Skipping: In High School, It Doesn't Mean Jump Rope

In high school, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has never skipped a class by the end of the four years. I'm sure there are some, but it seems like these are an endangered species.

Some reasons I've heard for skipping:

• Issues with teachers; meaning, strict teachers, conflicts between students and teachers, etc.
• Incomplete homework, or a presentation of some sort that the student is unprepared for. Often, In group projects, one person of the group volunteers or is elected to take one for the team and save the rest by skipping the class.
• Other homework. I know a lot of people who will skip a "less important" class to study for a test or do homework.
• Study hall or supply teachers. The rationale behind this excuse is that nothing useful will be taught during that period anyhow. Work periods are also included in this. When asked, the student will probably say, "Well, it's just (fill in the blank)."
• Pure laziness, carelessness, or other plans. By "other plans" I am not referring to valid reasons such as doctor's appointments. I mean, "Yo, we're all skippin' English, gonna go play Rockstar at Jeremy's; you in?"

I'm sure there are more, but those are the main ones. I am not a skipper by nature, I have a theory that my conscience is about 12 times the size of the average person's. However, I have skipped a handful of study halls after convincing myself that they weren't really useful.

And maybe there are some times where skipping can be seriously justified; I don't know. How does one judge that? But I do think that there is a lot of excessive skipping, and it is problematic.

My two main issues with chronic skipping are lack of respect for authority figures, and lack of work ethic/selfishness.

Your teacher has chosen to condemn themselves to be in a classroom everyday for a career, to help teenagers grow, to teach. Maybe you don't feel they really care, and maybe they aren't passionate about their job. However, think of the term "high school career." If high school is your work place, where we work to earn grades rather than money, then your teachers are your superiors, and as such, you must respect them. Skipping is blatant disrespect. You may as well say, "I do not care about your class. The information you are passing on to me means nothing. I don't have to listen to you."

And in this way, the issue of disrespect links to the issue of self-centered attitudes and terrible work ethic. What happens when we graduate and take this mind frame with us into the work force? When we "enter the real world," as we are so often told?

We get unreliable employees who call in sick just because they would rather stay in for a day, who aren't committed to their jobs, who expect everything to land in their laps, who produce very little. What started with skipping French, ended with a less than motivating dead end job, that you are probably at risk to lose.

If you must take it selfishly, you're not doing yourself any favours.