You never asked for my two cents on the school’s part in student enabling, but I’m going to tell you anyway.

I’m tired of PV claiming they are “preparing us for college” or “for the real world.” They’re not. We don’t have the freedoms here that are offered outside of the high school’s walls. We are restricted to certain classes, certain time schedules, and even certain lunches.

Not only do we lack the freedom to understand what life is like outside of high school, but we lack the chance to take care of ourselves. We tend to put a lot of blame on “helicopter parents” for enabling their children, which also isn’t good. But, all too often I see students get by without actually putting any effort in because teachers allow constant late work, and administration even signs them up for assisted study halls if they are “repeat offenders” of late work.

The fact of the matter is, those students should fail. If they won’t take responsibility and do what they need to do in order to pass a class, then why are we helping them? It is one thing to work very hard and need the extra help, but taking advantage of the extra help and not putting in the effort is just enabling.

It is foolish to enable students. All too often, students don’t need to work hard because they know they will get help and get taken care of. Try that in the real world. Slack off at work? Fired. Repeatedly late to work? Fired. Don’t get work done? Fired. The world outside PVHS won’t enable us, it’ll test us and make us work hard.

Students, if you really want to make it in the world outside of high school, stop taking advantage of the system. Parents, do not do your child’s homework or check the portal constantly in order to remind them of their late work or bad grades. Staff and administration, don’t enable students if you want them to “be prepared for the real world.”