"college ready"

"college ready" huh. interesting term. who among us is really ready for college when we start anyways?

i work for a large urban school district in texas. i mean huge. and i don't even work in a "difficult" school, with many challenged students. sure, my kids have got some issues, but comparatively, i am really in a pretty good school.

one of the missions of this school district (we have many missions!) is to have all students graduate ready to be competitive in college. or, in other words, we are striving to make all students college ready. okay. i get that. its a lofty goal, it sounds great, etc.

here's what i don't understand....why are we (in the education field) so down on vocational education?

yes, going to college is a good thing. it will get you a degree, and lead to higher education. it is quite a bit of hard work, and most definitely a lot of fun. it does allow you a little more time to decide what to do in life. and, in many cases, it will help you on the road to whatever you would like to become, in addition to making you a more educated and well-rounded person. i appreciate that. BUT college is not for everyone. its not. and i am not speaking financially, because these days, where there is a will, there is a way to pay!

i mean, there are tons of students who are bright, and talented, who don't want to continue in to higher education. there are others who are not as bright (gasp! did a teacher actually say that?!?), who might be lacking support, or who need a little direction in life. those kids (and many others) can really benefit from a strong vocation. a way to earn a productive living, and get training, while finishing out high school. (i also understand that taking body shop will probably not improve the chances of passing TAKS (that's another upcoming post!), which may have everything to do with this!)

so here's the deal. stop a minute. ask yourself who provides MOST of your daily life services for you. who is it? do you really spend that much time in the company of doctors, lawyers, or MBA's? (outside of work?) what about your mechanic, your heating guy? your plumber? your bank teller? your dry cleaner? how about your pest control person? your lawn service? the manager at your grocery store? how about all the truck drivers, who get those goods where they need to go? mailman? sales associates at the stores you like to shop? see my point? those people could be college educated...or not. either way, will a degree make your plumber more effective?

without those hard working people in the various vocations....life would surely (and quickly) come to a screeching halt. and yes, many of those jobs are made possible by behind-the-scenes work from someone who probably did have to go to college....but he's not the one bringing your package to you, is he?

so college ready is an admirable goal. but lets give these kids some choices. they aren't all going on to a university. and they don't all want to leave high school and get a job for minimum wage with little opportunity for advancement. BUT teach a kid a trade (bodywork, HVAC, plumbing, electrician, etc) spark their interest, help them to find the apprenticeship programs to go into after school, and you may just have changed that student's life.

but de-valuing this type of work, because it doesn't require a college degree, discouraging vocations and promoting all academics is not only unrealistic, it is just wrong. our economy (and our daily life) is based on this type of work. and no one should devalue any one who is working hard and training to learn a skill that can support someones family.

just my two cents. (actually, my high-school educated husband's two cents....he is our big moneymaker...and my check is spent, haha)

oh, and one last point...really, you want to pay the price increase for your college educated mechanic? you want to pay more to cover your plumbers student loans? the degree your electrician holds means he can demand a higher price....doesn't it? isn't that the thinking? i don't know about y'all, but i know that when we need those services, i will happily pay what is needed, but man, its not inexpensive. i pay for their knowledge, even if it didn't come from a university!