Schools have experienced some criticism online with videos such as “I JUST SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM!!!” by Prince Ea and “Don’t Stay in School” by Boyinaband. In such videos they claim the American school system is not preparing students for the outside world and fail to give students vital information about paying taxes, mortgages, etc. But what does the Atlantic High School body think?

“I don’t feel like most of the things I’m learning will be used after graduation. I wish I was learning how to pay taxes, or how mortgages work, just basic things you need to know in the real world,” said sophomore Katie Saluk. Saluk feels that the classes she can take her junior and senior year will help to better expand her options, whereas other students feel that nothing is going to help them in the real world after they graduate.

English teacher Rachelle Lipp teaches her students to write proper résumés and cover letters to help them when they apply for a job. “In regards to career readiness, I feel like English 2 is preparing students for technical writing skills, and interviewing skills. The rest of my curriculum I try to make skills relevant, yet not everyone sees the relevance unless it’s directly pointed out,” said Lipp.

Learning how to file taxes is something several students wish they knew how to do.  “I think that school is doing an okay job by giving us assignments, tests and exams to help prepare for college. But I don’t know how to do my taxes or how to balance a checkbook,” said senior Josh McLean. One teacher at AHS, Taylor WIlliams, suggests using H&R Block to do taxes because it is the “easiest thing ever.”

Generally people’s opinions lean toward not feeling prepared for post graduation. While there are quite a few real world situations that students have not learned how to handle after high school, there are an abundance of benefits within the courses here at AHS.

The teachers and faculty feel that they are doing a good job of providing the students with information and experiences to prepare them for college, but not necessarily for the real world after they graduate. “I do feel that we could do more to teach students to be respectful. You need to respect a person no matter who they are.” said Williams. “However, in my classroom I make sure students are learning the importance of meeting deadlines and working cooperatively.” Williams says that if you are working in groups in the real world, you can’t just “switch out” a person you don’t like.

According to an AHS Needle Twitter poll, 67 percent of the respondents indicated they may not be prepared to handle real world situations outside of high school. Not only is learning about real world situations something students feel they should be getting more guidance with, students wish they were receiving more help from the guidance counselors. “I would like if the guidance counselors did more one-on-one with the students. It would help with choosing a college in the future, or even just having more ‘guidance’ along the way,” said McLean. He also feels some people don’t know the requirements for the college they want to go to, which would also be helpful to students. 

The students and teachers at AHS should work together to get the best education they feel they need to prepare for post graduation. By asking questions and putting themselves out there if they need assistance, students can accomplish a lot more. As author of “Life’s Little Instruction Book”  H. Jackson Brown Jr. said, “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”