K-12 Schooling That Matches “New Century” Vocational Choices
Educators continue to underestimate, if not ignore, the number of school age youth whose career and vocational interests extend beyond the traditional world of humanities and social sciences. The creative, artistic, vocational, and technical abilities of students continue to be misinterpreted and misunderstood by the adults in our classrooms and schools. When will we realize that some children are born with gifted hands and others with vivid imaginations? Some are endowed with unusual scientific and mathematical minds, while others display their talents artistically, creatively or athletically. As we focus much of our attention on higher academic standards and improved accountability, we must be careful not to forget that not only are students gifted in diverse ways, but they also learn in varied ways.
The different learning styles and diverse interests of young people are also a reminder that our schools must provide forums for students to explore ideas and engage in activities that provoke their hidden talents. This will require cooperative style settings that allow for the whole range of vocational, technical, and entrepreneurial opportunities to be integrated into the regular school day and year for interested students. For example, some schools currently offer high school students the chance to enroll in vocational and technical classes that allow firsthand exposure to trades and professions such as health and nutrition, auto mechanics, administration and sales, childcare, interior design, electronics design, materials assembly, plumbing, construction, and cooking. The absence of requirements such as a college degree and large initial capital outlays to enter many “new century” vocations is attractive to students because they get to develop expertise and build franchises and enterprises that reflect their curiosities and passions beyond traditional academics.
The proliferation of electronic communications and platforms, the information explosion, as well as the expanded interaction of people across cultures and demographic groups have contributed significantly to the expansion of work and lifestyle options that are available to students upon graduation. Vocational paths that are more person/personality-focused (e.g. health and body management), more creative (e.g. workspace engineering and fashion design), and more technology-oriented (e.g. web ventures) carry a greater appeal for “new century” students. The immediate task of educators and professionals of all stripes is to ask themselves whether they will sit back and witness a “dumbing down” of public schooling or adjust to the changing landscape of career paths and vocations. To effectively respond to the intellectual, artistic, and entrepreneurial talents of school age children, we must fill the gaps in their academic lives with meaningful learning options or we run the risk of alienating a large segment of the K-12 population and therefore becoming irrelevant to the long-term interests of our future leaders, citizens, and workers.
The different learning styles and diverse interests of young people are also a reminder that our schools must provide forums for students to explore ideas and engage in activities that provoke their hidden talents. This will require cooperative style settings that allow for the whole range of vocational, technical, and entrepreneurial opportunities to be integrated into the regular school day and year for interested students. For example, some schools currently offer high school students the chance to enroll in vocational and technical classes that allow firsthand exposure to trades and professions such as health and nutrition, auto mechanics, administration and sales, childcare, interior design, electronics design, materials assembly, plumbing, construction, and cooking. The absence of requirements such as a college degree and large initial capital outlays to enter many “new century” vocations is attractive to students because they get to develop expertise and build franchises and enterprises that reflect their curiosities and passions beyond traditional academics.
The proliferation of electronic communications and platforms, the information explosion, as well as the expanded interaction of people across cultures and demographic groups have contributed significantly to the expansion of work and lifestyle options that are available to students upon graduation. Vocational paths that are more person/personality-focused (e.g. health and body management), more creative (e.g. workspace engineering and fashion design), and more technology-oriented (e.g. web ventures) carry a greater appeal for “new century” students. The immediate task of educators and professionals of all stripes is to ask themselves whether they will sit back and witness a “dumbing down” of public schooling or adjust to the changing landscape of career paths and vocations. To effectively respond to the intellectual, artistic, and entrepreneurial talents of school age children, we must fill the gaps in their academic lives with meaningful learning options or we run the risk of alienating a large segment of the K-12 population and therefore becoming irrelevant to the long-term interests of our future leaders, citizens, and workers.
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