Career Coaches in High School
Do high school students need career coaches? A Virginia newspaper's profile of a recently hired career coach raises the question for me. It sounds as though the coach is probably a great asset to the school, offering students various interest assessments as well as giving them a good look at the training and requirements of different careers.
But I do wonder how early students should be defining their career paths. My father always told his kids—there are four of us—to study what we loved or what interested us in college, rather than prepare for our careers. Elsewhere in Virginia, however, career coaches are being deployed in high schools to combat some worrisome statistics: More than a quarter of the state's students entering ninth grade don't graduate within four years, and more than half of those students don't move on to postsecondary education. The results look quite good. The Winchester Star reports that in high schools with career coaches, 40 percent of students who lacked college plans now have them.
Tags: careers | high schools | students
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to know more about the college.
Hi
I will like to know more about the college,i am a cameroonian and a student in hight school ,i am a student and the same time a footballer,i wish to continue with my career over there,i will like to be part of the college and also increase with my education and the same time with my career,i done what to do,please you people should educate me how do go about it,
Thanks for understanding
from princewill.
Post high school education
We are facing a shortage of tradesmen as the older carpenters, electricians, plumbers, auto machanics retire.
These are good paying needed jobs which can't be outsourced! Why aren't young people going into them these days? A college degree does not gaurentee anyone a good future, and a decent income. Too many students are dropping out because not everyone should be headed in a purely accademic direction. We need more good trade shools and cources in these areas
It's time we took another look at our educational system.
JIm Curtice,
retired high shcool teacher
Counseling
A "career coach"? Isn't that what guidance counselors are for?
There was a day when counselors did this job. They completed career interest surveys, counseled students on the courses to take for their interests, both career and personal.
As Mr. Curtis points out, there are many trades jobs that need filling in this country. They are also the jobs that are not being outsourced rapidly out of country. I guarantee you I'll never send to India for a plumber, even though that's who I talk to for computer customer support. Meanwhile, that plumber is making more than a teacher with a master's degree.
Unfortunately our misguided national education directives are designed with the goal of getting all students to attend college. Programs for advanced students are stripped to free resources for lower academically achieving students. The lower achievers are constantly confronted with the stress of achieving at a college prep level and many leave school with less education feeling defeated.
"No Child Left Behind" or "Numerous Children Left Behind"? It's time to get in the time machine, go back thirty years, embrace tracking, industrial arts and stop trying to mandate learning.
A Frustrated Teacher
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Apr 11, 2008 08:50:54 AM [permalink] [report comment]