What High School Is

I read the opening chapter from Horace's Compromise, a book that Theodore Sizer wrote as a study of American high schools. I thought it was a pretty long piece of writing for what it was saying. Sizer could have easily gotten his point across in a much simpler and shorter essay. The main thesis of this essay was “Most Americans have an uncomplicated vision of what secondary education should be.” He stated this in the 20th paragraph of his writing after he gave a full description of an eleventh-grader’s typical day at school. The fact that he went through a day in Mark’s life allowed any reader to make connection with the numerous aspects of high school from a student’s and teacher’s perspective.
For the most part, I do agree with Sizer’s thesis because generally the typical American doesn’t think much about High school. It’s just part of life and something they’re required to participate in. Usually we see it as a warm-up for the future. It helps us start good habits for when we’re in college or in the real-world with a job, but it doesn’t matter that much. As we go through high school, we worry more about what’s going on around us and what others think of us rather than focusing on school, mainly because we can.
Even though this is the majority of people’s points of view, I feel like High school is a huge part of growing up and becoming who you are, not only in your classes and studies, but also in your relationships with others. Teamwork and social skills are some major factors you learn in high school that you will use for the rest of your life. So I really think that we, as Americans, put less emphasis on secondary education than we should since it really does affect the rest of our lives, no matter what we choose to do or be.