Teens enter vocational school

[mmhmm]

When he decided against going to a traditional high school, Warner Adams got teased. But now he's getting the last laugh.
“People always make fun of vocational schools, but now they're like, ‘Oh man, I wish I went there,’” said Adams, now a junior at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, where every recent graduate found a job upon graduating.

Link to full article:
Life, Inc.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I think vocational schools are a great idea.

[billisonboard]

Providing youth with multiple pathways to successful adulthood is a great thing.

[djAdvocate]

agreed.  most schools are vocational schools.  we just don't tend to think of them that way.

[mmhmm]

When I went to school (okay, so it was in the olden days!), high school kids were given the choice between vocational school and college preparatory classes.  Often, recommendations were made based on testing and educational history, and parents were involved.  The vocational school kids went to traditional high school for only a half-day in their senior year.  The other half day, they were working to learn their trade.  Shop classes, woodworking, mechanical classes, and the like were included in their classes along with the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.  I don't know if programs like that exist in most places anymore.  Seems like most kids are targeted for college whether it's right for them, or not.  Those who aren't cut out for college end up with no clear course once high school ends.  At least, that's how it seems to me.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 28, 2013 17:03:22 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

When I went to school (okay, so it was in the olden days!), high school kids were given the choice between vocational school and college preparatory classes.  Often, recommendations were made based on testing and educational history, and parents were involved.  The vocational school kids went to traditional high school for only a half-day in their senior year.  The other half day, they were working to learn their trade.  Shop classes, woodworking, mechanical classes, and the like were included in their classes along with the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.  I don't know if programs like that exist in most places anymore.  Seems like most kids are targeted for college whether it's right for them, or not.  Those who aren't cut out for college end up with no clear course once high school ends.  At least, that's how it seems to me.

i agree with this.  what i meant by my comment is that the assumed vocation in most schools is professional life, which clearly not every kid is cut out for.

[mmhmm]

I think that was the point of this article, dj.  So many parents are just not able to accept the fact that "little Johnny" isn't cut out for university study.  "Little Johnny" is great with his hands and likes to create.  He doesn't mind getting dirty.  He'd be a great carpenter, or mechanic.  However, mom and dad see him as a rocket scientist.  The end result is endless failure for "little Johnny", who could have done quite well.  It's sad.  I remember a lot of us on the academic track were jealous as heck of the vocational kids who got to go to a "real job" instead of sitting through a calculus class!

[djAdvocate]

Apr 28, 2013 17:10:05 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

I think that was the point of this article, dj.  So many parents are just not able to accept the fact that "little Johnny" isn't cut out for university study.  "Little Johnny" is great with his hands and likes to create.  He doesn't mind getting dirty.  He'd be a great carpenter, or mechanic.  However, mom and dad see him as a rocket scientist.  The end result is endless failure for "little Johnny", who could have done quite well.  It's sad.  I remember a lot of us on the academic track were jealous as heck of the vocational kids who got to go to a "real job" instead of sitting through a calculus class!

yeah.  here are the little known facts: many trade jobs pay better than jobs you can land that require a college degree.  so, you can go to college, and MAYBE pass, and MAYBE graduate without having huge debts, or you can go get hired for $40-50k right out of high school, never accumulate that debt, and never face that pressure.  it really seems like an easy choice if, in addition, you don't have the grades for college, and you have the propensity for trades.

[Tennesseer]

Apr 28, 2013 17:03:22 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

When I went to school (okay, so it was in the olden days!), high school kids were given the choice between vocational school and college preparatory classes.  Often, recommendations were made based on testing and educational history, and parents were involved.  The vocational school kids went to traditional high school for only a half-day in their senior year.  The other half day, they were working to learn their trade.  Shop classes, woodworking, mechanical classes, and the like were included in their classes along with the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.  I don't know if programs like that exist in most places anymore.  Seems like most kids are targeted for college whether it's right for them, or not.  Those who aren't cut out for college end up with no clear course once high school ends.  At least, that's how it seems to me.

Although I went to a Catholic college-prep high school, my hometown had 4 public high schools: Classical High (college prep); Technical High (what are now STEM courses); Commerce High (focus on business courses); Trade High (vocational training).

It seemed to work out well back in the '60s and '70s.

[mmhmm]

Even in the 50s, Tennesseer.  I knew kids on the vocational school track (it was part of our high school curriculum, just as the college prep track was) who did just fine after high school.  Many of them would only have encountered disappointment if they'd tried to go for higher education.

[Malarky]

DS is about to graduate from a vocational school.  All students here have an opportunity to explore the regular high school and the voc tech when they are in 8th grade.  DS came home very excited, he and a couple of his buddies really wanted to attend.  I had to pop his dream bubble and tell him that I would support his decision, but that I doubted any of his friends would be allowed to go.  I was right.

He alternates one week of shop with one week of academics.  He went from a bored C student in middle school taking all honors classes in high school.  He's been accepted in the honors program in computer engineering a very good university.  Timing is a bit bad for him since next year most of the classes he took this year will qualify for college credit.  

I was surprised at the number of students I know that go to the traditional high school who were wait listed for state universities.  Those used to be the safe bets but now the competition is fierce.  I think that we'll see more vocational classed integrated into regular high schools    




 

[thyme4change]

Shop classes, woodworking, mechanical classes, and the like were included in their classes along with the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Even if today they taught things like Microsoft Office or customer service skills we would have people more prepared to work in an office or a call center.  Those classes would be useful for college prep students, too.