I recently read an article in English by Walter Kirn titled Class Dismissed. In this article, Kirn argues that schools should get rid of senior year on the basis that senior year is a waste of time and that it is “an occasion for oafish goofing off, chronic truancy, random bullying, sloppy dancing in rented formalwear.”
First off, I think I’m a fine dancer and next year at senior prom, I will not be dancing “sloppy”. I find Kirn’s argument of senior year way too harsh. He portrays senior year as a of turpitude, when in fact, not all seniors are like that. Good heavens, Kirn makes screwing around seem like a crime. While Kirn lists all the negative aspects of senior year, he fails to mention how stressful senior year is for many people. After college apps, many seniors deserve a break. And although Kirn claims that this break should be a break from school, keeping seniors as seniors is a way to prolong teens’ childhood for just a couple months longer, before they face the storm of college and or work. As a result, senior year is neither the licentious year nor the waste of time that Kirn claims it to be.
Later in his argument, Kirn brings up this idea that senior year should be optional. I get why this may seem like a good idea. This way, some kids can stay in high school while the ambitious can go off and pursue their dreams. But this is so confusing. Who will be able to skip senior year? How will we ensure that the kids who skip senior year don’t just screw around? What if someone drops out of senior year and then regrets the decision? All these questions play a factor in seeing if the idea of getting rid of senior year would even work. Furthermore, there is the problem of age. Most seniors are not yet legal, and thus it would be hard to really do much as a senior on his or her own.
As a result, I think senior year should be here to stay… so read the next post to find out more.
langussbrain 