Dropout Nation

People spend most of their life in school, and by the time kids are in high school, they learn that school is not for them. Many kids fail to complete their credentials in high school and drop out before they graduate. The dropout rate in the U.S is increasing very often and people often try to understand just exactly why kids are dropping out. One of the main factors for kids dropping out is motivation. Kids that do not receive encouragement or guidance at home are very unlikely to find any motivation to go to school because they are not pushed to get their education. Many kids have the knowledge and potential to achieve what they need to in school, but their role models are not positive influences on them. Overall, many kids tend to follow the wrong path due to their role models and parents decisions that do not encourage them. There were many kids in the video, “Dropout Nation”, that had big dreams and potential to succeed, but they failed to have any guidance. Marcus, a very private and optimistic kid, has a goal to play football, but his lack of interest in school gets in the way. Marcus is negatively influenced by his surroundings, specifically his parents. His parents were alcoholics and his dad was unemployed. Even though Marcus had a bright future in football, his negative surrounding prevented him from finding the motivation to do well in school. If Marcus would of found more motivation in his school and if he would of been exposed to positive guidance to help him stop smoking, Marcus would of been successful. However, due to the lack of an adult figure, he fails to graduate and continues to fall behind. Lawrence is a very smart, short-tempered person who has very high respect for his mother. Despite the high thoughts of his mother, he lacks a parent figure because his mother is in and out of prison. He develops anger issues and falls into gangs and drugs. Even though Lawrence is a very intelligent person, he fails to succeed due to the lack of support from adults in his life. With the knowledge Lawrence has, he could be able to go far in life and make something of himself. However, he falls short after he loses all of his motivation and falls back into his gangs and violence. Just like many other students, Lawrence …show more content…
The most logical solution to help with the problem of kids dropping out is to find someway to encourage the kids and provide them a positive atmosphere where they can be influenced to learn. Each person mentioned in this video shared the common problem of the lack of parents or guidance. Kids are greatly influenced by the people around them, specifically their role models, parents, teachers, and other adults in their lives. If the students who are struggling with finding the motivation to do well in school have a stable environment with positive influences, they would most likely find an interest and desire to go to school. However, if the kids are continuing to come home to an unstable environment with little to no positive parental guidance, they will not be able to go on a positive path to success. Overall, many teens have the ability to achieve and succeed in school, they just need some incentive and reassurance from role models in their