Over ten years ago, the philosophy in the Los Angeles Unified School District changed. Constantly, the school and teachers were encouraged to talk about college, and the low-level math and English classes were dropped and only middle and upper levels offered. (This did not include the classes for second language learners.) I was not strong in mathematics and thank God I took a math class in 9th grade which strengthened my skills, many of which I didn't learn because our military family moved around a lot. And thank God I only had to take Pre-Algebra only or I would still be in high school. I was furious with our school district. Each student has their strengths, weaknesses, and interests, so why is it necessary to force students to take so many advanced courses?
The core classes at my high school became more rigorous to ready our students for college. That's when the fun went out of teaching English for me. I couldn't be creative with my lessons because we were expected to use two workbooks to teach from. And to be honest, it wasn't like we weren't teaching these concepts already, but now it was just too much of the same thing.
By 11th and 12th grade, we should be offering students opportunities to learn a trade. Besides teaching them the basics. Don't we need plumbers, draftsmen, cooks, electricians, contractors, computer programmers, welders, medical and dental assistants, etc.? I just don’t get it. We have made some minor changes in our educational systems, but not enough. Oceanside, CA, actually has a high school trade school, and yet many districts across the U.S. still haven't created one. I wonder if we're trying to keep up with China and other Asian countries? Is it healthy to place so much pressure on our students?
May 14, 2014, South China Morning Post. Official statistics on youth suicides are hard to obtain, but a health ministry journal wrote that about 500 primary and middle school students kill themselves every year.
The 2014 Annual Report on China’s Education, was released after a spate of suicides caused concern over the country’s high-pressure education system, where progress is based on key tests, including entrance exams for high school and university. Many young people killed themselves because “they could not bear the heavy pressure of the test-oriented education system,” said the findings, quoted in the state-run China Daily newspaper. The annual report was compiled by the government and education associations across China.
Children who were diagnosed with either anxiety or depression from ages 6-17 have increased from 5.4% in 2003 to 8% in 2007 and to 8.4% in 2011-2012. (National Survey of Children's Health)
Is this really the world that we want? Many of our kids feel extremely pressured because of high school requirements, teen trauma, and the state of our world. But now, students have to take all these advanced science and math classes that will have nothing to do with what they want to do as adults. I wish more high schools in the United States would have job training and apprenticeships or build trade schools in every district. It has improved, but we still have a long way to go.
A personal story....
Our son, Kyle, loved learning but always struggled in school and hated the pressure of school. Once he hit high school, every once in a while, Alan and I would ask him what he thought he’d major in or do to pay the bills. He thought he'd like to be an architect. We suggested that he go into something with computers because he was a natural at fixing them, rebuilding them, etc.
He responded, “Oh, mom, anyone can fix programs and design web pages or create codes.” Alan shared that he couldn’t do anything like that, and Kyle laughed and told him, "That’s because you're old. We chuckled; he was probably right.
He responded, “Oh, mom, anyone can fix programs and design web pages or create codes.” Alan shared that he couldn’t do anything like that, and Kyle laughed and told him, "That’s because you're old. We chuckled; he was probably right.
Kyle also toyed around with the idea of becoming a history and P.E. teacher for the upper grades. But he finally decided to go into architecture because he loved buildings and didn’t know what else to major in.
After Kyle had his breakdown in January, induced by using drugs in the middle of his first year of college, I had him drop the math class he was attempting to make up during the winter break. Alan and I concurred that he needed to take off the Fall semester. But by the Spring semester, Kyle insisted that he was well enough to take classes at Santa Monica College even though the meds were barely working. I suggested that maybe he should only take two courses. He decided to retake the advanced math class and another class. He could scarcely focus past his arm, and his body still looked like he had picked up a hot wire because he’d jerk around in bizarre contorted movements and scratch or smack a spot on his body anywhere sporadically. He shared with me that he could still read people's thoughts. My heart just melted each time I watched Kyle struggle to stay focused. Even though we had a tutor for him, it was useless.
I suggested that he drop out of school. He, of course, cried, afraid that his father would get mad, but I guaranteed him that he wouldn’t. Alan even told him the priority right now was to get well and not stress out over school. But Kyle still didn’t want to drop the two classes; he said he’d feel like a failure. I told him that I left school for a year-and-a-half to get my act together because I wasn’t focused and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do professionally. He was surprised to hear that. His sister tried to help him, but she had two A.P. classes. (college classes and was in a play, so I hired a tutor. But after a few more weeks, he dropped out. He was depressed for a while because he felt like a failure. That sense of failure was taught through the school's philosophy that getting a degree is the only thing a teen should be thinking about. Nothing was ever mentioned about trade school, on-the-job training, etc.
I suggested that he drop out of school. He, of course, cried, afraid that his father would get mad, but I guaranteed him that he wouldn’t. Alan even told him the priority right now was to get well and not stress out over school. But Kyle still didn’t want to drop the two classes; he said he’d feel like a failure. I told him that I left school for a year-and-a-half to get my act together because I wasn’t focused and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do professionally. He was surprised to hear that. His sister tried to help him, but she had two A.P. classes. (college classes and was in a play, so I hired a tutor. But after a few more weeks, he dropped out. He was depressed for a while because he felt like a failure. That sense of failure was taught through the school's philosophy that getting a degree is the only thing a teen should be thinking about. Nothing was ever mentioned about trade school, on-the-job training, etc.
Once his meds were balanced, it was like night and day. He still spoke about going back into architecture, so I brought home books on jobs related to architecture so that he could see that there were other jobs related to architecture without going for a B.A..He'd get paid $50 or more an hour. However, he still refused to go that route. I shared that there were tons of jobs he could just train with someone or go to a tech school for a year or two, which wouldn't be as stressful because he wouldn't have to take all the garbage classes. But most of his friends were in school full time, so that’s what he expected from himself. Alan even tried to talk to him, but to no avail. He felt the expectation of society.
If you wish to write a personal message or share an experience, my email is tbboivin8@gmail.com I will respond in a couple of days.
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