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 Social Class Education 
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So if every student was taught like the executive elites, would we still have individuals still seeking blue collar jobs?

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Burl Greene


Fri Feb 03, 2006 3:47 pm
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Burl, why do u ask such hard questions? I think we would still have blue collar workers because even though we teach everyone in that way that doesnt mean that everyone will be able to learn as much as someone else. There are some students who still would not care about learning and for that reason they will still be workin in blue collar jobs.

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Fo Holla


Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:15 pm
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You also have to realize that so many people that work blue collar jobs do it because it is a family trade. many of the people from my county work in tree's like my dad and horticulture in general. A lot of those people have college degree's. My dad has one in Landscape design, my boyfriend has a degree in turf grass and many other guys I know went to NC state and had a degree. I think it is a misconception in some ways that if you are a blue collar worker then you are not educated. It is very untrue, and you have to remember too a country boy can survive. haha, but really if our country is ever hard up many of the people that have had to do for themselves their whole lives are going to survive better than the elite.

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Teresa Holden


Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:31 am
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i agree with teresa. just because someone is a blue-collared worker, it does not mean that they are not educated or don't care about education. i remember adam warren talking last class about people who are plumbers. (at least i think adam warren was talking.......;-) ) anyway, he said that to be a plumber, you have to know so much about physics, plumbing, electricity, and tools in general. i think that is incredibly smart. do we as educators push for everyone to be white-collared workers? on one hand, we should encourage all students and teach them how to believe in themselves and work hard. therefore, they can use the skills they have to apply for jobs and go to college if they choose. however, there are always going to be people who work in blue-collared jobs. i think we should encourage that as well. as teresa said, there are lots of family businesses that demand knowledge concerning that trade, and it takes skill. my question is, what about retail? or fast-food? people working there are not making enough money to support themselves. but, we know those jobs are always going to exist. how do we encourage people to find jobs and get an education that will lead them to earn enough money to support their family without belittling those jobs like fast-food where it doesn't seem like that is a very satisfying job? i don't think it's a respect issue as much as it is a surviver issue. what do we as educators do?

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Laura Greene

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Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:16 pm
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Burl asked a good question. I agree totally with Teresa and Laura comments on the issue. Those working in mechanics, plumbing, electricity, etc. did have to get a lot of education in order to be able to perform these skills well. If they did not have the knowledge of their craft then they would not be able to make it financially in the real world. There are some exceptions though. Some people who do drop out of school get trained by someone very knowledgeable in that particular craft. This person learns a lot, pays his dues, and starts his own company that succeeds. So there are exceptions to the rule. Laura asks a good question to when she says "how do we encourage people to find jobs and get an education that will lead them to earn enough money to support their family without belittling those jobs like fast-food where it doesn't seem like it is a very satisfying job?". My only suggestions are to raise the minimal wage drastically or to give those who work in fast food commission. I know that sounds crazy, but without good social skills and good work ethic (keeping the place clean) people won't come back to the store time after time. People choose their favorite fast food restaurant by not only good tasting food, but also by the quality of the workers. Fast food restaurant owners should reward their employees for good work, so by giving them more of an incentive it would make fast food a more desirable job.

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Matt Rowe

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Sun Feb 05, 2006 5:04 pm
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OK, maybe it's just me...but is a mechanic, a plumber, or an electrician really a job for someone who doesn't want to learn? I think their jobs are very complicated...and they would have to have quite a bit of brain power to understand how things work and how to fix them!! Those are blue collar jobs. Also, is being a teacher blue collar? Because we will never make as much as the plumber or mechanic next door in our porfession!

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Anna Kate Shook
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Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:30 am
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I think our schools need to promote "blue collar work" more in the curriculum. There should be more perochial schools in NC that teach trades to students. I do believe that standard subjects such as math, english and science should be taken by all.

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Scott Shannon


Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:10 am
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