This past week, our school held its "Open House" for parents to meet their student's teachers and any upcoming students who wanted to know more about the programs offered at my school. Do you know that of my 63 students I only had 1 student attend with his father? Also, only 3 students with their parents stopped by to see what the class was about. I still do not think that the word is out about the potential of a technical education. I also believe that for the most part parents are not really involved in their students high school careers and/or their future careers.
We, as technical teachers, see the value of this education but how do we get the word out? How do we change the negative connotation that still plague's "technical" classes? Tony had mentioned in his blog that his class is a dumping ground for students who do not fit anywhere else- which says that even the guidance counselors see the technical classes not being of real value. How can we make a difference?
After talking with several of you during these past few semesters, I believe you feel the same as I do about this. I pray that our passion for making a difference in the upcoming generation doesn't get snuffed out and that we will be able to make an impact on parents, administrators, guidance counselors, and students in the near future.
Natalie, Tony, and others have clearly brought into focus the need to promote CTE programs to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Like all of you, I don't have an answer as to the best way to promote your programs, but I think technology could play a significant role in marketing and enhancing the image of CTE. Maybe a class blog (like ours), a class Wiki or website might help publicize your programs from the inside out. What are some other ways to get the word out?
ReplyDeletethe topic that you are talking about is so real that I do not know how to approach it myself. Here we are in the middle of CTAE month and I wonder about what is being done in schools to promote our programs. Do all of our administrators even know what we are doing?
ReplyDeleteWe have a long way to go.