High School for High School

On Friday I took a poll at my high school. I asked 23 juniors in my history class a simple question: What is the point of High School? I found the results startling. Three people responded that the point is to get out of high school. The other twenty said the point is to get into a good college. And that is what is wrong with today's youth. They think the point of school is to get into college, and eventually to get a job and make lots of money. But is that really the point? In a word, no. The point of education is to gain knowledge, improve intellect, make connections. High School is more than doing stuff you hate so that it looks good on college applications. It is a once in a lifetime experience, the "best years of our lives," but most importantly, a time to jam as much knowledge as we can into our little heads before we lose the opportunity. We should make the most of it for what it is, an experience, not just an uncomfortable journey. Only then can our country come beyond its current educational difficulties and re-assume its position of leading the world in education.