Abolishing high school: the pursuit of creativity, interest and adulthoodHigh school is one of those stages in the life of 'an individual who will be remembered for a long time. . Whether a person's experiences are positive and allow them to find purpose in life or they are so terrible that their outlook on education is forever tainted, what happens in high school affects how their future will take place. Leon Botstein, author of “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood,” says the traditional school system should be abolished because it does not benefit adolescents. He says popularity and athletic cliques and teachers who care more about money than education stand in the way of adequate learning for adolescents. Botstein further argues that school stifles students' creativity and they really don't want to go there. His argument that the traditional high school setting should be abolished is to some extent justified by the fact that cliques make school experiences difficult; However, his assertion that children's creativity is stifled, that they are bored in high school, and that they are ready to become adults at a young age is invalid. Botstein's first argument is that students' creativity is stifled by the high school environment. He states that "most thoughtful young people endure the high school environment in silence and, during their junior and senior years, wait for college to begin" (Source 2). He supports his argument by describing how the two gunmen in the Columbine school shooting were not allowed to be creative and felt trapped in the school. He says that because these students were not able to speak out, they were essentially time bombs waiting to explode. ...... middle of paper ...... significantly worsens the problems it exposes. Lack of maturity leads to more bullying and cliques. By helping teachers and administration with each student individually, children will not only learn more, but will also have more ways to show their individuality. The uniqueness of each person can be expressed through the way they learn and how they use the information given to them. Instead of generalizing teachers, students, and administration and attacking them for their faults as Botstein does, the goal of high school is to show how everyone fits into society by expressing their own individuality. Not everyone can be a brilliant mathematician, physicist, or author. It takes a lot of different people to make the world work coherently. By retaining the traditional high school setting while striving to meet the needs of students, education can help build a greater society..