Education: Don't presume high school's a waste

Re: “High school seems like waste of time,” (TNT letter, 11/25).

None of us knows which road our lives will take. Sometimes even clear goals are not attainable. A well-rounded education hopefully prepares us for whatever life hands us.

When I was in high school, my strengths lay in language arts and I hated science. My plan was to become a teacher; however I ended up working in veterinary medicine for 31 years, was very good at my job and loved it.

I, too, had thought that dissecting frogs was a waste of time. Little did I know what lay ahead.

I agree that knowing how to balance a checkbook is a valuable life skill, as is writing a resume. However, a good basic education in mathematics and language arts prepares us for these tasks. I have never written a bad check, prepare my own tax return, understand a 401 K and applied for a loan to build our home – all with only a high school education.

Never consider what is learned in high school a waste of time. It is preparation for the next step in life.

This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Education: Don't presume high school's a waste."