Be Serious

By Ryan Post

Parents dont send your kids to college! To understand the meaning behind that statement, keep reading. College is a place where students go to follow their dreams, finally having the option of choosing their own area of study, instead of being force fed a curriculum by people who know nothing about their wants and likes. But college, unlike a K-12 education, is not for everyone, at least in the sense that anyone can be successful in a university setting. College also is too expensive, requires too much time, and results with a degree but no experience. The State of Georgia no longer makes a distinction in the diplomas offered to high school students who may or may not be college bound. All students follow a curriculum that emphasizes math, English, science, and social studies. Also required are one unit of Health and Physical Education and three units of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE), and/or Modern Language/Latin, and/or Fine Arts. Students who attend Coweta County Schools for all four years of high school will have the opportunity to take 32 Carnegie Units of coursework. The aforementioned core classes account for 23 of those units. With all the requirements taken care of, each student has the opportunity to choose 10-12 electives. (If college bound, 2 electives must be foreign language.) This could be a time where the desires of the student may serve as a window to their future, in other words, to see where their individual interests lie. Each student may choose from a variety of advanced placement, theater, music, technical, engineering, language, and physical education classes, but just because a student finds a welding class interesting does not mean he or she will be a welder. If a students desires lean more towards a hands-on technical field, this may demonstrate, over the period of four years, an inclination towards a career in a technical field. If a 2013 Ryan Post

student shows a desire to go to a four-year university, then he or she should also have the ability to demonstrate an aptitude to be successful in classes that are less hands-on and more conceptual in nature while in high school. The two descriptors mentioned previously, desire and ability, must weigh in during the decisionmaking process that leads to post-graduation occupations. Is it realistic that going to a four-year university will better prepare a student for their career if they desire an occupation with a knowledge base that can be satisfied through technical training (i.e. technical school)? Also, should a student who lacks the ability or desire to attend a four-year university be subjected to the rigor that type of education requires if they will ultimately be unsuccessful? In many cases desire is the variable that can make or break an education. Parents, are you ready for your child to be living at home after high school without a job (that allows your son or daughter to become independent) or without any plan on attending college? How you, as a parent, handle the learning process of your child during high school may better prepare him or her to experience post-graduate success as a student or employee. Either option (student or employee) should be considered as gainfully employed if the child is making the most of his or her experience. Realistically, most college students can simply attend classes and spend the minimum amount of time studying to earn average grades that result in a college diploma. What future does this prepare the student for? That student will leave college without practical training and little experience to succeed in the workplace. This is in contrast to a student who attempts to gain an in-depth knowledge of the material presented in each class by dedicating time and energy towards studying above and beyond the average student. Would you walk into Disney World, look at the castle, and turn around and leave? No, you do your best to arrive early and stay late fighting the weather and fatigue to get your moneys worth, leaving only when the parade is over. There is no better way to

describe the approach every college student should have to education. A college education is to you whatever you decide to get out of it. A typical program may require 10-20 hours of study outside the classroom at a minimum, but to be the best, 40 hours per week may be necessary. A student who appreciates the value of an education will attempt to get his or her moneys worth. While still lacking practical training, the student who applies himself or herself will achieve a higher level of learning. Using Blooms Taxonomy, or Higher Oder Thinking Skills (HOTS), this student would gain the ability to analyze, evaluate and create using the ideas learned, making him or her more desirable to a future employer. Unfortunately, in the educational process there are avenues that enable a student to be less than adequate. A student may fail a course, drop a course, or request an incomplete. Short of having a personal emergency, paying for a course and earning one of these may demonstrate the lack of desire to be successful. As a parent, if you control the purse strings on your childs education, you must make yourself aware of his or her progress. This is your investment, and it may be the last time you have the ability to shape the outcome of their adult life. Technical College: A Viable Option Technical colleges have changed the landscape of job preparation over the last few decades. Many jobs that were once learned in the military or through apprenticeship can now be learned through a fixed number of classes where classroom learning blends with hands-on experience. Technical colleges have a relatively low cost of attendance compared to a state university, and the fact that the same financial aid is available (HOPE, grants, scholarships, and loans), enables many students to afford the quality education the technical schools offer. One years tuition at West Georgia Tech is roughly $2,400.00 per year while the tuition at The University of West Georgia is around $6,700.00 per year. 2013 Ryan Post

A technical college program is typically two years in length. For example, West Georgia Technical College offers a 51-credit degree program in Air Conditioning Technology. According to their website, The Air Conditioning Technology diploma program is a sequence of courses that prepares students for careers in the air conditioning industry. Learning opportunities develop academic, occupational, and professional knowledge and skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement. The program emphasizes a combination of air conditioning theory and practical application necessary for successful employment. This program includes Fundamental Math, Fundamental English, and Interpersonal Relations and Professional Development courses as part of the curriculum. Upon completion of the program, each student will have the knowledge, similar to what a university student would experience, but the technical college graduate will also receive practical training. This type of education often allows the student to see the fruits of their labor. What is learned in the classroom is directly put to use, in the case above, on air conditioning systems. This does not suggest that the education offered at a four-year liberal arts university is not practical. On the contrary, the education received from a university enables the student to enter workplace with a sufficient amount of knowledge to be successful, but it does not, however, train the student for a specific type of work experience. A student who earns a Bachelors Degree in Biology may find employment as a teacher, researcher, laboratory technician, pharmaceutical sales rep, or in a position where simply having a bachelors degree is required. Technical College and Sports West Georgia Technical College recently announced the addition of football to its list of sports that includes Baseball, Mens and Womens Basketball, Softball, and Womens Volleyball. The football team will participate at the NJCAA Division I level joining Georgia Military College as the only schools offering football at that level in the state. Football at West Georgia Technical College will be very competitive due to the number of potential players in the state who want the opportunities a

technical degree can offer. This category of high school graduates has not previously had an opportunity to play intercollegiate football in Georgia except at the club level. The coaching staff should be able to put together a team that can compete right away in the NJCAA. There are 26 colleges as part of the Technical College System of Georgia. Each of these schools has both similar and unique fields of study compared to West Georgia Tech. Some of the schools also field teams in a few different sports, with the most common sport being basketball.

apprenticeship program lasts four years with a range of two to six years. West Georgia Technical College http://www.westgatech.edu/Academics/AirConditionin g/AirConditioning_Dip.pdf Technical College System of Georgia https://tcsg.edu/index.php

Dont send your kids to college! Your kids shouldnt be sent to college, they should earn their way by having a plan and by educating themselves about all the opportunities that are available. If your son or daughter doesnt have a plan, then any college is too expensive an investment. Does college take too much time? It depends on whose time it is. If the student cant maintain focus over the duration of a four-year education, then the answer is yes. College results in the awarding of a degree, and sometimes that is enough. On the other hand, some students need practical training to provide some sense of direction for their professional careers to take off. College cant be treated as a rite of passage or the next step. College attendance has to be a conscious choice and it has to be a fit for each student. Try to learn a little bit about your son or daughter in regard to which type of education may suit him or her as they make their way through high school. What you find out may ease their transition into being responsible, independent adults. References: U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeships http://www.doleta.gov/OA/apprenticeship.cfm Apprenticeship is still one option that is outside the realm of a formal education. The United States Department of Labors Office of Apprenticeship states that over 130,000 people were in registered apprenticeship programs in 2011. These programs allow the apprentice to earn and learn. The typical 2013 Ryan Post

Ryan Post has been coaching football since 1991 in both Florida and Georgia. He has been teaching and coaching at East Coweta High School since 2009.