In a world that for years has been obsessed with the idea that every child should go to college, a significant number of researchers have recently begun to note that maybe college is not right for every child. Some kids may need some preparation in a vocation instead. That is to say that some high school vocational training in lieu of a college prep track might be a good thing.
Instead of trying to send every child off to a 4 year college, community colleges and technical schools could be used to provide kids with vocational skills that will give them a solid foundation for their adult years. Apparently, some businesses are providing on the job apprenticeships for certain jobs like pharmacy technician. Let's face it, Associates degrees that aren't tied to certification in some specific vocation are absolutely useless. Babs Ray discusses this in depth in one of her recent blog entries.
On the other hand, Bob Herbert, in the New York Times, recently talked about a high school in New York City where highly motivated kids were being given the opportunity to earn an Associates Degree during their last two years of high school. Mr. Herbert argues that, with the high cost of college today the opportunity to get those first two years of college out of the way is a good idea that will save many thousands of dollars in tuition and prepare them to enter directly into their majors as soon as they grace the college campus, without having to waste those first two years in college with the general curriculum that is required of all students, regardless of major. Is this a good idea? I'd have to say yes, if that student is highly motivated and capable.
The problem is that with a great many students they are not highly motivated, and they are not sufficiently sophisticated in their academic and intellectual abilities. Great! Give those really bright kids the chance to move ahead at a pace they can handle and will embrace. That is what Gifted and Talented Education has been about all along. However, we also have to meet the needs of those kids who may need the first year or two of high school to do remedial work to bring them up to a level that is appropriate for high school work.
The reality of working in an inner city school in a neighborhood where 99% of all students qualify for free or reduced lunch (That's educode for "These kids come from families that are poverty-stricken.") is that less than 10% of the kids arrive in high school reading on grade level. Teachers often get to the point where they consider the kids who read on 6th grade level in 9th grade as the normal ones. Are these kids going to be successful in a college preparatory curriculum? Will they be prepared for a program that provides them with the basic courses required for an Associates Degree when they reach their Junior year in high school? What do you think?
In every such school there are a small number of kids who didn't make into the magnet schools and schools for the gifted and talented. These kids shine and even manage to successfully navigate Advanced Placement courses and go on to complete a 4 year degree. Every once in a while, one rare student from this mix shows up and astounds everyone by managing a 30 on their ACT and get into a major university instead of the usual state supported university. For the largest portion of the students from these schools, however, some sort of vocational training in high school and a 2 year program afterwards is what is called for. This allows them to make a decent living and become productive members of the community without condemning them to minimum wage only types of jobs.
What we have to ask ourselves is, "What is it we are preparing these kids for, realistically?" Some deserve that shot at college and the upward mobility that goes with it. Others deserve to have a shot at a good job that can be had without a 4 year degree. If we insist that all of them pursue that 4 year degree, large numbers of them fail, due to lack of desire, or lack of ability, or lack of preparation. Then they drop out with tuition bills owed and no marketable skills to see them through the rest of their lives. How about we do the right thing for all kids, not just for some of them.
I had a foster daughter pre RR who is now getting an AA in criminal justice. She is sick of dead low pay, no benefit jobs. She gave up a baby she had, her mother died of cancer in a six month period of time. She also had a father who was a drunk and scared her to death.
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Great blog, intersting, true post! It made me post an opinion of mine, hope anyone would find it good enough. I guess using this way of education a teacher could achive much more and prevent a lot of horrible events in the future:
ReplyDeleteAll the students I know hate going to school no matter where they have to graduate or attend their classes… All the school-boys and school-girls I knew in the past, when I had to go and spent a lot of hours in the most hated, grey building in the neighborhood, had the same “kind” thoughts. I bet all the students in the future will despise too any minute in the dull classes, while they are waiting in despair for their turn for exam and grades, well-deserved or not…
And though many people would point out many reasons for this hatred (the awful bullying of the stronger and older students, boring and narrow-minded teachers, the long classes, etc), I guess the main cause for the students’ disgust is the dull, boring way all the subjects are thought. If you think I’m wrong, just remember some quotes of some great minds: Don’t let school ruin your education. Mark Twain, or It’s a miracle that curiosity survives the formal education. A. Einstein.
I’m certain that many other people think like me, there are many evidences about that. For example, I remember a movie (but not its title, sorry) where a teacher tried some new, funny methods to teach his students. To attract their attention, and make them silent and listening to his lessons, he promised them they’ll see him vomit as at every 15-20 seconds while they were silent and listening, he would drink one small box of chocolate milk… Then, he thought up a rap song with the names of all the presidents of USA and all the important dates in history… All the students found out studying could be fun too and finally became the best students in their school with the highest grades at the exams at the end of the year!
This was just a movie of course, and almost everything was exaggerated, but I could give other similar examples from real life. In the past, a friend of mine was so fascinated by Rocky, the first movie about the famous boxer, that he woke up at 6 o’clock every morning before school and ran and trained his body for about an hour just because he wanted to be like his hero from the movie. That was actually something which no teacher or good manual could make him do before that!
Another good example of the power of the funny and better way for education and inspiration were two kids of a friend of mine. They were so fascinated when I told them my first Tale Of The Rock Pieces, that they began to do exercises every day and didn’t do all the stupid things their coevals did like smoking of cigarettes and drinking strong drinks. Even today, when they are shrewd youngsters, they still take a good care of their health and like to read and learn all the interesting facts about animals and plants’ life and remember my story... The reason for all this good behavior and inspiration of theirs were the many incredible adventures in my book and the excellent way of life of my heroes, or the interesting facts about animals and plants… I guess I don’t have to write here that no teacher of theirs was able to inspire them that way, no matter how hard they tried and what good reasons they showed them to follow their teachings…
I guess anyone could point out many similar examples and that many teachers could use such good methods like good adventure stories or movies in their classes for really good results?