Learning Carpentry

Should middle school and high schools have specialized programs?

I'm looking for opinions on this question. I believe all students should have reading and writing classes but I think middle schools and high schools should gear their studies towards specific professions. The kids who are interested in algebra and plan to use it in a career they are interested in should only have those classes, kids who want to be chemists should only have classes geared to that career, kids who want to be car mechanics should only take classes for that career etc. In other words, instead of making these students go through various general classes they would attend classes they are interested in. We need to train them for a career or job they may want when they graduate from high school. We need vocational schools for middle school and high school kids who may want to learn a specific trade. We need trade schools for those who want to learn carpentry. Many kids who know they don't want to attend college can be trained in middle school and high school so when they get out they have a plan and can go into that career without additional training. I see so many kids floundering and unsure what they want. They become fustrated and take any job just to get by or they don't work or go to school at all. Vocational programs would be beneficial to the kids and it would keep the failure and dropout rate lower. At the end of elementary school students should take aptitude tests. If there are students who don't have a specific interest in a field they would be kept in general classes. I think both the students and the teachers would be much happier.. I don't know where the funding would come from or what the cost would be to revamp the entire educational system but it is something to think about.

Public Comments

1. As a special education teacher who teaches middle school..seems to me that for a long time middle school/junior high is just the holding ground for a lot of students until they can get into high school and get training for real world jobs and opportunities. I would love to see more vocational programs in middle schools and junior high schools. I think it would motivate students, show them that they do need to start thinking about a future and that being at school will count for something that they care about. I do believe that a student at 12 years old can not absolutely say what they will be when they grow up but they need to be exposed to the choices that are out there at an earlier age especially for those who are not looking at a 4 year college as an option.