What do you think of a eleventh grader leaving a private school for a technical

I'm a Medical Technologist with a teaching specialty. My teaching experience is primarily at the community college level. The scariest thing I've noticed over the years is the decline in students' abilities coming out of high school. They are definitely not improving as it should be. Many can't write anything to save their lives. I am truly afraid for the future of our children and country if we don't turn things around and put the emphasis back on education at all levels.

wlarson, may I ask what you do now? Do you still teach in a different environment?

With the price of higher education and fewer opportunities for scholarships, technical schools are the answer for many students. University/college is not for every student with fewer better paying jobs available once they have finished. Many students simply do not want four more years of the same stress levels they just experienced. They are also not willing to make the financial investment with no guarantee of a job to pay off the debt once they are finished. Our Universities and colleges are also not changing their programs to meet the realistic needs in the work place. To say they are out of touch is an understatement. That is why I no longer teach in that setting. For example, there is absolutely no reason to force students to learn all the bones in the body when they are in a Medical Transcriptionist program. As an educator, I felt I was beating my head against the wall to enact positive changes that would equip my students to actually perform better on the job.

Mechanical Diagnostics sounds like automotive or car repair to me(?) , is it what used to be called "shop" ? I'm very antiquated and not very well informed on these things however, if he has a gift a nd the desire and interest in something he will be motivated to succeed and that is a wonderful thing ! doing what he likes to do , by all means encourage him in it , the highschool diploma also will open doors to him , should his mechanical dx lead to higher education in that field of endeavor or well I just recently saw movie "Iron Man" so if you've seen that well you can relate to the Mechanics of it all .