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Thursday, December 21, 2017

Uppity school

If there is one thing I despise, it is uppity-assedness.
Those people who and institutions that act like they are above everyone and everything else.

I am not above it myself.
I have my moments when I feel all judgy, like my master's degree should endow me with a crown and scepter.
But I also know where I come from, and there is a whole lot of working class that has contributed to who I am and where I am.
I know full well that in a zombie apocalypse, the people like me with our liberal arts degrees are straight up useless-as-hell.
I can't make anything.
I can't fix anything.
I can't kill anything.
I can't do anything of any measurable value with my skillset.
I could write a poem about how useless I am in the midst of the apocalypse.

I have never needed a poem or an essay or a song, but I sure as heck have needed a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, and a mechanic.

Some people have jobs that help us meet our needs, and some people have jobs that help us meet our wants, and I fall in that second category of skill.
There is incredible value in BOTH of those, but if you fail to recognize this, I tend to think you might be afflicted with uppity-assedness.
And depending on the world around you, one type of skill may be more necessary than another.
In a zombie apocalypse world, poetry and music might be, at least temporarily, pretty unnecessary.

I don't need another reason to get my panties in a twist about high school choices, but here I am...panties twisted.

Since my Girl Scout girls are approaching high school, I asked them if they'd like to use our meetings to start exploring career paths. We've visited a vet before, so I thought I'd ask what others careers they might be interested in learning about. They said psychology, cosmetology, and culinary. I thought I might also throw in dental hygiene and assisting, too.

I set up for them to visit a local hair school today, and I think they learned a lot, even if they decide not to pursue it as a career (I know I did). Plus, they got their hair fixed and a goodie bag.

The lady who acts as admissions director asked the girls about what schools they now attend and where they hope to go for high school. When the girls mentioned their high school choice, she informed us that the high school that N is applying to won't allow this vocational school to come to career day. Apparently, the principal of this high school prefers that 4-year college careers only be represented.

To which I'd like to ask the principal: Who in the hay-hay do you think you are? And do you think that you might possibly have some students in your school who might WANT careers in cosmetology and what in the hell is wrong with that? What reason do you have to exclude a vocational school that would like to provide information to students?

Of course, I have not heard the principal's side of this (but you better believe if I ever get the opportunity, I'll ask about it).
If there is evidence that this hair school is mismanaged or stiffs students, then that is a different matter.

All the lawyers and doctors and engineers and other 4-year-degree operatives in the world have to have someone to cut and style their hair.
The impression that only certain jobs are worthy enough for a high school job fair is ridiculous.

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