This is Not a Test

Hello readers! Apologies for such a long hiatus; being sick and dealing with a hurricane can take precedence over a blog. 
By the way, I do hope all of you on the East coast are alive, well, and safe. 

Today's post is about school. I think I just heard a collective sigh from all of you, but don't worry. There won't be a test. Now, I know that teenagers dislike school. They all seem to have that in common. When I was in school, I had a blast but that could be because I actually like school. Anyway, the strange thing about Northern Maine is that education seems to be lower down on the list of priorities. Let me explain.

There are many things to be done around here, and most of those things are related to farming. Some people in the area own their own livestock, and grow their own food. Some folks eat the food they grow, while others sell it on. Same for livestock. I don't know how I didn't know this, but livestock take a lot of looking after. One has to make hay in order to feed the animals. Let the animals out, take them back in, clean the animal's living quarters, blah blah blah. Then of course one has to make sure the animal is "fit" enough to sell for slaughter (oh, my silent cries!). 

Anyway, this whole farming deal takes a lot of time and effort. Naturally, children who are raised in this kind of environment think differently. Chores, work, and farming will come before school and homework. Personally, I find this to be...well, curious. Growing up, I always heard that school was my first job; it was the only thing I should be worrying about. However, that is not really the sentiment here in Littletown and Biggertown. As I said in a previous post, kids are allowed to take off weeks at a time in order to help with the Great Potato Harvest. Said kids miss out on lessons and tests, and quickly fall behind. But that's cool with the school apparently. 

What I keep asking myself is, "why is this okay with the parents? why does the school system let this keep happening?". I really don't have an answer, reader. The whole thing just bothers me. In this (very) rural area, farming is an important part of the community. However! What does this logic teach the growing youth? Granted, work is and will be important to them, but education surely comes first. Without education, we'd all be living like backwoods neanderthals (oh, wait)! It is my feeling that the school system around here should wake the hell up. Their lessons need to grab the attention of the kids, and try to get them excited about learning. People need to stop thinking of education as a punishment, when it is the stepping stone for the rest of life! Basically, sense needs to be knocked into many heads. 

I have heard teenagers say the words "I'd rather go work than go to school", and this is disheartening. I find it so sad that our youths do not find joy in learning new things. Yeah, I know tests are hard, you hate pop quizzes, that one book was so stupid, and your teacher smells. But education can be the most fabulous thing! Why can't they see that?