We need to completely scrap and change our nations education system.

[jps-teacher]

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

The schools with a career focus that I know of (i.e. engineering, political science, agriculture/vet, performing arts) tend to have a general education program, but try to focus those courses in light of the particular specialty. For example, if you go to the high school that concentrates on agricultural studies and vet work, you still have to take English and a foreign language but the context might be geared more towards farming or animals. For those kids who have a distinct interest in one field, it's a good idea to explore. If nothing else, it can help the students be more interested in their education, even if their career goals change later on, instead of the apathy that is prevalent for many.

I don't disagree with this - but very few students at 14 do have a distinct interest in one field.

And, at least in the cases of the Voc-Ed schools, often the 'academic' subjects take a distant back seat to the other courses, whether they have mixed curricula or they take the alternating week approach. It leaves many students unprepared for anything but the field they have focused on at their Vo-tech. For some that represents no problem, but for others, it creates extra hurdles rather than alleviating them, which was the intention of the program.

For the students with no distinct sense, even requiring this level of choice at 14 is hard - and for many of the kids who are going into the voc ed schools, they are not the ones making the choice.

Bottom line for me is still, simply, that I don't know how to balance things out. *scratches head*

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by jps-teacher

I don't disagree with this - but very few students at 14 do have a distinct interest in one field.

For the students with no distinct sense, even requiring this level of choice at 14 is hard - and for many of the kids who are going into the voc ed schools, they are not the ones making the choice.

Bottom line for me is still, simply, that I don't know how to balance things out. *scratches head*

Yeah, it's an issue and I can't speak for every program. I just know that in the district I mentioned they have the guidance counselors go into the classrooms in 7th and 8th grade to talk about different types of programs, what college is like, what high school is like, and how to explore interests. Come 8th grade, they then get more individual and try to get to what interests the student. If their interests are all over the place (like many are) there are various gen ed programs as well. Basically, you can apply to any high school in the district, be it specialized, magnate, or local. This can be a big plus for students interested in getting a decent high school education, since my mother worked at a great little middle school but the neighborhood high school was terrible (it was actually a threat she used, "if you don't do better, you'll have to go to **** High!").

[Redisca]

I don't think it's so much the emphasis on particular subjects that needs to change as the fundamental philosophy of education. Some suggestions:

1. Dump the idea that the school's main function is to make kids feel good about themselves by stroking their egos. That's how we raise generations of high school graduates who believe they are the "bestest" while in fact they are the least educated among industrialized nations. The school's main function must be to educate. Period. We may never escape the reality that education necessarily involves indoctrination, but let's at least not impart outright delusions to our children. We do students a disservice when we teach them along the lines of "Your best effort is good enough". There comes a time in every person's life when (s)he must meet objective standards -- and schools should train students based on that model, instead of drowning them in wish fulfillment.

2. Dump the idea that all learning must be made entertaining. The feeling of accomplishment is deeply rewarding, but getting there will never be "fun" in the same sense as a day at the beach is fun. Again, it does no good to twist ourselves into a pretzel to render math lessons exciting on the order of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. Instead, let's teach our children that knowledge and learning are valuable in and of themselves, not as a form of "entertainment". If you think this is too harsh or cruel -- it's only because this society has made entertainment the yardstick by which to value any activity. I am not saying that children should not be allowed to enjoy their childhood; but in everyone's life, there is a time to work and a time to play, and the belief that children should only play is one of the main culprits in the sorry mess that is American secondary education.

3. Dump the idea of wish fulfillment. Having a dream is not enough. Just wanting to become a brain surgeon (very much) will not make you one. Achieving something requires hard work, much of which is boring and grueling.

4. Dump the idea that knowledge is a dangerous drug whose dosage must constantly be under scrutiny and invariably reduced at each re-evaluation. I cannot believe the ferocity with which parents fight to dumb down the curriculum, arguing that education somehow causes depression, poor self-esteem and various neuroses. This myth has been demolished over and over again, and yet it persists. Reliable, non-partisan studies have shown that the so-called "nerds" are, in fact, psychologically healthier than underachievers; that they go on to have a better self-esteem, better social lives, better sex lives and stronger marriages, as well as lower rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide. Education is not dangerous. Nothing bad will happen to little Timmy if he starts tackling trigonometry in sixth grade and discovers that it is -- surprise, surprise -- hard. Little Cindy will not become a basket case from reading "War and Peace" at fourteen. If anything, these things will do them good.

5. Dump the idea that "extra-curricular activities" are somehow on par with education. Cheerleading, basketweaving club and "student government" -- that's all well and good, but these things should be done in students' spare time and not at the expense of the academics. If someone takes too long to complete his homeworks -- then he can't engage in any extracurricular activities. Sorry. And let's stop telling our kids that they can make up for lack of academic excellence by padding their college applications with this silliness. (In an episode which still outrages me, one of my high school teachers actually punished me for being too focused on the academics and not devoting enough time to extracurricular activities.)

6. Help students by imparting to them the idea that going to school and doing their homework is a social responsibility -- just like going to work and paying taxes are social responsibilities for adults. Social responsibility is what gives people a sense of belonging and ultimately, contentment, if not happiness. We are bombarded with alarmist outcries about teen depression, which are strangely at odds with the herculean efforts that school make to teach kids how to "love themselves". Apparently, this technique is ineffective. I would submit that the reason American adolescence is a time of such incredible angst is that teenagers (who, in most aspects of their psychology, are grown-ups rather than children) are treated like infants well into adulthood. If no one takes you seriously, anyway, why not just be a slacker?

7. Dump the idea that a student's effort should be limited to "his best". Doing "one's best" invariably becomes an excuse to underachieve. Education is athletic training for the mind. Its goal is to reach one's absolute limit and then push oneself over it. Teachers should stop saying "do you best" and start saying "do your work" more often.