Bad Grades Equals No Driver’s License Essay

Imagine if you were in high school and you weren’t the brightest student, which resulted in bad grades, and then there was a policy made where you couldn’t even get your driver’s license until your grades got up and stayed up. This is a policy that is being debated on by some legislators who think it’s a good policy and some who don’t think it’s such a good policy. I would be siding with the legislators who don’t think it’s a good policy. It’s not a good policy because I feel like it’s not really the legislators place. Also, students would be getting good grades for the wrong reasons. Lastly, someone’s academic in school doesn’t have anything to do with the ability to drive. Legislators trying to make a policy, that teenagers should be required to maintain a â€Å"C† average in school before receiving a driver’s license is a bad idea. I feel that it isn’t really the legislators place to decide that only kids with good grades get their driver’s license. It’s only the parents/ guardians place to decide if their own child should get their driver’s license or not. It would almost be taking some freedom away, because parents/guardians can raise their children however they want, that isn’t illegal of course, but if legislators pass this policy, that’s something parents don’t have a say in when raising their children. Some parents may want their teen to have their driver’s license even if the teen doesn’t have good grades. Some may not, but it’s the parents’ choice. An example is if the parent needed the teen to be able to drive around and do errands for them because the parent is too busy but their grades aren’t to the policy’s requirements, then the teen wouldn’t be able to help their parents out because there’s a policy against teens getting their license while having bad grades. Also, if the parent had become temporarily or even permanently disabled and couldn’t drive but needed to be chauffeured places by their teen who is old enough to have a license but isn’t allowed to because of his grades. Situations like the examples are reasons why the policy is a bad idea. Parents should have a right to make the decision not the legislators. If this policy were to be passed students would be getting good grades for the wrong reasons. Teens wouldn’t be trying to get good grades for their future; they’ll be doing it because they want to be able to receive the driver’s license. They’d forget all about what good grades does for them in their career life, because they’d be so focused on maintaining their grades for the driving privileges. Also, it’s almost similar to bribing teens into getting good grades, instead of encouraging them to so they’ll have a brighter future. Once they get out of high school they’ll have the instinct to only get things done if they get something in return. That isn’t the best instinct to live by because it’ll cause them to not do certain not-so-pleasant things when they get to college or the real world like go grocery shopping, paying their student loans, or even doing their work in college because they’ll be expecting something material in return, all because they grew accustomed to only doing the things you need to when you’re getting something in return. Someone that is for this policy would most likely argue that a student with good grades would lead to better drivers on the road. If the student is truly trying to get good grades then they are getting smarter and when they’re ready to drive they’ll make smarter decisions on the road. Statistics show that, †In 2005, 46% of U.S. 12th-grade students scored â€Å"below basic† on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) National science scale 18% scored â€Å"proficient† or above, and 2% scored â€Å"advanced†Ã¢â‚¬ ( Agus, Jessica.). This statistic proves how not many students are doing as good, considering the majority of them scored â€Å"below basics†. However, if we were to pass the policy then the score would most likely rise because students would be working harder in school and doing what they need to do. It could possibly give the student a better comprehension level and decision making level, so when they do begin dr iving the people around them along with themselves will be safer. However, their argument would be invalid considering that students’ grades/ intelligence level and their driving skills don’t have anything to do with the other. If students are getting good grades in school it doesn’t necessarily mean that their driving skills are going to be equal with the intelligence level. Besides, in an article it reads that, â€Å"The mean grade point average for female high school graduates was 3.10 in 2009, .33 higher than the average GPA for young women in 1990. The average GPA for male high school graduates over the same period rose .31 points to 2.90.† and that, â€Å"Some say this means American high schools are churning out smarter, harder-working students.†( U.S. News). This evidence proves that the policy that students should have good grades before they can receive their license is unnecessary because students are already doing better grade wise. I can’t say myself for a fact that teens driving skills are bet ter, but I can say in an opinion that it probably hasn’t changed. I believe that the policy isn’t needed for teens to do better in school because students are doing it themselves without the bribing. Legislators’ deciding to make a policy, that teenagers should be required to have a â€Å"C† grade average in school before being able to receive a driver’s license isn’t a bright idea. It isn’t the legislators place to decide that only kids with good grades get their driver’s license. Also, if a policy like this were to be passed students would be getting good grades for the wrong reasons. They should get good grades to have a better career future not to have a driver’s license. Lastly, students’ grades/ intelligence level and driving skills don’t have anything to do with the other. I believe that a policy like this could probably mess up a students’ future, therefore, legislators should give up the policy before they give students the wrong idea of success. U.S. News Staff. â€Å"Average High School GPAs Increased since 1990.† US News. U.S.News & World Report, 19 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. . Agus, Jessica. â€Å"High School Student Achievement.† High Schools in the United States. National High School Center at AIR, Dec. 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. .