Debate Opening Statement: Required Years of School

Topic: Should the number of years of required schooling be changed?
     In today's society, schooling is one of the essential, time-consuming tasks youths and teens are required to endure until the end of their senior year in high school. Although many students understand the importance of education towards an individual's future success, many would like to avoid spending almost eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year at school for twelve years of their life, excluding pre-school, kindergarten, and college. Therefore, the number of years of required schooling should be changed - not increased or decreased, but altered so that it fits the students.
     For one, people cannot deny the fact that all individuals are unique. Because all individuals vary in some way, it is not a surprise that individuals learn at different speeds with different styles. Some are better at math and others at English, or history, or writing, or science, or...etc. Some work better interpersonally and others intra-personally - it all depends on the individual. However, students are currently being assigned to "grades" based upon their age. They are expected learn at the same pace as the rest of their peers and to graduate to the next "grade" every year - their learning speeds are not taken into account.
     This expectation eventually leads to negativity - students begin to compare themselves to their peers and forget to factor in their differing individualities. They feel superior when comparing themselves to less academic peers and inferior when comparing to more academic peers. However, those who constantly feel inferior may choose to drop out of school - they are unable to bear the stress and expectation. In Barbara Pytel's "Dropouts Give Reason: Why do students leave high school without a diploma?," she gives the statistics of 500 interviewed dropouts to why they chose to leave school:

• 47% said classes were not interesting
• 43% missed too many days to catch up
• 45% entered high school poorly prepared by their earlier schooling
• 69% said they were not motivated to work hard
• 35% said they were failing
• 32% said they left to get a job
• 25% left to become parents
• 22% left to take care of a relative

From the statistics, over half of them said that they were not motivated to work hard. Students often begin to feel incapable to accomplishing after constant failures and this feeling of failure may come from comparison with their peers. As a result, they may choose to leave school to try to leave behind that feeling of defeat.
     Therefore, the number of years of required schooling should be changed but only altered so that students are able to learn at their speed since they may choose to drop out if the expectation is too high.