It has come to my attention that the Grand Marais high school is anticipating cutting the Industrial Arts program. I am very disappointed in the line of thinking for various reasons.
Children today need a well-rounded curriculum to compete in this world. With only 25 percent of our students going on to college, I feel we need to enhance the educational programs for the 75 percent who do not.
Consider what is taught in Industrial Arts. The following is a list of skills needed: one needs to know measurements, reading of directions, cost of production, uses of power tools, repair of homes (the famous honey-do list), working in large and small groups, and many other skills needed to survive.
With 75 percent of our students going into service areas, it seems that vocational programs should be the last to go.
If you cut this program or the present teacher quits, you will have a hard time finding a replacement teacher to fill a part-time job on that salary. Therefore that means there will no longer be a vocational component in your curriculum. This would have a detrimental effect on the students’ education.
Sports are important also. Sports have kept a lot of kids in school. However, how many graduates from Grand Marais have made a living playing sports? How many have ended up in construction jobs building businesses and homes in the area? The ratio speaks for itself.
When dealing with education one needs to keep in perspective what is best for the majority of the students. Cutting a vocational program is not one of them. I challenge the school board to visit the robotics classes and see where the future really is. It is not in the mundane subject areas of education—it is in the world of service and work.
I am a business person and taxpayer in Cook County and also a parent of a child who needs the vocational part of the school system. I ask all other business persons and taxpayers who share my views on education to contact our school board members and tell them how they feel about education of their future employees.
Joe Sanders
Tofte
Leave a Reply