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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree with the PP about ADHD: it doesn't exist.

I believe that far too many students are encouraged to apply to university, and that these students (and our economy) would be better served if schools and parents were allowed to acknowledge that not everyone is "smart", but that electricians, plumbers, and the like are honorable, valuable members of society who essential tasks, and there is nothing shameful about preparing for these careers if one is not academically inclined.

I'm a teacher.  You would never guess my opinions on these matters if you knew me.  I am great at learning/spouting the latest buzzwords and hyperbole, but inside I know that I (and the school system) is doing many children a great wrong.  I would lose my job if I did not adhere to the prevailing attitudes and beliefs about education among my school's administration and parents.  I feel really bad for several of my current high school seniors who have been placed firmly on the college path, and I know they will continue to struggle/probably fail in college.  They would have made fine electricians or the like.
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+1.  And FWIW, I think electricians, plumbers, etc. [i]are[/i] smart, just not in a "book smart" way associated with college bound kids.  I am an attorney and feel totally flabbergasted by things like HVACs, electrical stuff, plumbing work, etc.  In some ways, I am envious of people who can work with their hands and fix things.  Maybe these types of workers aren't great at tests, but they still have to be knowledgable.[/quote]

One can be both. My father was a plumber and is very smart. He reads voraciously, is up on all current events and has a vast knowledge of history. Unfortunately, he grew up dirt poor, neither of his parents had beyond an 8th grade education and simply didn't have the opportunity to show he could be book smart. At 17, they marched him to the military recruiters and told him to choose one and signed the paperwork for him to enroll. The military taught him his trade and he was very successful, but always regreted that there was no one to guide him to other possibilities and by the time he was done with the military his path was pretty set. I think his proudest moment was seeing me graduate from a 4 year college, he cried. I remain the only person on his side of the family to have done so. [/quote]

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