Name: William L. Deimler
Occupation: State Specialist Agricultural Education
Employment History: State Specialist Agricultural Education, Utah DOE (Sep 1994–Present); State Supervisor Agricultural Education, Arizona DOE (Nov 1987-Sep 1994); Agriculture Teacher, Agua Fria High School (Jul 1982-Nov 1987); Graduate Teaching Assistant, New Mexico State University (Aug 1981-Jun 1982); Agriculture Teacher, Albuquerque Public Schools (May 1980-Jul 1981)
Education: MA & BS in Agricultural and Extension Education, New Mexico State University
ACTE Involvement:
Division: Agricultural Education Division Policy Committee Member 2000-2002
Region: Region V ACTE Conferences; Region V elections
Committees: Agricultural Education Division Policy Committee Member 2000-2002
Other National, State and Local Involvement: Arizona Association for Career and Technical Education (1982-1994); UACTE (1994-Present); developed Agricultural Education in-service program for the Annual Arizona ACTE Summer Conference (1987-1994); developed the Agricultural Education in-service program for the Utah ACTE Annual Conference (1994-Present)
Platform Statement:
In our rush to make sure that no child is left behind we tend to focus our limited resources on the most efficient methodology instead of what is actually good for students. Subjects that matter most are often delivered in a “memorize and regurgitate” format leaving the students to wonder about the application of the material. In this rush CTE is pushed to the side. It is labeled as too expensive, too narrow, and not sufficiently academic. All of this is incorrect. The fact is CTE is the only way some students get it. They don’t understand until they get their hands on it.
In the Geometry classroom the Pythagorean Theorem is hard to understand. In the Welding Shop, using the 3-4-5 rule to square a trailer frame, it comes easy. Our job as CTE teachers is to make sure that when that teachable moment occurs we take them back into the classroom and help them to understand the academic using the experiential context. These educational opportunities do not happen by chance and they do not occur in a “memorize and regurgitate” classroom.
Instead of wondering how we fit into the current educational climate we should be touting the fact that Career and Technical Education is the answer to our current challenges.
