Posted by Jacqueline on June 30 2008 at 16:47:52:
In Reply to: high school options posted by ann on June 27 2008 at 15:00:07:
Our son just completed his third year as a part-time student at our vo-tech and had a great experience. We didn´t send him for socialization purposes, but to explore a possible career. He studied commercial and graphic arts, and at the end of three years was able to conclude with confidence that it is a good career match for him. Some of the shops offer certifications or licensing in their fields, and some have articulation agreements with colleges so that, depending on the shop, students can graduate with up to 16 college credits. All the shops have competency testing in their fields of study, and students are able to earn certificates for the skills they have mastered. There are opportunities for involvement in various student organizations and in the National Technical Honor Society. Our son particularly enjoyed the yearly competitions. He had opportunities to compete in both graphic design and leadership competitions, which in turn gave him opportunities to travel. In fact, he just returned from a week-long trip (all expenses paid!) to Kansas City, Missouri, where he competed in a prepared speech competition at the SkillsUSA National Championships (after winning first place at local, district, and state competitions). Our son just graduated this spring and, in addition to our own home graduation ceremony (with a PHAA diploma), he also had a cap and gown graduation at the vo-tech. The only negative thing I would note is that it does take a chunk of time out of the school day, leaving several hours less time to get the rest of the academic work done. That said, the overall experience has been positive for us and we´re sending son #2 as a part-timer next fall.