Giving Techs a Chance

I want to set one thing straight technical schools are not just for people who do not want to go to college.  Tech schools are also not just for people who are less intelligent than their peers in a "traditional" school setting.  One of my professors actually said that the majority of the books in the tech school's libraries are graphic novels.  When our class asked her why she told us it was because the students at technical schools are at lower reading levels than most other students their age.  I was livid after being told that. 

People seem to be stuck in an old mind frame about technical schools which was that only the dumb kids who wouldn’t make it in the world go to trade schools.  People seem to have trouble understanding that a technical school just offers a different way of teaching.  According to the Massachusetts Department of Education website, tech schools like, Shawsheen Regional Technical School, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational School, Nashoba Valley Regional Technical School, and Essex North Shore Agricultural Technical High School, have a majority of their students pass the MCAS with either Proficient or Advanced.  I went to a vocational high school and people told me that I was wasting my time and I was better than that.  I was also told that since I went to a tech I would never make it in college because there was no point in getting a higher education.   

One of the things that most people do not realize now are that the shops or trades in these schools are expanding.  In fact my high school just recently added a veterinary tech assistant program.  These programs have gone from the basic no need for extra schooling (electrical, plumbing, carpentry) to advance programs where more education is needed (engineering, health assisting, robotics).  Granted you get a basic certificate and can work lower jobs but if you ever want to make it in some professions you will still have to go to school.  This is my case.  I graduated from the Early Childhood Education program with my Massachusetts teaching certificate in infants, toddlers, and preschool.  I want to teach kindergarten and now most school districts now require teachers to get their masters degrees.  So it is necessary for tech school students to get a higher education to advance in the job world.    

Students go to technical schools for many different reasons.  The main reason that these schools are becoming more and more popular is because you get a chance to explore and learn about different professions before you actually attend college or get a job in that field.  The reason that students go to these schools is not just based on how good a student is in school or if they struggle.