On Sunday, November 16, 2014 7:30:01 PM UTC-5, Phil Kane wrote:   
      
      
   > Even in the early '50s there was a hierarchy of "problem" schools.   
   > Kids (mostly boys) who were disruptive in neighborhood schools were   
   > shunted to the vocational high school track.  There were a few really   
   > good trade schools for both boys and girls such as Manual Arts and   
   > Aviation Trade (and others), but for the problem kids East New York   
   > Vocational was the mildest and catered to those who could really   
   > profit by learning a trade once their behavior problems were dealt   
   > with.  George Westinghouse was the next step if they couldn't cut it   
   > in those schools.  Fore real problem cases, the final school step was   
   > Chelsea where all the hoods went.  After that it was upstate to   
   > Lincoln Hall, a real juvenile delinquent place (portrayed as   
   > "Spofford" in Law and Order).     
      
   I always wondered why a vocational trade school was selected to be the   
   'dumping ground' for bad kids.  Actually, I would think a kid motivated to   
   learn a trade would be better behaved than a sullen kid who didn't care about   
   anything*.  Phila's specialty    
   trade schools once had a tough reputation, too.  Yes, for some kids, book   
   learning wasn't a good match and they'd do much better working with their   
   hands and learning a trade skill; as you said, trade skills could be very good   
   for some kids.  But if a    
   kid's just a bum, a trade school won't be any better, plus, he'll be   
   disruptive to the other kids.   
      
      
   *I remember talking to some kids who had just graduated high school.  Their   
   immediate plan was to spend the summer down the shore with some money their   
   grandparent had given them.  When that would run out, they hoped to get a job   
   at the plastics factory    
   down the road (paying double minimum wage).  They had no real skills, no   
   future plans.  While not everyone is cut out for college, I figured   
   non-college kids would seek to learn some sort of trade--secretarial work,   
   carpentry, electrician, etc.     
      
   Does the MTA require a high school diploma to become a train or bus operator?   
   Was one always required for such positions (I imagine years ago a diploma   
   wasn't necessary, though a level of reading and math skill was required.)   
      
      
   > Ob.Transit - many of them could be found hanging around the subway   
   > stations near those  schools either before or after school hours.  We   
   > came to recognize them by their attire as well as demeanor and steered   
   > clear.     
      
   My high school was city wide, and many students depended on the subway to get   
   there.  Unfortunately, the subway could be rough from kids from other high   
   schools, especially ready to pick on the geeky kids.  Some kids endured a long   
   extra fare ride on the    
   surface "C" bus in lieu of the subway (Olney to City Hall:  bus=42 minutes,   
   subway exp=14 minutes).   
      
   To this day, photographers are discouraged from riding the subway-el lines   
   when secondary schools let out.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)