This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Skills for self improvement not just a class....
I believe that CTAE is just as important in education as the academic classes. For those students that do not wish to be math teachers or history majors, career tech classes give them options for great futures. Not every student wants to go to a four year college. Teaching a student how to perform skills learned in CTAE classes gives them a jump start to a career choice. By taking these types of classes in high school, a student can "try out" a field before investing years of college only to find out that it may not be for them. At the same time, if a student does go to college, they may have learned a skill that they can use to make money while in college. I tell my students that they can learn how to cut hair, do a set of nails or even apply makeup and do those in their dorm room and earn some extra money. Several students have told me that if it was not for my class they would have quit high school.
I agree with you, Donna. In addition to teaching job and career skills, CTE courses help to build esteem and give students something to look forward to. Not all students do well in academic and core classes, and CTE courses can serve them well on so many levels! I have seen numerous times how students with average or even below average achievement in academic courses do well in CTE courses. This can serve to set them up for the future, helping them get jobs, be more confident, and as you stated, even give them the drive to persevere and complete high school.
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