choice of employer too.

Somehow students need more exposure to a variety of jobs and fields, while instructors satisfy the exhaustive curriculum that is required. I'm not sure of the answers here, but a fifth year doesn't appear to be one of them.

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This blog post by Chris Wathen was also published in his Linton, Indiana based Greene County Daily World blog entitled, "Riddle Me This".