Comments from an Education Professional
Today, I would like to share an email I received from someone who is a professional in Career Technology. I think you’ll feel his frustration with the system, as you read his words.
“I serve as business manager at a career technology center. We are a consortium of school districts so we are basically an arm of their programs. The districts send us their “lower-functioning” students with the idea that anybody can do what we teach; carpentry, electricity, plumbing, computer maintenance, and all the other “hands-on” trades. Many of our students (Grades 10, 11, 12) cannot read and most have only rudimentary math skills. Our districts encourage the “higher-functioning” students NOT to go to our school. The students go to their home school ½ day and ours the other 1/2 . Most of our teachers came from the trade they teach, and they are finding that preparing our students for a career is difficult to impossible due to their lack of very basic academic skills. ”
“All college professors I have spoken with tell me about “higher functioning” students with no reading skills….IN COLLEGE!!!! The entire system, from k-12 to college is a joke! It is run by bureaucrats who sometimes insulate themselves from the students they are supposed to serve. And in my own little way, I’m part of that bureaucracy although I will NEVER be a bureaucrat. The fact that our school is considered a “program”, however, and because the “academics” don’t consider us a viable program at that, our teachers do get to make a difference and help students in their face-to-face daily interaction with them. EG. We have a math teacher who makes sure the students “get it”. (The schools do let us teach basic math). She even drills them at the door when they are leaving. I call her the “math nazi”. She is impacting those students more than they know! We have another teacher (horticulture) that helps students with dyslexia read by using colored overlays and other techniques. She was told by the “academics” that she had no business helping students read better; it is the job of the home school. What a joke! The home school has dropped the damn ball! She helps them anyway.”
“In any case, I am looking to get out of education in order to work for a local disability center (I’m disabled myself). My mentality of service doesn’t seem to be shared among many educators. Again, it is government bureaucracy at work.”
“By the way, my son, a “higher-functioning” student didn’t want to go to college. His guidance counselor was pushing him in that direction, but he wanted to take the Graphics program at my school. I had to actually push buttons to get this kid in that program. That was 7 years ago. He graduated with honors from my school (2nd highest grade in the school), won 2nd place in a state-wide graphics competition along the way, and earned scholarships. He decided to work in the trade and did so for 2 years. He found that his real aptitude was for the electrical trade. He did a 5 year apprenticeship and is now a union journeyman industrial electrician. He earns $29.06 per hour plus benefits. He loves the trade, and is rising to the top. When he was in high school and the career school, guidance counselors wanted him to take general math. I insisted he take algebra and trig. I’m glad I pushed, because knowledge of algebra is a pre-req for his work. This kid has several “trades”. Graphics, Electricity, warehouse (forklift operator), carpentry, light masonry and outstanding “mechanical” skills. He is also intelligent enough to do college at some point. Had I not pushed for him, the educational system would have failed him completely.”
“I will be ordering your book right now…….” (He is, of course, referring to “Set Our Teachers FREE! A Plan to Save Public Education” by Don Kingsland, author of THE KINGSLAND PLAN.)
“Sorry for the rant.”
Mike Sporer
www.msconsultingassociates.com
http://freshperspectives.typepad.com/fresh_perspectives/
mdsporer@comcast.net
“P.S. Testing, good or bad, is done by bureaucrats and feeds the bureaucracy more.”
I would like to thank Mike for “ranting”, and I hope to share his words with as many people as possible.
Brennan
Filed under: Education Reform
Where was this blog a year ago? Great article (Comments from an Education Professional)! Can you believe I was searching for Online College Math Course when I found this post Thursday.
Your posts keep me coming back
I\’m a real sucker for anything to do with accelerated learning ideas. Thanks for your post. I\’m going to get back into this next month.
The career technology school idea is a great one. Many people need to have those extra opportunities and knowledge support so they don’t end up unemployed. I admire these kinds of initiatives.
@ Used ~ Thanks for your comment. we all seem to agree that we need to offer alternatives to students but getting that implemented is tough. We need to realize that there are all types of excellence. Not everyone needs to be a doctor, lawyer or scientist.
It’s time we HONORED productivity and accomplishment.
You are so right that the alternative is often unemployment.
Thanks,
Brennan