Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Police Reports Measure 92 recount shows little change in Jackson County Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Police allege Ashland pizza parlor owner tried to blow up building Survey: Ashland is an affordable rental market Education Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Ashland Rotary Student Youth of the Month: Avery Nicole Jesmer AHS arts festival is Friday AHS, SOU seek arts program director In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Environment Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature Business Survey: Ashland is an affordable rental market Trio of local businesses close their doors Tourism in Ashland: The role of the Chamber’s Visitor & Convention Bureau Silvio Calabi: The world loves a Wrangler The sweet smell of soap-selling success Politics and elections Local rep to testify before U.S. Senate panel Tuesday Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Marie B. (Aiken) Stella Demo Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Aldridge passes Porter on Blazers' all-time scoring list in win Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists High school Grizzlies get their groove back, crush Mustangs Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge SOU volleyball team's season ends with loss to Vanguard at nationals Southern Oregon roughed up by defending champs Southern Oregon University Two Grizzlies make first-team all-state Atanda named All-America honorable mention Mariota named one of three Heisman finalists Florida, here they come North Medford boys run away from Ashland with first-half surge Opinion Latest Stories Our View: 92 backers should move on Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Granlund cartoon: CIA torture report Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Granlund cartoon: William and Barack Editorial Our View: 92 backers should move on Our View: Raiders are winners Our View: Celebrating more students Our View: A morning well spent Other Views: Tax reform won't be easy Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 8 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 4 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 3 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Guest Opinion: Shelter is a basic human right Guest Opinion: Refugee children at our border Guest Opinion: Why giving market food vendors 'a break' is poor public policy Guest Opinion: Ashland feeds them, we deal with them Revels Latest Stories Community blog: William Stafford: His Writing, His Life SOU presents all-percussion concert Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists 4 Things to do this Weekend At the movies Theater Meet the real Jacob Marley New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music SOU presents all-percussion concert Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies At the movies Interview: Benedict Cumberbatch on playing ‘The Imitation Game’ Interview: Reese Witherspoon experiences life in 'The Wild' Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Lost in Suburbia: Row, row, row your basement Dear Monty: When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than the quote 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Dec. 12-14) Dave Ramsey: Helping financially irresponsible brother stay on track Shayne Looper: Are you infected with ‘solution aversion?’ Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... Our View: 92 backers should move on ... Ashland Calendar ... Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point ... TEACHER'S TIPS Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student By Paul Huard DailyTidings.com By Paul Huard Posted Nov. 25, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Paul Huard Posted Nov. 25, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Not everyone should go to college. There, I said it. I said it in a nation where upper middle-class families believe that a four-year college degree is a birthright. I said it in a state that has set the goal of ensuring 40 percent of all adults will possess a bachelor’s degree or higher by 2025. And I said it in town that has one of the highest concentration of advanced degrees in Oregon and where many parents have been grooming their children to attend elite universities since childhood. Obviously, I am not anti-education — I possess two advanced degrees and have spent nearly 17 years in high school and college classrooms doing my best to help young people achieve their educational goals. Nor am I ignorant. I am well aware that is an article of faith among school reformers that educators and lawmakers should be working their tails off in an effort to prepare all students for some kind of post-high school college education. Why? In general, college graduates earn more and possess more income potential than non-college graduates. A recent Pew Research study was blunt: “On virtually every measure of economic well-being and career attainment — from personal earnings to job satisfaction to the share employed full time — young college graduates are outperforming their peers with less education.” But it is also true that in the United States hundreds of thousands of students — including some of my former students — are graduating from four-year colleges and universities with few job prospects and deep debt from student loans. Many of them have degrees that will in no way provide an income sufficient to repay those loans. In addition, I have seen with my own eyes how government, the media and the education establishment have created the illusion that students who do not attend college are somehow doomed to failure. Or worse, students who choose vocational or technical training instead of a liberal arts education at a “good school” are choosing to consort with knuckle-draggers and lowlifes rather than “network with the right sort of people.” (That’s an actual quote I once overheard.) So, at this time of the year when I have dozens of students and their families panicking over college admissions I offer the following counsel. If you go to a college or university immediately high school, you’d better know why you are there. It’s to get an education, an expensive proposition that could cost as much as $130,000 in tuition alone after four years. That education should prepare you to find a job that will make the educational expense worthwhile. I would consult this table from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics that lists jobs in the United States, their average annual income and whether the job requires a college degree. Do the math, then ask, “Can a graduate with a degree in _____ get a job that will pay back the student loans needed to pay for that degree?” A student does not need to go to college right away. A student does need to find a job right away. There is nothing wrong with working for a year or two after high school, saving money and gaining perspective on what kind of education would be best for him or her to pursue. The “gap year” is becoming more and more popular – and for good reason. Besides, most parents don’t mind if their high-school graduate lives in their basement before going to college. However, that living arrangement stinks after paying for their kid’s expensive college education. Both parents and kids need to ditch their snobbery about career and technical education. There are good, fulfilling jobs in this nation that pay excellent wages that require only one or two years of post-secondary training. Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame sums up the situation well: “There is a real disconnect in the way that we educate vis-a-vis the opportunities that are available. You have — right now — about 3 million jobs that can’t be filled, jobs that typically parents don’t sit down with their kids and say, ‘Look, if all goes well, this is what you are going to do.’” There are more options than a lemming-like march to the nearest four-year institution of higher learning. If your child wants to go to college, by all means help him or her make the most informed decision possible. Just keep in mind that all options should be examined — and there are some very happy and well-compensated people in this nation that don’t have a four-year degree. The $130,000 tuition bill you save could be your own.  A former reporter who covered politics and government for newspapers in California and Oregon, Paul R. Huard teaches social studies and English courses at Ashland High School. The opinions he expresses are his own.   By Paul Huard DailyTidings.com By Paul Huard Posted Nov. 25, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501