Randy Watson had an earful for folks in Ottawa recently.
The Kansas commissioner of education told them emphasis on college education and advanced degrees wasn’t for every high school student and a multitude of careers awaited those who opted for less training and quicker entrance to the work-a-day world.
“We are going to raise the bar beyond what anyone has ever seen,” he declared. “We are going to lead the world. … The challenge today is ‘how do we help every kid and every family be successful?’” the Ottawa Herald reported Watson as saying. “And ‘how do we do that while facing uncertainty about funding?’ We are going to have to challenge our existing models so that every kid is successful.”
If that sound familiar, it is much of what is going in schools in Iola, Moran and Humboldt.
A several-days session drew dozens of USD 257 patrons and staff to formulate precisely what Watson mentioned. Ways to give kids educations that would prepare them for careers after high school, not just professional positions but also jobs that are required everyday to keep society in Iola, Kansas and the nation on an even keel.
Practitioners who know how to repair plumbing problems, or get the power back on, or even tend lawns are indispensable. So are clerks who know merchandise and are willing and able to give a helping hand. Few homeowners have the knowledge or the stamina to roof their homes; thankfully there are workers who can step up.
And, how distressing would it be not to have trash and garbage removed here twice a week?
A part of several school districts’ plan to help kids find their niche in the world will open before long in the old Diebolt Lumber building southeast of LaHarpe. At the start a handful of vocational courses will be offered — thanks to the generosity of Ray Maloney, who understands working with your hands is a noble pursuit — and expanded as time goes on.
Construction courses in all three Allen County districts have produced workers who make good livings with local companies. And those who found other careers have the skills for many do-yourself projects at home.
“Young men and women who go on to be an electrician, physical therapy assistant, radiology tech, welder, an app developer; they deserve our honor and our recognition just as much as the kid who is going to KU to major in pre-pharmacy,” Watson said, punctuating his comments by noting a statewide survey found 70 percent of responses about what makes up successful people were non-academic in nature.
— Bob Johnson
