Today in my Philosophy of Education class, someone brought up this situation:
Suppose you are a teacher in a high school, and you have a student who has a job outside of school. Now suppose that this job pays pretty well, and the student has decided that he/she no longer needs to attend school since he/she is making decent money with the job he/she has now. As people who clearly have an appreciation for education, since we all have undergraduate degrees and are planning on making education our careers, how should we approach this situation? If this student feels that a high school education (let alone any high education) has nothing to offer, that time spent at school is time that he/she could be making money?
What if this situation is more complicated than just a unappreciation of education? What if the student needs the money in order to support him/herself, or even worse, siblings, dependents, or other family members? How would we approach these situations?
7 comments:
I think that at this point the teacher must tell the student why education is important and that the student should stay in school in case something happens down the road. It should be easier to find work when you have some sort of education. I don't believe the role of a teacher is to tell the student what they can and can't do in life but we can encourage education as a path that is worth choosing.
However, ultimately the parents and the student will make the final call. Maybe the job that they are working is something that they have wanted to do their whole life or a job that they are really happy with. Also for some people, time away from school enables them to come back later with a renewed sense of commitment.
I agree that as teachers we should encourage students to recognize the value of education. It's important to recognize that a diploma will offer choices for the future that a job may not. Although their job may meet all their needs at the time, they should have the option of changing their mind later on.
Sometimes, though, it just may not be possible to motivate them. And I think that in reality some people really don't need school. There are many examples of successful, happy people without a high school education. The problem is knowing which people will find satisfaction through their jobs, and who are the ones who will regret it and struggle later on.
Also, reality is that some students have a raw deal with family / life in general, and school can't even begin to top their priorities. I don't know if this is an area that we can overcome as teachers.
Another point one could raise is that school isn't just about setting you up for a good job. I think the biggest thing I took away from my university experience was how much I learned about myself and how much I developed as a person in respect to my ideas, the way I communicated, and my interactions with others (including my interactions with knowledge). Those experiences may not be as readily available in certain work settings.
I don't think that education is always necessary for a successful life (whatever that may be), but I do think that it can definitely enrich your life, and open doors that you didn't even know were there.
I have to grudgingly admit that after 5 years in University, my post-graduation position paid less than half of what my fiancee makes with no formal education (past high school). The catch is that I have been doing something I LOVE and spent 5 years learning about stuff that I love. However, a lot of our students won't have the choice between these options and the majority will decide to start working rather than concentrate on further education. I think that it would be important as educators to try and relay to them the importance of finishing a high school diploma...even if it ends there. This will definitely leave more doors open for them, even for apprenticeships and trade careers. You only get to be a high school student once (hopefully) and I think it is important to get to have this relatively care-free experience and not have to take on all of the responsibilities of adulthood too early. However, as Leanna has mentioned before, for those students who are juggling a lot, a separate set of expectations might be appropriate for them.
I think if the career path the student has chosen is lucrative it may be worthwhile to encourage what they do. But the situation is not specific enough to make a judgement. However, it is important to inform the student that job markats can change rapidly, and if that happens they could be left with no education and no job. In the very least convince the student to do distance education.
As a teacher it would be our job to help them make an educated and informed decision instead of a rash one. However, if the student is under 16 they have to continue with school. After that the decision (legally) is theirs to make. Some students just do not do well in a traditional school. Perhaps it would be the time to discuss other options (like alternative schools) to get them completeing their diploma.
In response to Natalie's comment, that school is beyond preparing someone for a job... if school is about educating students for life in general, including what they learn about themselves, I have empathy for those who feel like they would learn more about themselves, and learn more for the 'real world' than they could learn in school. My most educative experiences were in my various jobs. Of course a person will have more opportunities in the future if they have a high school diploma, but that system doesn't work for everyone. Teachers should encourage students to stay in school, but there will be the odd student who may be better learning those life lessons outside of school. If student is leaving school for a job, it's better than leaving school to do nothing.
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