Not Everyone Needs a BA
As suggested by Dr. Lowell in his post Mulling Tuition Policy, I read the article by Scott Jaschik. What was quoted in the last paragraph really caught my attention and reminded me of the things we’ve discussed previously. He quotes a college trustee who is responding to comments from others who lament the fact that colleges are only giving aid to the “motivated and wise” thereby limiting access to the lower echelon of students.
“But a trustee in the audience shot back: “If you are the slightest bit motivated, you can get a 3.0,” referring to a common grade requirement for scholarships. And if failing to meet that requirement means some students can’t go on after community college, she said that was fine. “Not everyone needs a bachelor’s degree. We need good auto mechanics and carpenters,” she said.’
I agree with the trustee. Auto mechanics and carpentry are very respectable vocations. I believe that we should realize that there are many good professions that don’t require a 4 year degree. Education is a wonderful thing that alleviates many problems in the world, but we have gotten to a point in which we act as though those who get the most education are better than those who have less education. It seems that it’s the degree that matters more than what the person actually accomplishes. Many valuable jobs don’t require that degree ….. knowledge-yes …… experience…..yes….LEARNING….yes, but perhaps not the way in which we are accustomed. I’m reminded once again of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory and the various ways in which each individual is “smart”. We have been conditioned to think about academic intelligence as the ultimate intelligence and looking at others as somehow secondary or inferior. Traditionally, schools have functioned to teach to this type of intelligence. More recently, we see more differentiated instruction, but I think we need more change to bring about a system that helps students learn what they are best at. After all, who could be “motivated and wise” in an area that their brain just doesn’t function well in. Why ignore strengths to focus on avenues that will lead to dead ends (no degree or one that doesn’t help them ) for many. Equity and access t0 appropriate education is a creed we could all adopt. In many cases, all we do is teach students to play the game. To do what it takes to get the grades to go to college and get the degree. The focus is not really on learning. They play the game and then go out and learn things that are motivating to them. If education were geared more toward individual strengths, I think students would be more motivated to learn.
