Depreciation Of The American School System Essay

, Research Paper

For roughly two hundred years, American schools have produced celebrated figures that, subsequent to graduation, lead the United States and the rest of the world. Some of these people include great political leaders like Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. They include men of distinguished valor such as Douglas MacArthur and George Patton. Social leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were educated within the American school system, as well. This school system has a list of former students to brag about that is a mile long and a mile wide. And while it is impossible to predict the selective few students going through and departing from school that will make noteworthy impressions on tomorrow s society, there are no doubt skeptic American citizens who believe that the United States and the entire world are in a displeasing situation. Some schools are in such a bad way that they are forced to employ armed security officers to supervise their hallways. The schools regularly allow police officers and their drug-sniffing dogs to search their pupils lockers and classrooms. It is said that our children are tomorrow s leaders; how can we have faith in a nation that s children are becoming killers, drug dealers and drug users? Last spring in a small town in Colorado, two teenage students attending Columbine High School entered their high school and proceeded to fire automatic weapons and toss explosive devices in the direction of their fellow students. Their besiegers condemned the targets of the violent attack due to their participation in the athletic department at the high school. It was said that the gunmen had been bullied by jocks that went to this school and this tragedy was product of their rage. After firing round after round on their targets, the two confused teens turned the firearms on themselves. The terrifying afternoon sent shockwaves across the entire country. It even inspired a similar incident in a small high school in Conyors, Georgia. The two events were identical. Both were revenge inspired.

My school, Atkins High School in small-town Atkins, Arkansas, was the subject of a bomb threat found in the bathroom of the high school building. The threat actually made the state news and resulted in local police officers patrolling the high school grounds the day before and the day that was written on the wall. I ll never forget it. It happened just a week and a half before my class was due to graduate. The entire school was afraid for their lives. Half of the student body did not attend class that day. It turned out to be a silly, immature prank but for one day, I was scared for my life. Not enough fear to keep me away from school but just enough to make me wonder. Another problem with present day high school is drugs. They ve become a very serious threat to teenagers. If we re not being offered drugs, we re going to class with someone who has. This someone may have accepted the tempting offer. This someone, whoever he or she may be, may have taken the substance before school began. He or she may cause problems for you. In a round about way, drugs in high school and in junior highs affect every student and every teacher. Drug dogs were used in the junior high building of our school at least four or five times. This took place in a school that hosts 110 redneck children. Our high school didn t even have this big of a problem! The closest metropolis, Little Rock, is seventy miles away. How could drugs have snuck into our small town? All people can say is It happens ? Is that a good enough answer though? It is not a good enough answer for me! This happens in almost every school across the nati