Fight 'til the End!

As CTE educators, we need to continuously fight for Perkins for two obvious reasons- funding and our students. I think law makers and other general ed. teachers forget about the Part-time jobs they held while in college or the full-time jobs they held on their way to their chosen profession. With that being said, we help establish job skills and life skills that students will carry with them on into their adulthood. I am very appreciative for every exploratory class and elective class I took in Middle School and High School. I have held many odd jobs on my way to my current professional location. Thanks to culinary art and food service, I learned about portion control, nutrition, mise en place (Ginger I may have mispelled it) and how to be a wonderful cook (thanks to my mom and grand mom also). While in college, I was able to obtain a job at a high-end restaurant because of my knowledge of the industry's jargon and my ability to execute. Thanks to JROTC, I learned additional discipline, chain of command and drill and ceremony procedures- all directly associated with my current profession. With the help of Construction classes, I can find a stud in the wall, hang my own fixtures and communicate with a contractor w/o the help of my husband. Home Economics, taught me how to thread a needle, plan a menu, make a grocery list and budget..and the list goes on and on and you know the rest. Perkin's funding has been a valuable part of my coming into who I am. With it I have become a well-rounded, business oriented and professional woman. Yes I did go to college directly after high school and I graduated in 4 yrs. I have obtained my Master's Degree along with countless professional certifications but what I hold near and dear to me are the lessons taught by my CTE teachers who assisted my parents by echoing life skills and common sense applications away from home. We need Perkin's and I will continue to fight for it not only for me and my students but for my children as well!!!