[Will]

Having gone through the American public school system recently, I can tell you that it doesn't really teach the students that much. I could have easily finished grades 9 thru 12 in one school year, if I was simply given the opportunity to go through the material at my own pace. Large parts of it could be thrown out entirely, becuse it was complete and utterly useless crap (eg. "Social Studies" classes, where history, economics, and government classes were lumped together, consisted largely of games and art projects; the teacher doesn't have to do much if the kids are too busy drawing posters or trying to throw a nerf ball into the trash can). Instead I spent most of my time in high school doing something else. I never had homework that actually came home; why take it home, when it could just as easily be finished in other classes? The height of uselessness was my senior year. I would typically roll out of bed, go to school, then promptly fall asleep in art class. Wake up, go to physics, where I would then begin to either read the next chapter in the book, or do homework for some other class. Study Hall, more sleep, or work on essays for college and/or scholarship applications. Eat lunch, then study hall again, more sleep. Go to calculus, sit in the back of the class, and play games on my TI-86 calculator until the end of class. Economics... see above (posters, etc). AP English was the one class that I actually had to do any thinking in, and that's probably only because it's supposed to simulate a college course (thus far, I haven't taken any courses that rivaled that class in difficulty). I would finish out the day at school playing Pinball while I was supposed to be learning how to use Microsoft Word. In the end, what did I end up learning? Other than the AP English class, I learned jack **** in school. Everything I learned, I learned outside of school, on my own.

Now, it does seem that there is a contradiction, if you assume that high school is supposed to teach students real-world skills. That assumption in the majority of cases is completely false. The main reason teenagers are put through four years of high school is to provide them with four more years to grow up, become a little bit more stable, to get used to taking orders from higher ranking individuals, etc. In short, a holding pen for four years. Thus the majority of students -- the ones who go through high school pursuing popularity instead of knowledge -- are primed and ready to become part of the hoarde of mindless drone workers in America. Most will never rise above mediocrity. A few will become politicians (which could be argued, is below mediocrity). It is nearly certain they will not amount to anything; they don't have the knowledge to do so.