Posted 8:28 pm Wednesday, August 22, 2012
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EDUCATION, August 22
As a professional, a former business owner, and a former vocational teacher, I fully support Tom Pauken’s impressive recommendations for improving our educational system in Texas. Mr. Pauken, an official with the Texas Workforce Commission, recommended that high schools provide a more diverse curriculum to students rather than focusing exclusively on state-mandated tests and college-preparatory classes. Part of his proposal would allow a student, if desired, to obtain a license or credential during high school and upon graduation, he or she could transition directly into a skilled vocation.
Our Texas legislature, made up of lawyers and other professionals, has put into place requirements for all high school students with emphasis only on a college preparatory curriculum. By inference, any curriculum other than “college-bound” is considered an inferior educational program. Very few schools now offer any vocational classes for their students. Considering the high unemployment rate for recent college graduates and the great need for skilled craftsmen and technicians in our country, minimizing craft and technical careers is short-sighted and ill-serving for everyone.
High schools need to foster all types of skill sets and to cultivate the belief that any honest work done well is honorable and deserving of support and recognition. Mr. Pauken’s proposal makes sense for our high school students needing to be engaged in a field of study interesting to them, for employers desperate for skilled technical workers, for our struggling economy and for a society that recognizes the value of each individual’s work.
Patricia G. Ross, Ph.D.
Rusk
Our Texas legislature, made up of lawyers and other professionals, has put into place requirements for all high school students with emphasis only on a college preparatory curriculum. By inference, any curriculum other than “college-bound” is considered an inferior educational program. Very few schools now offer any vocational classes for their students. Considering the high unemployment rate for recent college graduates and the great need for skilled craftsmen and technicians in our country, minimizing craft and technical careers is short-sighted and ill-serving for everyone.
High schools need to foster all types of skill sets and to cultivate the belief that any honest work done well is honorable and deserving of support and recognition. Mr. Pauken’s proposal makes sense for our high school students needing to be engaged in a field of study interesting to them, for employers desperate for skilled technical workers, for our struggling economy and for a society that recognizes the value of each individual’s work.
Patricia G. Ross, Ph.D.
Rusk
