Can we pay them to stay home?

So some brilliant liberal do-gooder has decided that students don’t get enough out of the publicly funded school system. Free education until the age of 18, access to sports programs, enrichment activities, field trips, guidance, one on one tutoring, subsidized lunches etc. just aren’t enough. No. Some students still don’t want to be in school. Hmmm, how can we fix that? Why don’t we pay them! I’m not kidding. A school in DC has decided that by paying kids to behave and to get good grades they’ll encourage kids to stay in school and to work harder at passing state and national tests. Here’s an idea. Do the opposite. Charge kids who don’t want to learn or won’t behave. You want to stay here, then we need some compensation for dealing with you. Yesterday I saw, once again, a student I’ve known for two years. When I first met him, he was in grade nine, and now, at age 16 (or 17) in “grade 11” he’s still trying to pass some of his grade nine classes. Sorry, did I say trying? He does NOTHING. And it’s not because he’s incapable, it’s because he doesn’t care, he doesn’t see the point. Why bother with school when you’re never going to work? If you can steal everything you need, what is the point. Here’s my solution. If you fail to submit any work in a course, or fail the same course twice, you are out for a period of one year. Try and get a job with three grade 9 credits, see how life treats you. Don’t want to work? Can’t get a job? See how long it takes before mommy and daddy get pissed you do nothing all day at home. Maybe the shock of being thrown out of the easy life of high school is all that’s needed to snap these wayward souls back to the fold. And if not, at least we’re free of them for a year.