I think that vocational education needs to make a comeback. In our area, those students who are gifted are able to attend magnet schools that specialize in music, art, business, etc. So, why on earth can't students who are not labeled gifted also have choices to prepare them for future employment? It could bring some excitement to education for those kids who are not college bound and better prepare them for the future.
I agree with Betty. I also agree that not everyone has to be a scholar, and I find a lot of people who try to be scholarly all the time pretty tedious. I'd rather hang with the plumber and try for one of those teacher discounts, but I'm not holding my breath.
I believe the problem started when misguided "child advocates" pushed the garbage that all students should be given an academic track and the chance to pass the "Regents" and go to college. The result was the vocational students were diverted from these vocational schools and languished in academic high schools.
Many of the old vocational schools became academic school such as Tomas Edison or were starved of funds.
Children are 'gifted' in many ways. Some kids can take apart a piece of machinery and put it back flawlessly. Some can work magic mechanically. There are 'gifted' electricians and carpenters. All gifts should be given a chance to flourish.
What a beautiful comment. I love it!
Besides teaching the vocation, you can get a lot of teaching in that dovetails beautifully with the skills. Have business come in and talk about how they ended up big enough to hire employees. Work on tax forms and simple accounting practices in the context of the skill they are learning. Have them write up a proposal, etc.
Work with a point to it, to supplement the skills they are learning.
They can always go back to school once they know what knowledge they really want and can choose it specifically.
But in our district a couple years ago as they shut down MOST of the vocational programs, teachers who asked about the kids who might not want to go on to college were told that they had "low expectations" for the children and as such must be bad teachers.
Uhhh, business OWNERS come in and ....
Agreed!
It takes all kinds to make a society. We should be educating the whole child. Just as in the past it was wrong to steer minority children away from the college bound classes and into vocational or career oriented classes, it is equally as wrong to assume all are college bound. We are creating a bigger problem where unprepared students go to college languish in remedial classes for which loans are taken out for and when they inevitably drop out, these students are in debt or have wasted their financial aid for classes that dont qualify toward their diploma. My grandfather learned a trade can fix anything. My grandmother can sew a dress, a hammock, and build a house. We are creating a society of kids ill equipped to live even in a third world country. Basic skills and trades must make a comeback. With all this discussion about immigrants supposedly taking jobs Americans won't do, what schools are preparing those who dont go on to college for careers and a place in society?
Learning a trade provides an opportunity to work with a certain amount of autonomy. It can allow individuals who are skilled in a particular area to function independently without necessarily having to be bound to a particular corporation or organization.
I imagine that this is most undesirable to certain interests.
that's a little scary. I hope you're wrong, but it makes a lot of sense.
Commenting by HaloScan
