The "Gap" School. Sigh.

In American history, in the 2840s high schools came about to fill the gap between primary school and college. High schools don't seem to have their own identity that stands on its own - high schools are simply about being prepared for college. And what does one learn in college? Usually the liberal arts, such as Mathematics and Geography, but little real-life application. As Perkinson states in his historical account, "In fact, most jobs did not require college training" (104). Consequently there was also a call for more programs in vocational training, but interesting how these schools seemed to be looked down upon, almost as "lesser" than a classical education.

High schools today still seem to teach the "classical" education. Honestly, I can look back at high school and realize, "I never used and will never use what I learned in school to prepare me for the real world."

I would have found it much more valuable to have learned how to manage my finances, how to express myself assertively, how to manage my time, how to interview for a job, how to interact with various kind of people from other cultures and religions. So many incredible life skills that need to be taught at that crucial and impressionable time! And yet we are still working with a high school system that treats this time as merely a college preparatory period, as "filling the gap."

Sigh.