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Too Snobby for Shop
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0803/jjacobs.html ^ | July 21, 2003 / 21 Tamuz, 5763 | Joanne Jacobs

Posted on 08/29/2003 7:34:18 PM PDT by paltz

With a few years of experience, an auto mechanic at a dealership can earn $80,000 a year. But high schools are eliminating auto shop classes, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The equipment is costly, industrial tech (shop) teachers are hard to find and students' schedules are filled with college-prep classes. Students assume the only way to make a living is to go to college, but many don't have the motivation or the academic skills to earn a college degree. Only about half of students who enroll in college ever earn a degree; most of those who graduate won't be earning $80,000 a year.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: education; vocationaleducation; votech
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1 posted on 08/29/2003 7:34:18 PM PDT by paltz
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To: paltz
LINK
2 posted on 08/29/2003 7:36:30 PM PDT by paltz
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To: paltz
Too Snobby for Shop http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | With a few years of experience, an auto mechanic at a dealership can earn $80,000 a year. But high schools are eliminating auto shop classes, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The equipment is costly, industrial tech (shop) teachers are hard to find and students' schedules are filled with college-prep classes. Students assume the only way to make a living is to go to college, but many don't have the motivation or the academic skills to earn a college degree. Only about half of students who enroll in college ever earn a degree; most of those who graduate won't be earning $80,000 a year.

Community colleges are picking up the slack. But students often enter with no hands-on skills: They don't know how to change the oil, or how big a 13 mm wrench is. And many can't read well enough to understand the manual or use the diagnostic data on the computer screen. Qualifying for a skilled trade  is more demanding than qualifying for most colleges.

Many slacker students, bored and frustrated by college-prep courses, would work much harder on reading and math if they knew what they had to do to get an $80,000-a-year job. But the snobbery of the times tells students they have to sit in a classroom for 16 years -- with or without learning anything -- to earn a living.

BA, Then GED

A New York City father is being investigated for "educational neglect" for failing to send his daughter to high school. Daniel Lipsman enrolled his daughter in college after she finished eighth grade at P.S. 187. Now 15, Angela Lipsman has a 3.84 average and enough credits for an AA degree. But she's considered truant from high school till she turns 16, and she can't take the GED till she's 17. By then, she's likely to have her BA, reports the New York Daily News.

"It's very demoralizing," said Lipsman, who vowed that he'll "go to prison before my daughter goes to a city high school."

He's a retired teacher.

'Highly Qualified' is a Long Way Away

Only 54 percent of middle and high school teachers were "highly qualified" to teach their subjects in 2000, by the standards of the federal No Child Left Behind law, Associated Press reports:

Nearly half of the nation's middle and high school teachers were not highly qualified to teach their topics in 2000, a report to Congress says.

Federal law defines highly qualified teachers as those who hold a bachelor's degree from a four-year college, have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.

The 2002 law requires that by the school year beginning in 2005, there must be highly qualified teachers in every class for core subjects, including English, math, science and history.

Meeting that deadline is "going to be challenging. It's going to be tough," Education Secretary Rod Paige said Tuesday. "But it's necessary, and it's going to be done."

It will not be done. It can't be done. Not unless "highly qualified" is redefined as "having a pulse."

Teacher Pay Rises

The average teacher earns $44,367 a year, according to the American Federation of Teachers  annual survey. That's an increase of 2.7 percent. New teachers average $30,719. California tops the list, paying $54,348 to the average teacher; Michigan, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York also are at the top of the list. The cheapest teachers work in South Dakota, earning $31,383.

While the teacher shortage has eased, AFT said math, physics, biology and Spanish teachers remain in short supply.

By the way, while the National Education Association has declared war on No Child Left Behind, AFT is trying to take the middle ground. AFT plans to challenge the criteria used to determine failing schools, but isn't opposed to testing students.

Union Cracks Down on Teacher Who Worked Too Hard

An Ontario teacher faces a reprimand and fine from his union because he tutored students after school. Jack Nahrgang, an award-winning English and history teacher, has admitted violating his union's work-to-rule campaign.

Also in Ontario, the teachers' union is trumpeting an anti-testing poll. Blogger Colby Cosh rephrases the question:

From time to time, the media publish rankings of elementary and secondary schools in the provinces based on student test results. Some people say the rankings offer an objective picture of student achievement in mastering basic skills like reading and mathematics. Some people say that these skills are completely unimportant, and that no one but a teacher should ever, ever, ever have the sheer bleeding audacity to gather data about a teacher's or school's performance. What do you think?

It's true, as the teachers' union leader says, that tests don't measure creativity, initiative, love of kittens, etc. But schools have a responsibility to teach reading and math, and neither the responsibility nor the competence to teach creativity, initiative, love of kittens, etc. Nor is there any evidence that students who can't find the main idea in a paragraph are superior in unmeasurable traits to students who can read.

3 posted on 08/29/2003 7:40:40 PM PDT by paltz
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To: paltz
They don't know how to change the oil, or how big a 13 mm wrench is.

Ummm, 13mm?

Also interesting to note that the author, presumably a professional writer, is ending a sentence with a preposition.

4 posted on 08/29/2003 7:45:35 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (Peace through Strength)
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To: paltz
With the high cost of college and outsourcing of white collar jobs, the trades may start looking attractive to more people. They offer not only the potential of decent pay, but the opportunity to be self-employed and do quite well.
5 posted on 08/29/2003 7:47:00 PM PDT by Think free or die
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To: freedumb2003
So you got an issue about people using prepositions to end sentences with?
6 posted on 08/29/2003 8:04:31 PM PDT by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: paltz
have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.

It's called the teacher protection act. College grad's that have education far and above a little teacher certificate can't teach without one. My nephew, who retired early from banking,etc., had a Dr's degree and a CPA, but he had to go back to school and get a certificate before he could teach grade school.

Anyway, as to the area of shop and auto, the average shop teacher just CANNOT understand and teach the computer stuff that makes a car run today.

7 posted on 08/29/2003 8:05:47 PM PDT by org.whodat
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To: org.whodat
" the average shop teacher just CANNOT understand and teach the computer stuff that makes a car run today."

While it's true that the electronics in cars have changed the picture, they still have a heck of a lot of mechanical stuff in them. There's also a place for learning building trades, and for those kids who aren't college bound, some instruction during high school would seem to be a useful and productive use of their time.

8 posted on 08/29/2003 8:20:16 PM PDT by Think free or die
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To: paltz
Federal law defines highly qualified teachers as those who hold a bachelor's degree from a four-year college, have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.

I'm confused. In my state, to receive state certification one must have, at minimum, a bachelor's degree from a four-year college, and have passed the PRAXIS in one's subject area (which I assume demonstrates competence in the subject area).

Somehow, I can't imagine other states requiring less than Georgia does...so shouldn't all certified teachers meet the Federal definition of "highly qualified"? What am I missing here?

9 posted on 08/29/2003 8:23:21 PM PDT by Amelia
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To: paltz
The dirty little secret is that master plumbers make much more money than college professors.

But what high school councelor is going to tell a student that plumbing is a highly lucrative field?

LOL
10 posted on 08/29/2003 8:30:58 PM PDT by Conservababe
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To: Conservababe
"The dirty little secret is that master plumbers make much more money than college professors. "

We recently had a bathroom re-tiled. The tiling firm is a 2nd generation family business started by a Polish immigrant in the '50's. They've built the business into a fat little vehicle to prosperity. The family members have vacation properties at the seashore and the mountains, big homes, etc. They worked hard for it, provide excellent quality work and they've done well financially. The American Dream. Our next door neighbor is a very successful roofing contractor. While the rest of us worry about outsourced jobs and layoffs, they carry on and live well.

11 posted on 08/29/2003 8:45:39 PM PDT by Think free or die
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To: Think free or die
One plumber in our small town has an answering machine that says "if this is an emergency, I will get back to you tomorrow".

Job security? Yes.

LOL
12 posted on 08/29/2003 9:25:09 PM PDT by Conservababe
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To: freedumb2003
Ending sentences with prepostions is something with which I will not put.
13 posted on 08/29/2003 9:28:37 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: freedumb2003
Also interesting to note that the author, presumably a professional writer, is ending a sentence with a preposition.

There's actually nothing "wrong" with ending a sentence with a preposition. The entire concept of it being ungrammatical comes from a single textbook written by a single author a couple of hundred years ago. And even he admitted he just made the rule up because he didn't like the way such sentences sound, and his opinion on the matter shouldn't be taken as gospel.

14 posted on 08/29/2003 9:30:18 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: Think free or die
There's a lot to be said for teaching them how to fix lawnmowers, or older cars that have simple push-rod design and antiquated carburetors.

The educational part comes with overcoming reluctance to "tear into" something, to see how components interact with each other, how to correctly tighten fasteners with a torque wrench, all sorts of things. The importance of good electrical grounds, etc etc. I've fixed countless items just by "fiddle-faddling" with them, the important thing is to get people out of the very un-Zen mentality of "Oh, it's broke, better buy a new one or spend $$$$ paying someone to repair it.
15 posted on 08/29/2003 9:33:48 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: Conservababe
The dirty little secret is that master plumbers make much more money than college professors

My grandfather was one of the first black master plumbers in DC. The family legend is that he made $30,000 a year during the Depression. They had their own house, car, my mother went to private camp, was a debutante, and she and her 2 brothers all went to college, back when blacks had next to nothing and whites had only a little more. My family still has much of the estate my grandfather was able to build up from being 'just' a plumber.

ps, my mother taught me to do a lot of my own plumbing. Since i'm going to be a college professor, maybe the plumbing skills will come in handy. : )

16 posted on 08/29/2003 9:36:46 PM PDT by radiohead
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To: Conservababe; Think free or die
We just had a tree cut down in our backyard about a month ago (it was already weak from a storm last year; new storm damage caused it to break in half, and it looked like the remaining half was ready to fall onto the house). We called several tree removal people over for estimates. Some of them wanted as much as $450 (though we found someone to do it for $250.) All of them wanted to be paid in cash and offered us a substantial discount if we would do so. (Hey, fine with us.)

Amount of time from their arrival until all signs of the ex-tree were gone, save for the tiny stump: About fifteen minutes.

The "team" was just a guy and his wife. And they were out of here as fast as they could get their buzzsaw and chipper back onto their truck, because they had a number of other jobs to do that day. They must be rolling in cash, and I'll bet not even half of it ever gets reported to the IRS.

17 posted on 08/29/2003 9:39:15 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: Freedom4US
The educational part comes with overcoming reluctance to "tear into" something, to see how components interact with each other, how to correctly tighten fasteners with a torque wrench, all sorts of things. The importance of good electrical grounds, etc etc. I've fixed countless items just by "fiddle-faddling" with them, the important thing is to get people out of the very un-Zen mentality of "Oh, it's broke, better buy a new one or spend $$$$ paying someone to repair it.

Don't forget the concept of "planned obsolescence"!

18 posted on 08/29/2003 9:41:28 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: Amelia
PRAXIS Please explain this word. I've heard it used in relation to protestors who were praxis artists.
19 posted on 08/29/2003 9:46:00 PM PDT by Libertina
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To: radiohead
What a great story of your family's success.

Yep, keep your plumbing skills handy.

Even Audie Murphy always kept his railroad license up to date. He said being an actor was just temporary.

20 posted on 08/29/2003 9:46:25 PM PDT by Conservababe
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