Rushworth Kidder wrote a book, called How good people make tough choices, which I enjoyed very much several years ago. There’s this awareness in my head and heart that Midwestern business owners and politicians have tough choices to make — not between good and bad decisions, but between bad and worse. It plays out here in New England, too, and I suspect in California and the South, and the Southwest as well.

We need a new model of school, and a new model of teaching in those schools, and a new model of training for laid-off workers.

It reminds me of a statement made to me by a classmate when I returned to college to pursue teacher certification. I was older and came to class after working 10-12 hours working in concrete construciton. I was dirty and probably didn’t smell too good! But I had over a 3.9 GPA and always participated in class discussions because I enjoyed history. After a few classes, he said to me, “You are pretty smart for a construction worker.” He meant it in a good way, but too many in our society judge a book by its cover or degree.

Many people who have lost their jobs in Michigan have found new careers or started their own businesses. Of course some workers struggle with changing careers, but I think it is unfair to say all or even most.

I have worked with construction workers with Bachelar’s Degrees and ones without. Some of the ones without were some of the smartest people with excellent problem-solving skills that I have known in my life.

As a teacher I could make the same statement about some teachers I have seen: they are totally unqualified for any job other than teaching. They are the ones that teach from the book and to the test. Teaching can be an easy job if you just “put your time in and do not really try to help kids.” These are the teachers that give our profession a bad name.

In Michigan the push toward college prep level education for every high school student is going to cause more dropouts, IMHO. Vocational education has its place in high school and can teach real-world skills that are still needed in our country: mechanics, beauticians, health care, and construction to name a few. Not everyone has to go to college to make a good living. The manufacturing jobs are gone, but their are many other good job choices too.