Mutiny or Godsend

I am teaching a new group of students in the ROP Intro to Law class at the high school. I have 21 students signed up and Tuesday they were all there. Thursday we were missing just 2 and I thought, wow this is going to be a full class. Last semester I only had 8 students, so 21 is a big number for me. Here I am trying to decide how we were going to work debates and case assignments with so many students and then several students gave me a helping hand. They have no interest in the class and half way through, one kid just said, "I'm leaving early" and he left. So three more kids said "We're leaving too" and they did. I sure hope they don't expect to pass.

I have been told that the teacher last year let the class out an hour early every day and I, of course thought, how horrible. But I guess if the students just get up and leave there's not much point in sticking around.

My challenge, should I choose to accept it, is to make the class so relevant to these "do nothings" that they want to stay. Can I leap the tall buildings of crushing boredom, Am I faster than years of looming unemployment and a drains on society they're colliding toward, hmmmm... I shall do my best, though I have to admit, the people who stayed after these four left, did much better without them. Such a dilemma.