Evening star., 1963-01-15

Lack Of Interest
In the District, the principal
reason is lack Of interest, as
in Arthur's case. Others are
accepting a job, pregnancy (53s
dropouts 16 years or under were
pregnant last year. and eco
nomic motives, such as made
quate clothing for school. In
the suburbs the dropout's
problem is more likely to be
emotional than economic.
Economic problems forced
Billy to leave his District high
school. This 22-year-old boy
dropped out three years ago
because he took a job to support
his mother and her six other
children. His mother was not
working because she was preg-
nant with an illegitimate child,
Billy, like Arthur, q Negro,
had not done well in school,
failing in three grades. II got
sort Of bad marks" he said.
II wanted something that would
do me some good in real life"
Unlike Arthur, he has not
been in trouble with the police
DO Nothing Group
AS with most dropouts, he went
around with q group who
didn't want to do nothing"
II was just messing around in
school, cutting classes, playing
hooky," he said. II wasn't think
ing about school then"
Billy wants a job that is
active, but without any manual
labor or deskwork-"just a nice.
clean, decent job"
II plan on being a radio-Tv
technician, 90 to school part
time" he said. "All I want to
make is about 500 a week."
Billy has no thought of mar
riage, for he feels he needs 500
a week before he can afford to
marry.
Billy's future is uncertain.
"In a couple Of months, I'll look
for a better job" he said. Now
he is making about $40 per
week as a bellhop, working 6la
hours a day with only one day
off every two weeks. His en-
ployer doesn't want him to quit.
And he probably won't. 1t is
doubtful If Billy will achieve
his ambitions, for he does not
know what radio schools are
in washington. what their re-
quirements are, or how to find
these things out.
Randy's Story
Randy, 1s, is another dropout
who wants middle-class living
standards without an educa-
ton. He also is a dropout with
q police record. The garage
where he works hired him
three years ago lust to sort Of
keep him out Of trouble"
Randy. who is white. is one
of six children. Their mother
has been on relief since their
father left them five years ago.
He says he dropped out Of
school for economic reasons
his family needed some money
and he did not have enough
clothes to go to school.
He had been in q reformatory
for stealing O car at age IL.
He was then In the fifth grade,
having stayed back in the
third grade because of his poor
reading and spelling.
At IA, placed in q social
adjustment class, he found 1t
easy--"fifth grade stuff in
eighth grade" With his first
teacher, he had to work hard,
but he said the second teacher
let the small class play basket
ball all day. Later. he was re-
turned TO regular classes.
THE teachers in regular
classes thought was being a
wise guy when I tried to answer
a question. Teachers and kids
sometimes laughed at me-" he
said with q slight Slur.
Back TO Reformatory
When ne was 16, he was
caught riding in a stolen car
and sent back to the reforma-
tory.
But after Randy got out Of
the retormatory, he again went
back to public school. He
managed to stay there two
weeks, he said. but then school
got me"
He was doing part-time work
at the garage at the time. II
knew II / quit work, I wouldn't
have any money, and II I didn't
have any money, I knew I
would get in trouble" so he
quit school instead.
He does not expect TO go
back, although he would like
Ito learn TO read and write
better. Then maybe ! could
get q job as . shop foreman
or something. There's lots Of
things TO learn in school,"
Now he is the only unskilled
mechanic in the shop, doing
odd jobs. What will he be
doing In 10 years?
II don't know maybe q
mechanic, maybe q shop FORE
man, maybe even the boss.
Maybe the boss"
His boss says: Hes q teen
ager and arrogant. like any
and all Of them. You can't tell
them anything. But after q
while. II will sink in. and some
Of them shape up. He works
hard. . lot harder than most
Of these men"
But he has 10 keep busy.
After he temporarily left work
last summer. he was in trouble
within o week.
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