Erin and Caleb Funk now live in Toledo, Ohio, and have a 16-year-old son, a senior in high school, who has already registered in a vocational（职业的）school for this school year. The idea that their son might attend a vocational school worried the Funks at first.
“Vocational schools seemed to be reserved for people who weren’t making it in ‘real’ schools, so we weren’t completely sure whether we should support our son attending one,” Erin says.
Both Erin and Caleb worked hard to be the first in their families to obtain college degrees, and wanted the same opportunity for their three children. After touring the video- production-design program at Penta Career Center, though, they could see the draw for their son. Despite their initial worries, after learning more about the program and seeing how excited their son was about it, they threw their support behind his decision.
But not everyone in the Funks’ lives understands this decision. Erin says, “When I mentioned it to a friend recently that my eldest had decided to go to the vocational-technical school in our city, her first reaction was, ‘Oh, is he having problems at school？’ There is an attitude out there that the only reason you would go to a vo-tech is that you have some kind of problem at a traditional school.”
But their son has a 3. 95 GPA, a very good score. He was simply more interested in the program at Penta Career Center. He just doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
The Funks are not alone in their misunderstandings and misgivings about the idea of vocational and technical education. Negative（负面的）attitudes and parental worries are still there even in the face of the promising future for these middle-skill students.
“It is considered a second choice, second-class. We really need to change how people see vocational and technical education,” said Patricia Hsieh, the president of Penta Career Center in Toledo, Ohio.
【小题1】What can we learn about the funks？| A．They want their children to receive technical education. |
| B．They come from rich and well-educated families. |
| C．They decided to support their son’s decision eventually. |
| D．They felt ashamed of their son’s choice at first. |
| A．Worries. | B．Shames. | C．Mistakes. | D．Refusals. |
| A．it provides less interesting curricular | B．it can only get second-class students |
| C．it mainly focuses on middle-skill training | D．it is more sensitive to job market changes |
| A．Should We Support Our Children’s Choice of Vo-tech? |
| B．Negative Attitudes to Technical Education. |
| C．Better Job Market for Vocational Students. |
| D．Is Vocational Education a New Trend? |
