A New Conversation

All throughout my life I have dealt with a lot.  I switched schools a lot and I've seen and know when teachers are just working for a check or actually trying to make a difference in  students’ lives.  I've seen teachers put down students for the way they speak or learn or think and it's not right.  I feel like we should open more alternative schools like ours - not as continuation schools, but as just a regular school option for kids to have a safe place to learn and grow into mature adults.

I think we have school as a society so that everyone can have a education and not just be lazy staying home doing nothing playing video games.

A good life would include a steady job, connections with my family and a place to stay.

I think we are basically forced to go to school.  If we don't go to school we can get in trouble - as well as my parents.  And, we come to school for a better future.

I think we have schools as a society to makes us learn something because without school we don't have a career and without a career we don't have a job and without a job we don't have money to pay bills.

What you think is the most important thing you're learning in school?

“Probably the values that you take from everything.”

In order to have a functioning community the people within it will have to be able to work together so that they have a good life and job.

A good life is money, a steady job and health.

Three central things would basically be: 1) being able to be with someone that I care about and love; 2) having a stable financial situation; and, 3) doing something that I like to do.

[I think we have schools] to correctly function in society and to learn to become a better citizen.

I think the most important thing I'm learning [in school] right now is that what you want to do in your life could be hard, but if you really put your mind to it, if you just try and put a lot of effort into it, you can probably do it one day. 

School is to prepare us for our dream careers, I guess.  Maybe not our dreams careers but just careers in general - whether it's math and you want to go and engineering.  Or if you want to become a history teacher or historian.  It doesn't help everybody but it helps most of us.

A good life is: 1) to have a house with a good amount of bedrooms; 2) to finish high school and go to college and study construction or to study about cars; 3) to have a good job that can help me afford what I want.

A good life would be calm and relaxed - not having to stress about anything, just have it be a good easy life.  Then, a good family, and a good job, and an easy death.

Part of a good life is a sense of accomplishment when you are older. Having the feeling and knowing that you've really gone somewhere - you've really contributed to society.  That you've left your lasting mark on the world and you've just really done something special.

A good life would probably be to be settled and happy with where I am, and happy with what I'm doing.

I think we have school for multiple reasons. I do think it's so our general public is educated - so make sure people learn stuff.  But then I also think it's also because parents that need to work can't be caring for their children at all times, so it is a form of child care.