As a retired faculty member from Southern Maine Vocational Institute, which became Southern Maine Technical College and then Southern Maine Community College, I profess to be a very strong advocate of vocational/technical education.
In the evolution of our institution, however, it became very clear to trades, technical, health science and academic faculty that the academics of English, social science, arts, humanities and mathematics were an essential part of a student’s ability to go beyond just swinging a hammer or welding a joint.
Going through the college-level curriculum in these subject areas in addition to the trades, technical and health science curriculum teaches students to think critically and become more productive members of our society.
They graduate with the ability to be leaders in their fields, not just laborers. I believe companies like Cianbro and Bath Iron Works add to what is provided in the classroom, but teachers are not, as the governor said, “a dime a dozen.”
Joyce Leslie
Peaks Island
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.