CTE gives students options for their future...

What I would like to see go down in the history books about CTE in our environment is that it gives students real options for their future. I have heard the same question repeated in each of my classes during the first few weeks of classes. That question is " when are we going to do more hands on"? It is clear that students are ready and willing to begin actively working immediately upon entering the CTE courses.  They look forward to these classes and make often make comments about it being their favorite or best class. I have observed that some students score significantly higher on their progress reports in their CTE classes than they do in many of their core classes.
When it comes to students' interest in specific topics/standards I have entertained many meaningful questions that demonstrated higher ordered thinking when feedback and clarification were given to these questions. The excitement and level of participation that I have observed from my students when they are given assignments that require application of knowledge gained is nothing less than exhilirating. Lastly, I believe that CTE gives students options to gain certifications to begin work immediately following secondary education  and/or the abilility to build on a great foundation laid that can help them excel in college level courses to obtain careers. One example of this would be for a student to become certified as a Nursing Assistant (CNA) while in high school and then go on to complete a four year bachelor of science degree to become a Registered Nurse while working in the healthcare field gaining invaluable experience as a CNA.