value of education
Monday, February 11, 2008
Where I teach–at our church school here in Stuarts Draft–high school is optional. That’s because we’re “Amish” and Amish don’t have to go past the 8th grade, thanks to the 1972 Wisconsin vs. Yoder Supreme Court ruling. While many students elect to take high school, some “graduate” from the 8th grade and quit. To take high school or not has been quite the controversy this year in my class. One of my students presented a convincing speech on the issue–and gave me permission to post it here. I thought she did well in not only talking about the high school question, but also about our responsibility to learn
Dorcas Yoder
Mr. Hershberger
Tenth Grade English
10 October 2007
High School: Its Purpose and Benefits
Is high school necessary? Is it really good for teenagers to spend their time studying or should they be working and learning practical skills? Is high school just a boring waste of time or an unnecessary amount of hard work? I don’t think so. While it may be impossible to prove that high school is necessary, there are good reasons for doing it. High school is required by Virginia law. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s a good way to train your mind in order to use it for God and for the fulfillment of God-given responsibilities.
According to Virginia state code 22.1-254,
