Last week our student council arranged a day for students to dress up to look like whatever career they would like to have when they grow up. One of our most gifted sixth graders dressed up like a construction worker. This is a bright kid, from a great family, not a tike still stuck in a Bob the Builder phase. He's thought about this. He's verbalized it around people he cares about and had an opportunity to see their reactions and possibly hear what they have to say. And there's nothing wrong with it... unless you're in education. To the education field, non-college pursuits represent failure, and in this gifted child's sense, a possible tragedy.
The last two decades school district's have continuously yapped about "preparing students for college and career readiness." It would be a terrific goal for all schools if only it weren't a lie. When your school or district tells you they are preparing kids for 'college and career readiness', what they mean is 'college readiness'. Schools don't get 'paid' in their test data for those who choose jobs working with their hands.
Students who elect to pursue a career without attending college, particularly if paired with average or below average standardized test scores ultimately represent a strike against teachers, schools, and district compiling data which often sets college readiness as the benchmark. To support this, rhetoric was created in many places suggesting that blue collar jobs were going away because of technology and college was a student's only hope of having a career and earning a living. Imposing these sorts of scare tactics on children and their parents is despicable. How ironic that high school offerings of shop, welding, auto, cooking, and other hands on classes are in major decline. College AND career?
Schools should absolutely attempt to grow all children and help all children have the opportunity if they should so choose, to attend college. Those who explore a different path should not be looked down upon as failures because of their impact on success rate data or for failing to support the fictional narrative that not going to college means you'll live with your parents forever. Most laborers I know earn significantly more than most school social workers. Some people do not enjoy school. Some people enjoy working with their hands, being outside, and hate wearing ties or high heels. There's room for both here. Let's support both, rather than raising our nose at one.
Schools should be offering a well rounded variety of academic options, which expands further as they reach high school, where then students can begin to discover what areas they have passion for. Besides, if we are really interested in preparing students for life, the emphasis should be on developing skills in problem solving, collaboration, and creativity- not over emphasizing standardized math results. If you are a teacher, please make when your class talks about careers, that all sorts of careers are celebrated and promoted because at the end of the day, nearly all college certified teachers need a mechanic...
