Blog Post #2
The US Education System was created to prepare the masses for their future job as a factory worker. Is public education still preparing the masses for the most common future job, which is a retail sale representatives? What kind of jobs do you believe you are currently preparing your students for? Do you believe schools need to evolve in this area? What would that look like?
I think in a way school systems are still preparing our students for typical factory/retail jobs, but in our high school they do offer a variety of options for students to get involved in things outside of the classroom, which is great! They have a various clubs, sports and even Career Academy. I think by being involved in these things students are able to broaden their horizons and hone in the skills/crafts that make them unique and could then prepare them for a job/career that they are interested in. Career Academy was great for my own kids because it allowed them to attend classes at a community college that were tailored toward their interests and then in turn counted as dual credit. In ways, schools are evolving, but they still have many things to work on.
ReplyDeleteThe US Education System was created to prepare the masses for their future job as a factory worker. Is public education still preparing the masses for the most common future job, which is a retail sale representatives? What kind of jobs do you believe you are currently preparing your students for? Do you believe schools need to evolve in this area? What would that look like?
ReplyDeleteI don't think one can generalize that schools are still preparing the masses for a mundane future job. While I think that a lot of the current problems with the current system and the manner in which it resists change may come from this original model, I think talented educators have been changing things for some time now. I think educators are desperate to foster critical thinking and autonomy in their students, but I think that how we fund public education and the priority and respect we give to the educational system will always sabatoge those noble intentions. The fact of the matter is that until class sizes are smaller and schools prioritize teachers over the latest curriculum/ technological advancements, nothing will change on a large scale. You will still have great educators doing a great job, but no large scale evolution will take place. This is NOT the fault of the teacher, it is a fault the priority education has overall in our society.
In some ways yes it feels like we are preparing students for retail sales roles. I think there are times when it feels like all we do is prepare kids for the next grade instead of helping them explore ideas that will prepare them for the real world. We focus on learning the same thing, the same way. We have to focus on compliance in the classroom and having students follow procedures for so many things. That does not mean retail work is not valuable, but it shouldn’t be the thing we design education around, especially when the job market is changing so quickly we as educators cannot keep up! I would love to see schools, middle schoolers (at least 8th graders) and especially high schools evolve more with their curriculum to teach students REAL life skills. Things they can use across different careers as well as their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteThe US Education System was created to prepare the masses for their future job as a factory worker. Is public education still preparing the masses for the most common future job, which is a retail sale representatives? What kind of jobs do you believe you are currently preparing your students for? Do you believe schools need to evolve in this area? What would that look like?
ReplyDeleteI do think that public education is preparing the masses for retail sale representatives, but a lot of the skills that are needed come from the teacher implementing. With that, we teach students concepts of math and to be a reader, that is in the curriculum that us teachers have to follow. In the classroom, students are expected to follow expectations, get along with classmates, use problem solving skills, etc. But, that’s not from the curriculum. As teachers, we have to implement those experiences for students to learn those real life skills. If we don’t do that, students are not going to have those skills and that is going to set them up for failure.
I feel like public school systems are still teaching to prepare kids for standardized testing and being ready for the next grade (mainly elementary and middle schools). Yes some high schools have moved into providing CTE classes to help students get a taste of different types of future jobs. Right now I am preparing students for life outside of school. I have not specifically chose a jobs to teach towards, but the jobs students are interested in we do look into and show how our learning prepares for those types of jobs.
ReplyDeleteYes schools are starting to evolve, but are still heavily standardized testing based teaching. I feel like we need to help change the demand on standardized testing because it does not prove that students are learning. My son does not test well and struggles with testing, but if you sit down and have a conversation with him you can see what he has all learned and knows and he can show you way more than what the standardized tests show.
Yes, schools still are in rows and have chalkboards (now whiteboards), educate all kids at the same age like cattle. We want them to conform and follow the rules. We want them to live their lives to the bell and ask for permission to empty their bladders. We don't want them to question authority or cause trouble. They have learned to play school very well. Whenever I try to create an experience that is a bit higher interest or more fun, I am reminded of all the standards I am responsible for and the tests they must practice for, etc. While I feel CTE classes and some world of work opportunities get students connecting life outside to the life inside, I still feel pressure to dig into a literary excerpt and look for the main idea or they will not have any idea how to do that on the State Test in March. Is there a way to do both? Can we explore future careers and the possibility of creating their own autonomous way to contribute to society rather than becoming a factory worker -- while the standards are so archaic? I have students exploring with AI all the time. Trying to find a way to integrate it since employers say the number one thing they are looking for in hires is competency in AI. What jobs are even going to exist for them when they get out of high school? Does it matter, if they are able to critically think, create, and adapt? So, long answer, is yes, school still looks like it did when we were designing factory workers, but we are evolving.
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ReplyDeleteI do believe that public education is preparing the masses for the most common job , a retail sales representative. Our public schools are taking a “one size fits all” approach to education. This is due to every student being prepared to take standardized tests to rate the school itself. We have become a test prep world instead of a learning world.
I feel as if I am preparing my students to be telemarketers. They follow the screen prompts and answer questions based on the responses of the callers. They cannot respond in a
creative or different way… they must read the screen and respond as though there is only one correct response. Thinking for themselves is out of the question.
Schools need to evolve to make learning individualized and connect the learning to the students’ lives and interests. We need to offer the learning in ways that get the students to want to learn. Learners are individuals and we need to embrace this. Not everyone learns in the same way and processes in the same way or at the same speed. Students need to buy into what they’re learning. They need to see a purpose for learning and have a connection or goal. Not every child wants to go on to be a doctor, or a sales person, etc. We need to embrace their interests and teach real life skills. My son would have done much better in geometry if it was connected to building a house. Hands on exploration and project-based learning seems to take too much time away from test prep… so we continue to read from the script and treat them like everyone wants to work in retail.
I think our schools are still preparing students for the masses of retail/factory jobs ( which I do not necessarily agree with.) I try to prepare my students for ALL jobs. I tell my students they HAVE TO finish High School in order to be successful in life , they need this diploma. On the other hand, college is NOT a requirement. I always tell my students that college isn't for everyone- I tell them that my husband makes way more money than me, but did not attend college. I continue to tell them my husband went to trade school to become a carpenter/welder. This is eye opening to them. I also tell them about other trade schools, beauty schools, military , taking over family business etc... I think we need more of this than ever!
ReplyDeleteI do not believe public education is currently preparing students for the most common jobs today, such as retail sales representatives. Many times when I go into a store and a problem comes up, the sales representative often cannot solve the issue without asking someone else for help. This suggests that problem-solving and independent thinking are not always being emphasized enough. As an early childhood special education teacher, I like to think that I am preparing my students to be positive and active members of society at whatever level their abilities allow. I focus on foundational life skills, communication, independence, and social-emotional development so they can participate meaningfully in their communities. However, I do think that in some older grades, schools still reflect a model designed for factory-style work—following instructions, being obedient, and relying on authority rather than trusting themselves to think critically or solve problems. Schools do need to evolve in this area. Education could place more emphasis on curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and independence. Instead of focusing mostly on compliance and memorization, schools could give students more opportunities to explore ideas, ask questions, and apply their learning in real-world ways. This would better prepare students for the variety of careers and challenges they will face in the future.
ReplyDeleteNo, the education system overall is not preparing the masses for the most common future jobs. As a 4th grade teacher, I feel that I am doing what I can at this age to help prepare my students for some jobs they may have in the future. My students learn about all they can do on computers and different coding programs,. They have learned about AI and its pros and cons. I try to use a hands-on approach to teach different topics and when they ask how they will use that in a future job, I give examples whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest preparation comes in high school. Most high schools need to make changes in this area. Just last yar, our school added on a whole Career and Technical Education building. Students can now learn skills/jobs they may have as adults such as automotive, wood working, welding, & culinary. I think this is an important advancement as students can now get the training and experience, they may need.
I am a high school science teacher. I have switched how and what I teach over the past 5-10 years. I focus more on critical thinking skills and analytical skills, rather than content. I do still teach content, but not memorization of the content, but instead, the using of the content to solve real world problems. Being able to solve problems is more of a need in jobs currently, than being able to memorize information. I try to do several labs in each of my science courses. I try to give as little instruction for the labs as possible and ask the students how to solve the problem. How would they like to show me they understand the content? And then they create the plan with tools/equipment needed.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that schools were designed to produce factory workers has some historical truth, but I’m not convinced public education today is intentionally preparing students for the most common job, like retail sales. Instead, schools still emphasize broad foundational skills like literacy, numeracy, collaboration, and following structured expectations. Those happen to translate into entry-level service jobs, but they’re also meant to support many different futures.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, schools today seem to prepare students for general entry-level roles: office support, customer-facing work, or college-prep pathways, rather than any single dominant job. The challenge is that the labor market has shifted faster than curriculum, especially with growth in tech-enabled roles, skilled trades, and AI-assisted work.
I do think schools need to evolve but not by targeting the “most common job.” That would always lag behind reality. Instead, education could focus more on adaptability: communication, digital fluency, problem-solving, financial literacy, and exposure to multiple career paths. That might look like more project-based learning, internships, career exploration, and flexible pathways (college, trades, technical, entrepreneurship). Rather than preparing students for one job, schools should be preparing them to move between many.
The US Education System was created to prepare the masses for their future job as a factory worker. Is public education still preparing the masses for the most common future job, which is a retail sale representatives? What kind of jobs do you believe you are currently preparing your students for? Do you believe schools need to evolve in this area? What would that look like?
ReplyDeleteI am really unsure what public education is preparing our students for other than the unknown. More than ever I think we are seeing our students graduate with no idea of what they are interested in and where to go from "school". Having 2 of my own children graduate from high school over the last 2 years from private education it was astounding the number of students that really seemed like they had "no direction". As far as what kind of jobs i think I am preparing my students for - I am not sure if I can put it into one distinct category other than to say I definitely teach in a very traditional school model that would be setting them up for "factory" work. Following a schedule, meeting the demands of time and expectations. I most certainly believe schools need to evolve in this area - and I think in some respects we are making small strides in that, but I think we need get away from this traditional model of categorizing our students into grade levels by age and expecting our students to go to school until they are 18 years old. As far as what would that look like, at our elementary level - it's grouping students more together by their abilities - across more than 1 or 2 grade levels, meeting students where they are at rather than confining them to a grade or age. At the middle school and high school level offering more "real world" settings, tech, trades, and real world life skills that enable our students to be self sufficient when they are ready. Once they reach the ages 15-16 years old more options open up - do they go on and finish until they are 18 or do they take more of trade school route.
I don't think that this is correct. I think it is too much generalizing. Most educators are really trying to prepare kids to survive in the real world. We are really trying to give the best to our students, all the time. Teachers are there to do the best by kids, or we wouldn't be there at all. We are certainly not in it for the money! Administration and the legislature and other people who know very little about what kids really need, are always complicating things and making our jobs infinitely more difficult.
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