| This is reflected throughout the educational system. I had a chance to speak with my AP bio teacher from HS recently, and he was concerned with the number of kids that were earning C's, D's, and F's in his class, and how the number seemed to go up every year. It had nothing to do with new material or a change in the grading of the course- rather, there were more kids in the class each year that shouldn't have been. Students are basically demanding to be placed in classes where they really don't belong, due to the pressure to take all the AP classes they can so they can get into a "good" college and then a "good" job down the road. I think an emphasis on vocational training benefit society as a whole. The way the system is set up right now, it's pressuring kids to go to college that really don't belong there. Those same kids are terrified by guidance counselors, well-meaning-but-under-informed parents, and media reports into thinking that if they don't go to college, they'll fail at life.
Side note: Does anyone happen to know what the average starting salary would be for a newly-trained electrician or carpenter? I have a feeling it would help my argument. |