I think that nationally the level of high school teaching has declined to the point where “Community College” is now 2 years of the old senior year in high school.
I employ a couple very bright young people. One of them wrote a list of the things he didn’t learn in high school that I had to teach him - things that were part of my high school (graduated in 1969 and I did NOT go to college).
Here is a partial list:
- How and why to vote. Used to be called Civics.
- How to use banking (checks, savings, etc). Used to be called Home economics or something similar.
- PRACTICAL math. This was the course that the “vo-tech” kids took and taught how to use math every day.
- A simple, general shop class. How things work like your kitchen sink, toilet, your car and the like. When I was in school EVERYONE took a shop or home economics course.
- A basic human biology course. He learned all about sex but learned nothing about kidneys, livers, gall bladders, etc.
The list goes on to include about 30 things.
So high school is now geared toward teaching just enough so a kid can get into college, but not enough so upon graduation a kid can function in the working world.
You, sir, should be directing education. There is more of worth in your reply than exists in the vast majority of out “education “ faculties in both high school and college.