Gettin' That Paper
A friend recently sent me a NYT article on NY colleges who accepted students who didn’t have high school diploma or G.E.D.
I don’t think this is such a bad idea, however I would market with caution much like I would the G.E.D. Unfortunately I think the G.E.D. route is played up a bit too much and I’ve observed that kids drop out figuring they’ll just get one of these without a full appreciation of the magnitude of this undertaking. I do think if the G.E.D. route wasn’t so accessible, or perceived accessible, we would not have the numbers of drop outs we do. We shouldn’t over-promote this option as it probably sends the wrong message to kids in high school that they can go to college (easily) even without a HS degree.
I do think there are more pressing issues around the ‘over-marketing’ of college vs. the marketing of developing sellable skills. I had a long conversation with a 20 year old kid last nite about career options. He takes classes at a local Dallas Community College but he, like many his age, doesn’t have a clear picture of what he wants to do.
“Do you think joining the Army is a good thing?”
I immediately thought of Jason ‘Furious’ Styles, Fishburne’s character in “Boyz in the Hood” but didn’t share. He’s thinking about the Army as a possible option and it may be a good one however since he’s been told that ‘successful’ people either go to college or the service he’s viewing these two choices as the only options for a ‘successful’ life.
I asked him about trade school, Lincoln Tech is the one that came to mind, and he viewed this as some kind of ‘’3rd class” career option. On Saturday I attended the graduation ceremony for South Grand Prairie. Ant-Dawg, my 3rd little brother, wanted me to go and I felt a bit honored. The class was huge, over 500, and as they announced the names for some they would announce the type of scholarship they had earned and where to. For one of the students they indicated he had a full scholarship to Lincoln Tech and I heard someone in front of me, presumably a parent, snicker and say, “Who would want a scholarship there???” I think a big issue our educational system needs to address, along of course with the hyper-focus on standardized tests, is developing tradable skills. It seems as if vocations like cooking, welding, auto mechanics, medical assistants, HVAC, plumbing, etc. are frowned upon as somehow not worthy. For some they are very viable options. For anyone who has had to call a plumber recently you can attest that they can make a very good living indeed. My maternal grandfather was a plumber and I never felt like this kind of work was somehow 2nd class.
I think if we provide kids with viable options outside of just the service and college we would be doing us all a giant service. Vocational education is an important step to a viable career, and should be marketed as such.
I don’t think this is such a bad idea, however I would market with caution much like I would the G.E.D. Unfortunately I think the G.E.D. route is played up a bit too much and I’ve observed that kids drop out figuring they’ll just get one of these without a full appreciation of the magnitude of this undertaking. I do think if the G.E.D. route wasn’t so accessible, or perceived accessible, we would not have the numbers of drop outs we do. We shouldn’t over-promote this option as it probably sends the wrong message to kids in high school that they can go to college (easily) even without a HS degree.
I do think there are more pressing issues around the ‘over-marketing’ of college vs. the marketing of developing sellable skills. I had a long conversation with a 20 year old kid last nite about career options. He takes classes at a local Dallas Community College but he, like many his age, doesn’t have a clear picture of what he wants to do.
“Do you think joining the Army is a good thing?”
I immediately thought of Jason ‘Furious’ Styles, Fishburne’s character in “Boyz in the Hood” but didn’t share. He’s thinking about the Army as a possible option and it may be a good one however since he’s been told that ‘successful’ people either go to college or the service he’s viewing these two choices as the only options for a ‘successful’ life.
I asked him about trade school, Lincoln Tech is the one that came to mind, and he viewed this as some kind of ‘’3rd class” career option. On Saturday I attended the graduation ceremony for South Grand Prairie. Ant-Dawg, my 3rd little brother, wanted me to go and I felt a bit honored. The class was huge, over 500, and as they announced the names for some they would announce the type of scholarship they had earned and where to. For one of the students they indicated he had a full scholarship to Lincoln Tech and I heard someone in front of me, presumably a parent, snicker and say, “Who would want a scholarship there???” I think a big issue our educational system needs to address, along of course with the hyper-focus on standardized tests, is developing tradable skills. It seems as if vocations like cooking, welding, auto mechanics, medical assistants, HVAC, plumbing, etc. are frowned upon as somehow not worthy. For some they are very viable options. For anyone who has had to call a plumber recently you can attest that they can make a very good living indeed. My maternal grandfather was a plumber and I never felt like this kind of work was somehow 2nd class.
I think if we provide kids with viable options outside of just the service and college we would be doing us all a giant service. Vocational education is an important step to a viable career, and should be marketed as such.
posted by Charles Senteio at
12:16 PM
4 Comments:
I agree that we probably do need to do a better job of presenting trades as "worthy" skills. Every job is a necessary part of our society and we all could do a better job of acknowledging that.
However, my reason for strongly encouraging college is to counteract the other messages they receive. Several high school students (from inner city schools) have come to me seeking advice because their school teachers and counselors have encouraged them to go into the army, a trade school, or Job Corps and, in so many words, told them those are their only real options.
An adult friend of mine (Hispanic lady who attended DISD) explained to me that when she was in high school, they encouraged her to attend "college" at a 2-year school. Since her parents had no experience with college, she assumed this was her best bet...only to find 2 years later that her credits wouldn't transfer and she would now have to start over at a "real" college if she wanted to go any further. They are now telling her daughter (a junior in high school) the same thing.
I think people deserve choice. If they *choose* to be a custodian, hair dresser, plumber, etc. because that's what they enjoy, I don't have a problem with it. When they are tracked in low-level courses at school and then assumed or told they aren't "college material"--because of the color of their skin or the neighborhood they live in, I have a problem with that. We need to expect just as much academically out of our inner city kids and help them reach their academic goals. How they choose to use their knowledge is up to them.
By
Janet Morrison-Lane, at 2:38 PM
I agree that guidance counselors do push certain kids towards certain careers based purely on SES and race however an honest discussion about several viable options is in order. Of course I applaud the focus on higher education, however educators, counselors, and of course parents need to be holistic in their discussion of options. A college degree simply is not the necessary panacea that is pumped into our young people. Massachusetts has the highest proportion of their population with a college degree and West Virginia has the least (27.1, 12.3 respectively). Texas is 23rd at 20.3%
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/states/USCHARTCE.html
Let's stop assuming that viable career paths do not exist outside of a BA or BS while simultaneously halt the funneling of students toward certain classes and careers based purely on where they live or their color.
By
Charles Senteio, at 5:14 PM
Chuck, as you know my daughter is attending an STI high school to obtain her high school diploma as well as her state license in cosmotology when she graduates in 2010. The classes she must attend while in the program are honors classes, and her GPA must stay above 2.5 to continue in the program. I have had many family/friends turn their noses up at her choice, but I remind them all -- my hairdresser lives way better than I do, and she takes several vacations during the year. She owns her own and she makes her own schedule working less than five days on average a week. Ain't too many folks working for somebody else living like such. So for all those who are hating on folks who get their hands dirty you may want to check yourself and remember -- You will need a plumber/electrician/HVAC or someone along those lines long before they will need you.
... just my two cents.
By
Anonymous, at 10:49 AM
I'm feelin' this Kat. I would also remind those hatin' to remember the occupations of their parents/grandparents before they assign value to certain professions. (For the record my paternal grandpops worked the land and my maternal grandpops was a plumber)
By
Charles Senteio, at 3:29 PM
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