Graduating = Option? I Don't Think So...

I felt the need to write a comment in regard to a recent post made by one of my wonderful classmates, Danielle. Like myself, Danielle wrote a post titled "Graduating is NOT an option" about the education system here in Texas, only hers had more to do with the graduation rate and less about the money. Danielle mentioned that Texas is the 2nd highest state with the most public school attendees, and ranks 43rd in the nation when it comes to the graduation rate. Talk about some incredibly depressing numbers, and sadly, this isn't news to me. What really surprised me was what Carrie mentioned in her follow-up response to Danielle's blog. She said that the graduating class of 2011 was the first class that had to take four years of math and science. WHAT?! Now paint me gold and call me confused (don't ask me where I heard that, ha ha), but your telling me that kids in Texas weren't required to take math and science classes EVERY YEAR they were in high school? This is ridiculously unbelievable to me, and now I can sort of understand why students here in Texas may be having such a hard time graduating. Danielle mentioned that Texans may need to shift their priorities from sports to things like math and science, and I wholeheartedly agree. Personally, I also believe that if public schools started teaching things like contraception and not just abstinence, more children would not get pregnant and be forced to drop out (in 2011, Texas had the third highest teen birth rate in the nation). Sorry, but I'm a realist, not an idealist. I agree with Danielle and Carrie, but unfortunately don't see the numbers drastically changing anytime soon.

Maybe We Should Put a Cap on It?

I recently read an article in the Austin American Statesman about a local private Christian school that is fixing to undergo an $18 million expansion project. This project consists of building an entirely new, three-story high school, expanded parking, and a multi-use athletic field. I have to say this whole thing sickens me a little bit. $18 million is a lot to drop on an expansion project, and while I know this money is coming from loans and family donations, it still seems like it ought to be going elsewhere. Now, I'm fairly certain as to why well-off families would want to send their children to private schools. I would assume that students face less distractions at private schools, and have more one-on-one time and interaction with teachers. I also know that the athletics tend to be better at private schools (and let's face it, we are in Texas!), but I don't know if I could stomach supporting and sending my child to a school that requires this much money to do a little expanding. Especially now, with the Texas economy in such bad shape, and funding for public education on the chopping block, it just seems wrong to me.

I would never expect a private organization like this to donate money to something like public education, partly because it's competition and mostly because the public school system isn't pushing the same sort of ideology it is. But I think it would be appropriate for the state government to step in and maybe put a limit on how much money can be spent on a "simple" expansion project like this, at least for things like education. It just doesn't seem fair, and while I probably sound like a whiny child right now, it IS important to be fair when it comes to education. So, I think it's time to start focusing the money on bigger, and better things. Like promoting equal education for all children, not just the rich ones. Because, after all, aren't all children equal and deserving in the eyes of God?

The Abortion Debate From Austin's Yellow Brick Road

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you Chloe for your post regarding abortion here in the state of Texas. This is something I feel incredibly passionate about, but chose not to write about this only because I felt it would be a significant feat to undertake :) It really is sad that we have to have these sorts of conversations, isn't it? Much like the whole gay marriage debate, this is a question on whether or not it's alright to intrude on one's privacy. It's really nobody's business.

Chloe brought up a pretty valid argument, one that has always been in the back of my mind but I've actually never put a whole lot of thought into. How can our governor so vehemently support the death penalty but oppose abortion? I guess the thinking is that those who are on death row "deserve" to die, and a fetus is innocent and has a right live. I get it, but I strongly disagree with it. I really appreciated Chloe putting this thought down into writing though.

Another interesting point that Chloe brought up, one that I had never even considered, was the data regarding the siblings of teen parents. This is something that I have actually never heard. Apparently, siblings of teens who have a baby are at a much higher rate to become a teen parent as well. Not surprising, but still very interesting to me.

One thing I wish Chloe would have talked about was how taxing it can be for a woman to carry a baby to term she has no intention of keeping. This is something the pro-lifers could come back and argue, that if a woman doesn't want a baby she should just put it up for adoption after it's born. I felt like this was an important argument Chloe should have brought up. People don't seem to understand that it's not that easy for a woman to simply go through all the motions of being pregnant and taking care of the fetus she doesn't want. Especially if the women has been raped. But that is a topic for another day. Just some food for thought.

Overall, I thought this was a very good, insightful post. I really appreciated the two, incredibly valid arguments Chloe made, and the ideology behind her stance on the issue at hand. It almost makes me wish we were in a classroom setting so I could actually hear Chloe, and my other fellow students, articulate their thoughts into words, rather than writing.