Combining Liberal Arts Education and Skill Based Education

by Kate Gredley

The purpose of education is a debate that has been roiling for thousands of years. Should education lead students to moral, educational, and emotional enlightenment or should education teach skills to help students succeed in careers post-high school and college? As educators we are introduced to the debates and told to build a teaching philosophy that will give our students the best chance at success. Personally, I believe that the ideal education would be a combination of the two philosophies. Students should learn history, math, foreign languages, and English skills to create a more rounded and educated society, but it would be a disservice to our student’s if we did not prepare them to succeed when they enter a professions or attend higher educational institutes.

The Pro-Career System That I Experienced

When I was in high school, my school district created university styled “colleges” that students could sign up for. Students could choose to join a college if they wanted to be a doctor, teacher, musician, artist, or mechanic. Special classes were designed to teach the students the necessary skills to succeed in each field. Each college had a teacher was assigned to teach English, math, and history. From a career driven stand point, this system was a dream come true. Unfortunately it had some glaring faults that led to opting out of the program. The system that my school had created would have been a nightmare to any teacher that believed in creating a well-rounded individual. 

Failed to Teach a Liberal Arts Education. 

As I said before, I believe that you should prepare students for life after high school with a combination of liberal arts education and career focused classes. Unfortunately my high school created an either-or system. You could either prepare for a career or receive quality math, science, history, or English classes. Unfortunately the teachers that taught the liberal arts subjects for the “colleges” taught pre-high school level math, science, and English, and history. Our friends continuously told us stories of no homework, watching movies in class, and basic math equations that a 6^th grader could do. Due to the fact that I was planning to attend a college after high school I knew that I could not afford to become a part of this new system. 

Designed to Benefit Student’s Within Colleges. 

The second problem was the sorority and fraternity atmosphere that they fostered. In order to entice students to join the “colleges”, they created classes that could only be attended by students were signed up for the program. On the one hand, it ensures that students interested in that career field are able to attend the class. On the other hand, it meant that students that where interested in the class, but not the “college” could not sign up for the class. 

I do not believe that high schools should force students to choose a career and tailor their entire education around that career. Desires change. Although a student may want to be a musician in high school, they may eventually discover that they love working with computers. High school is an ideal location for students to dabble in multiple career tracts. They should not be penalized because they do not want to declare that they will one day be a musician, mechanic, or IT person.

The Ideal Situation 

I admit I do not have all the answers. I do not know how to create an ideal system that will combine a high quality liberal education with the knowledge that will help students get jobs as mechanics, open their own businesses, or attend medical assistant schools. What I do know is that my high school created a system that had the potential to bridge the gaps between liberal arts and skill based education. Unfortunately my school failed to bridge those gaps because they failed to deliver a high quality liberal arts education. Instead they created an atmosphere that forced students to choose what educational philosophy they believed in. As educators it will be a struggle to find the perfect balance of liberal arts and skill based education. All we can do is continually evolve our efforts to create a school system that will prepare students for all aspects of life. Eventually we might discover a method that works.