I Have a Dream
I have a dream that one day I will get my basement bathroom renovated.
It’s a simple dream.
I know I need time and money and a professional who can replace fixtures and build me a cute little closet for some towels. Nothing fancy, but Pinterest does have some really adorable ideas…
The issue with my dream is that I cannot find a reasonably priced professional to help me who:
- Can return phone calls
- Has good time management
- Can give me a clear cost/timeline proposal
If you or anyone you know has tried to hire an independent contractor, you know the pain I am speaking of. The best contractors are in such high demand that you cannot reach them. Their voicemail boxes are always full, they don’t have websites or advertise (because they don’t have to), and you have to fight to get facetime because right behind you are all the other people who are chasing those Chip & Joanna dreams. Suddenly my friends and neighbors are my competitors when it comes to home renovations! The early bird gets the worm – or finished bathroom as the case may be.
As a person who works in education, there is a clear culprit: our schools.
There was a time when we allowed and even encouraged students to actually learn trades and become very good at them. Those days have fallen away and what we are left with are a zillion home improvement projects that just cannot seem to get done.
All the people who used to go into these fields were advised by well-meaning people in education to “aim high” and take AP courses and get good grades and make sure to get a four-year degree.
The unintended consequence is that we now have a void in the area of skilled trades. It’s been well documented over the years (click here and here to read more).
It was an innocent mistake. Those of us who love schools (and spend adulthood in them) thought it would be a good idea if everyone – no matter what – pursued a 4 year education and less trade skills. And we start advising this in middle school. What could go wrong, right?
So here we are.
We still really need plumbers, painters, brick layers, and contractors of all kinds. Dependable and skilled workers for all our sectors of society. And it’s not that our skilled workforce cannot be academic and intellectual, it’s just that it’s not practical for everyone to go to a 4 year university (and beyond) when we need them spending time OUTSIDE the traditional classroom walls. There is a lot of value in the highest level courses in our high schools, but there is also a lot of pain involved when we think this is the right path for all students.
There are multiple paths to success, just like there are multiple paths to knowledge. I encourage our schools to work to really move beyond a cookie cutter approach to scheduling and career development. Let’s really learn our students, educate them, and advise them into a variety of career paths that reflect all of our society, not just one sector. A wise man once said, “their destiny is tied up with our destiny.”
So guidance counselors, policy makers, and educational leaders of all kinds, I am calling you out. End the madness. Please move beyond the goal of everyone being in the traditional university pipeline and move towards a goal that is inclusive of all our learners (and all their gifts).
Because after my bathroom gets done, I have a few more items to check off on my renovation list.
And that would be a dream come true.
Alice & Hope