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Nancy Barranco

Ms. Boyd
English III
20, October 2015
Education
In fall 2015, about 50.1 million students will attend public elementary and secondary
schools. Of these, 35.2 million will be in pre-kindergarten through grade 8 and 14.9 million will
be in grades 9 through 12. According to National Department of Education. An enormous
amount of student start out school strong but as soon as the students come to high school the
number decreases. There are a variety of factors in which contribute to the descending numbers
of students attending high school. One factor may be that high school student see school work as
a waste of time, hence, dropping out. Other students around the world would beg to obtain an
education In Mexico, majority of teenagers beg his or her parents to support the idea of sending
them to school. School is an option, once one reaches the sixth grade. Education should not be
taken as granted or a joke but an opportunity and a privilege.
Jennifer could not attend school any longer because her parents could not afford to send
her to school. She was seventeen years old; therefore, legal age to work. Jennifer had to look for
a job as a cashier, bagger or any job to bring money to the table in order to eat, pay rent and pay
bills. Majority of the kids or teens in Mexico are obligated to drop out of school because their
parents cannot afford to continue paying for his or her education. Teens are obligated to work at
such a young age and help their parents maintain the house with cleaning or taking care of their
siblings. In some case students, like Jennifer, are very brilliant and do not want to give up

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education. The minimum wage in 2014 was five dollars a day in Mexico. How is one supposed
to pay rent, buy groceries, sent kids to school with five dollars a day?
"Mexico spends about five percent of gross domestic product on education, a respectable
level compared to other major economies, but corruption means the money does not translate
into real gains in the quality of education, experts say". Majority of Mexican students cannot
afford textbooks or the supplies that are needed in order to attend school. Textbook are free;
however, up to grade six. After that period textbook for all subjects are required to be purchased
out of parent's pocket. The monthly tuition fee many cost up to 12,650 pesos (764.900 dollars)
monthly, according to the American School Foundation. Among tuition, textbook and supplies.
Uniform and lunch is not included.
Uniform and lunch has to be provided. Students from pre-k to high school are required to
wear uniform Even if a student cannot afford he or she would be sent back home to dress
adequate for school. Most of the famous colors are a green sweater with khaki pants for boys and
khaki skirts for girls. Boys and girls are to be neatly groom and show proper manners.
Lunch is not provided, a student is to bring their individual lunches. The school does not
provide lunch. More money is being taken away from the student's pocket. If a student does not
bring in a bag of lunch then that student will have to starve.
Unlike Mexico's education system, the United States has a completely yet similar system
as well. A student has to work a part time job in order to continue their education. Families can
afford to send their kids to school because the education is free. Teenagers are not obligated to
drop out of high school in order to maintain their family at the age of fourteen. The legal age to
drop out in the United States is sixteen but dropping out is not encouraged. Without a high school

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diploma many job opportunities would be difficult to obtain. Might as well take into consider
that education is free
Free textbooks! Some students may remain neutral once "free books" is said; however in
Mexico, they wished there was free textbooks. Free textbooks are free up to high school. If a
students choices to continue his or her education textbook begin to be costly. Up to high school
textbooks are being written on, destroyed, or lost. Why? Textbook are a privilege to have and
should not be taken for granted.
"We wear what we want, it's freedom of speech" Some students proclaimed. Uniform is
not mandatory in some school. Uniform is not mandatory in high school however. A person's
clothing is a freedom of speech. Unlike Mexico, in which student have to wear uniform every
single day, schools in the United States just wear uniform up to middle school. In some middle
school uniform is not worn.
Lunches are provided during school. A students is not obligated to bring a bag lunch to
school. During school hours about 30 minutes are given for student to enjoy lunch in a cafeteria.
In Mexico, cafeterias are not even build. A small fee around three dollars are need in some
school but it is a little less than having to buy lunch every single day.
Students like Jennifer wish to go to school have the benefits some student have and
obtain an education or a certificate. Some students in the United States do not seem to
understand the privilege of education. Education should not be taken as a joke but as a privilege.
Not all students have a part time job and go to school, free textbook, or free lunches. Education
is not a waste of time and "School is a lot of work" should not be an excused for dropping out.

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Work Cited Page

chttps://www.justlanded.com/english/Mexico/Mexico-Guide/Education/Introductio

"U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education
Statistics The World of Statistics." N.p., 2015. Web.

"Mexican Minimum Wage in 2014 Will Be $5 Dollars - a Day." MGR - the Mexico Gulf Reporter.
N.p., Jan.-Feb. 2013. Web. <http://www.mexicogulfreporter.com/2013/12/mexican-minimumwage-in-2014-will-be-5.html>.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-mexico-education-factboxidUSTRE73C4UY20110413