Open Mic

The semester is almost over and I feel that I am getting into the groove of things. This is my second year teaching, but my first at my current school. NTI has greatly helped me to improve my teaching skills. I'm more confident and much better prepared to tackle the day to day instructions. I do try to teach with rigor and relevant, but sometimes it's a struggle to keep students engaged in a subject matter that they are not interested in. Many are placed in my class because they need an elective to graduate or they are failing in another class. There is a situation at my school where a parent of a failing student went to the county office and complained because her child was failing in math and insisted that the student be placed in a business class twelve weeks into the semester because they think it is easier to get a better grade. Also, this moved placed the student in the middle of the pathway which they will not complete because, you guessed it, the student is a senior.

I wish that in some way the community can be educated to the importance of CTE. We have set up display tables during PTA night, but as usual only a few parents attend. However, if there is a school sponsored fashion show there is a large parental support. At my school it is very obvious due to various reasons why many of the students will not be able to attend a post secondary school. but who could benefit from the CTE courses that are offered. I have diligently attempt to stress the importance of all CTE class. I have disguise it with wording like: you can used this certification to get a job that will help you pay for college or work as a nursing assistant until you decide what it is you want to do after high school. Many of the students insist that want to become doctor's and nurses, but they are not willing to do want it takes.