Perkins

Until Dr. Burns went over the information about the Perkins money in class, I never realized how vital it was to my program. I always thought that my money was just budgeted by the county along with every other teacher. Seeing that the federal government specifically designated funds for career fields and that that is where my money comes from truly changed my way of thinking. Being a new teacher last year, I was hesitant to spend the money in my budget because I knew how tight the county was. Now looking back, I see that these funds are independent from salary and classroom supplies for other teachers. I believe it is crucial for us to continue to lobby and fight for these monies. They are the lifeblood of our programs. If the monies go, so goes our programs. We become classes like liberal arts colleges where we teach theory and how-to but never truly will the students get true hands on experiences. Students deserve to experience our trades first hand which is practically how all of us experienced them and now we are bringing those experiences to them through our Perkins funded programs.

As career teachers, we need to play active roles in making sure these funds keep on coming. It is our responsibility to spend the money wisely. We must also inform the students and parents of the importance of our programs. If there is lack of interest, the money will be pulled.