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I really wish we put more focus on discovering strengths from a young age and developing upon those in students. College really is not for everyone. A friend o
by sharkweek 14y ago
I really wish we put more focus on discovering strengths from a young age and developing upon those in students. College really is not for everyone.
A friend of mine in high school wasn't the brightest guy when it came to the core classes, but was hands down THE guru in auto shop. The guy could disassemble an engine entirely and put it back together squeaky clean before he could even drive a car himself while I would (and still do) struggle to even change the oil.
He's now doing just fine for himself working as a manager at a local auto repair shop, and will most likely be happy doing that the rest of his life.
- donniezazen 14y agoWhen most folks are not interested in education early on and do it for purposes other than learning itself tells something about our society and education system.
- SkyMarshal 14y agoWhat's interesting to me about stories like that is, is he realizing his full potential by doing auto-repair the rest of his life, or could he have done more in a system like Germany's that might have channeled him into an apprenticeship at a BMW or Audi factory? The US educational progression has a strong bias toward one type of intelligence, and seems to more easily sideline people like your friend.
- sharkweek 14y agoGreat question -- I often wonder if the repeated "failure" in the core classes was also discouraging in being more ambitious. Obviously I'm not going to advocate for less math/science/english for someone like him, especially through at least high school, but I can't imagine it did wonders for his confidence repeatedly being required to attend after school tutoring, having to get his parents to sign failed tests, etc.
- SkyMarshal 14y agoYes, really good point about confidence and ambition too, definitely another key aspect to this issue.