"My uninvited 2c...."
^^^^^^not quite sure what to make of that.
At my highschool in the 80's woodshop and small engines were strictly elective classes.They were simply an hour class like the rest. You took them if you wanted to. Now vocational is another story. Body work and welding things of that nature were half day courses. Book classes such as math science history and English lit were all still required.
I agree that a high school diploma has been reduced in value and letting kids out that are not ready to be out...or even elevated to the next grade, is why.
Kids get the idea that it is easy to have 'help', when indeed what they are learning is how to have people do things FOR you. I agree many come out of highschool with that mentality. We saw it in the post school life recently in New Orleans.
Plumbers, electricians, pipe fitters, iron workers, sheet metal workers, carpenters and operators spend 4 years in class in addition to their labor as apprentices (providing they are union of course). If a person refused or could not learn in highschool, they will not get thru this four years any better than they did the four years of highschool.
"And honestly, so long as I'm getting a daily challenge, I don't care what I do."
That shows your character and honorable it is. This is required in school also. Parents have to instill that in their kids (if they are not born with that instinct or the ability to apply it). I would offer that the desire to learn is to be nurtured by parents, without parents doing so, the teachers don't stand a chance in their goals.
My H.S. lagged pretty far behind most others. It was in the backwoods of Maine, and I feel like I started out with 2 strikes against me because of it. For instance, in my college engineering classes, Freshman year was just a review for most of the kids, whereas I struggled with the 'basics'.
I'm not all too sure what voc and shop offered at my H.S.. I took drafting through the shop classes - it was basic, but valuable. Skipped all the other stuff, though. It sounds like your school was more advanced than mine - although that bar was set pretty low - LOL!
when indeed what they are learning is how to have people do things FOR you.....couldn't agree more. In fact, the best lesson that I learned was from a college prof that failed me. I wasn't even within rifle range of passing his course, and I went into a conference with him all full of p* and vinegar - "What are WE (really *you*) going to do about this?!" etc etc etc.
He told me to stop wasting his time and kicked me out of the class. I thought differently then, but now I realize that it was one of the best things that could have happened.
And, I'd love to talk to H.S., and particularly college kids today. I'd just tell them - if you think that you have hard teachers now, wait 'til you have a boss. Or clients.
What noble statements! It must be reflective of your honorable character as well:).