How to Make High School Meaningful for Everyone

I learned a couple of days ago through The National Center for Learning Disabilities that President Obama has mandated local training programs be made available for young adults with learning disabilities. I am so excited about this because because it shows that somebody in the educational trenches has finally made their way into the federal government to let the powers that be know that “Get ’em all college ready” is just not a viable approach to providing positive future outcomes for all students. 

Not only are there significant numbers of students who come to school lacking basic academic skills who need extra learning time to catch up (which, often times, they cannot commit to because of responsibilities at home), but there are also some students who are just not interested in going to college. Not interested at all. I think that many folks who are from privileged backgrounds forget that not everyone wants to live to work. Some folks want to work… so they can live. They don’t want a high powered job that has them working 60 hours a week. At least, they don’t think they want it age at 18. And that’s okay. Life is long. There is plenty of time to figure out what you want.

Here is where I get to the point:

If we want students to be interested in high school, we have to make it relevant. “This will help you pass the VERY UNIMPORTANT TEST” is just not good enough. Learning doesn’t just happen at school. Sometimes it happens at Career One Stop, at an internship, at a conversation around the dinner table with family, on line at the super market. As teachers, we need to point students in a direction that will help them achieve their goals, even if we don’t approve. And sometimes that will mean NOT sending them to college, but to a training opportunity that appeals to their own sense of what is important in the world.