Minnesota middle school removes F’s from its grading system to fight systemic racism,

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When I was teaching high School I told my students that they didn't really have to go to a four-year college. Find something that they like to do with their hands and go to a trade school or vocational School. They would make more money than me after they graduated.

Since that time I've heard other people say the same thing so I'm glad that I spoke up to my students. I pray that some of them listened and are out there doing something they enjoy.

Back in the day I think it was in the 1950s and '60s my father taught at John O'Connell trade school in San Francisco. He was going to school at night to get his master's degree in education. He wrote his thesis on vocational education. He felt very strongly about learning a trade.

To be honest with you I had never heard of trade school until Dad was teaching at one. I admire my dad for teaching at a trade school because he taught many young people a trade. They then could make a living and have a family.

 

[alisani]

When I was teaching high School I told my students that they didn't really have to go to a four-year college. Find something that they like to do with their hands and go to a trade school or vocational School. They would make more money than me after they graduated.

Since that time I've heard other people say the same thing so I'm glad that I spoke up to my students. I pray that some of them listened and are out there doing something they enjoy.

Back in the day I think it was in the 1950s and '60s my father taught at John O'Connell trade school in San Francisco. He was going to school at night to get his master's degree in education. He wrote his thesis on vocational education. He felt very strongly about learning a trade.

To be honest with you I had never heard of trade school until Dad was teaching at one. I admire my dad for teaching at a trade school because he taught many young people a trade. They then could make a living and have a family.

Your Dad had it right. And bless you for giving your students compassion and practical advice.

Trade schools cost less, provide ready jobs upon certification and have better salaries and job security than most of the 4 year degrees offered today. Even graduate school programs.

Back in the 80s, other countries had an educational system that enabled kids in secondary school to explore higher education and trade school options. Personal preference and a variety of aptitude tests really allowed students to begin the early process of following their desired path, whether university, vocational or trade. I don't understand parents that force their kids into college right away, wasting all that tuition money when the kid has no earthly idea what they want to do or can do and eventually drops out.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Some trade schools are horribly expensive.

Here, it's much cheaper to go to a public two-year Community College than go to a Vo-Tech, and sometimes it depends on the program. Some of the Community Colleges here offer vo-tech classes and programs, too, so the line between community college and vo-tech is often blurry.

A few local examples (in-state tuition with fees) (one private and one public):

Dunwoody University of Technology (been around "forever" and always been an excellent school). Annual tuition, books, and fees $23,940.00
Hennepin Tech tuition per credit hour is $191.38, but some programs the per-credit cost is substantially higher (up to $308.63 per credit hour)

Normandale Community College $193.30 per credit hour. Some courses have extra fees.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College $5,881.00

University of Minnesota $22,120.00

Virtually all of the private universities and colleges, other than for-profit and specialized colleges run by specific industries, here are faith-based.

Example tuition and fees:
Concordia University (Lutheran) $23,900.00
University of St Thomas (Catholic) $48,609.00
University of Northwestern (Christian) $17,245.00

 

[alisani]

Some trade schools are horribly expensive.

Here, it's much cheaper to go to a public two-year Community College than go to a Vo-Tech, and sometimes it depends on the program. Some of the Community Colleges here offer vo-tech classes and programs, too, so the line between community college and vo-tech is often blurry.

A few local examples (in-state tuition with fees) (one private and one public):

Dunwoody University of Technology (been around "forever" and always been an excellent school). Annual tuition, books, and fees $23,940.00
Hennepin Tech tuition per credit hour is $191.38, but some programs the per-credit cost is substantially higher (up to $308.63 per credit hour)

Normandale Community College $193.30 per credit hour. Some courses have extra fees.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College $5,881.00

University of Minnesota $22,120.00

Virtually all of the private universities and colleges, other than for-profit and specialized colleges run by specific industries, here are faith-based.

Example tuition and fees:
Concordia University (Lutheran) $23,900.00
University of St Thomas (Catholic) $48,609.00
University of Northwestern (Christian) $17,245.00

Costs here run nowhere near that! How in the world??

 

[Aiyanna]

I was homeschooled and couldn't afford to finish college. When I was job searching in my late teens and early twenties I learned really fast to leave my education off my applications. Employers scrunched their noses at the word "homeschool" and sent me packing. Now a days when I tell people I'm homeschooled I get the exact opposite reaction. I've been conditioned to not bring it up, but the few times I have, people usually say "Good for you! You're smarter than most of the population!" If there was one good thing covid did, it was opening a lot of people's eyes to how bad the school system is.
As a teen I was hired to tutor high school kids in Algebra. Most of these kids couldn't even add or subtract, let alone work out an algebraic equation. It made me sick. I won't lie, this is a hot topic for me. I remember dreaming of being a math teacher. I wanted to teach the higher mathematics like Calculus. Now I'm so beyond glad God led me in an entirely different direction. It pains me to see the dumbing down of education. I feel like being able to get an education is one of the best things about living in a free country. Something not all countries are so fortunate to have. It's like a gift. And yet here we are throwing in the trash because someone's feelings might get hurt.

 

[alisani]

I was homeschooled and couldn't afford to finish college. When I was job searching in my late teens and early twenties I learned really fast to leave my education off my applications. Employers scrunched their noses at the word "homeschool" and sent me packing. Now a days when I tell people I'm homeschooled I get the exact opposite reaction. I've been conditioned to not bring it up, but the few times I have, people usually say "Good for you! You're smarter than most of the population!" If there was one good thing covid did, it was opening a lot of people's eyes to how bad the school system is.
As a teen I was hired to tutor high school kids in Algebra. Most of these kids couldn't even add or subtract, let alone work out an algebraic equation. It made me sick. I won't lie, this is a hot topic for me. I remember dreaming of being a math teacher. I wanted to teach the higher mathematics like Calculus. Now I'm so beyond glad God led me in an entirely different direction. It pains me to see the dumbing down of education. I feel like being able to get an education is one of the best things about living in a free country. Something not all countries are so fortunate to have. It's like a gift. And yet here we are throwing in the trash because someone's feelings might get hurt.

It sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders!! And you're right about what education has become. Just big business, with a focus on dollars.

Education is great but emotional and practical intelligence should be as valued today as it was before jobs started demanding a piece of paper as proof of competency. My mother worked in insurance for decades but was passed over for promotion by someone with a degree in music. This was the 70s, when that degree began to matter more than professional experience.

I homeschooled all 3 of my children but I realized that most colleges would look down on a homeschool diploma so I enrolled each for their final year in an accelerated school so that their applications would not suffer. It worked and each graduated at 16 and each got substantial scholarships. More importantly, they are going out into the world with the full knowledge of God and salvation in Christ. And THAT is the education our kids need more than anything. God will provide, whether it be opportunities or actual provision.