Adequate Schools and Inadequate Education: The Life History of a Sneaky Kid

Abstract

Following a life history approach, this paper presents the story of “Brad,” a twenty‐year‐old school dropout who found himself living figuratively and literally at the edge of society and who could seem to find neither reasons nor help to get back in. The author uses the case to dramatize the importance of viewing education as comprising far more than schooling. Although Brad's involvement in school was marginal and his academic accomplishments modest, he did acquire basic literacy skills. And although he bounced “from pillar to post” as a child, the world view he described was largely consonant with that of mainstream society. But neither Brad nor the author could find any systematic, constructive educational effort being made on behalf of the community to guide, support, or influence the course of this alienated young adult's life once away from the purview of the school. As the author points out, we leave things to chance, and we take our chances. EDUCATION; ENCULTURATION; LEARNING; LIFE HISTORY; SCHOOLING.