My name is Courtney Benjamin and I teach Automotive Technology to high school seniors at Broome-Tioga BOCES in Binghamton, NY. >#0160;Some people reading my name and job title in text assume that I am a man; I get a lot of “Dear Mr. Benjamin” emails! >#0160;I am indeed a woman and I have embraced a gender non-traditional technical field since I was a CTE student myself in high school in the very same program that I now teach. >#0160;
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Since high school I have earned a BS Degree in Automotive Technology and an MS Degree in Education and have also worked at various levels of the automotive industry ranging from service technician to manufacturer’s rep. >#0160;My interest in CTE/STEM and education does not stop there: I am currently a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Theory and Practice at the State University of New York at Binghamton. >#0160;My dissertation is probing postsecondary schooling and labor market outcomes for students that were CTE concentrators in high school using a nationally representative data set. >#0160;I am also looking at outcomes for students that were involved in work-based learning programs.
Much to the credit of the technical knowledge that I have amassed through my experiences as a CTE student and teacher, I have managed to teach myself to script a complex statistical programming language called ‘R’ to quantitatively analyze this complex survey data about CTE student outcomes. >#0160;In my opinion, one of the most effective ways to involve more gender non-traditional students in CTE and STEM is to showcase successful gender non-traditional teachers and industry professionals as well as provide related mentorship opportunities for students in middle school and elementary school. >#0160;
We also need to focus on changing societal perceptions of traditional gender roles as the family exerts the greatest influence over the career path of students. >#0160;Another aspect of teaching CTE and STEM that I feel is critically important to student outcomes is work-based learning. >#0160;My Automotive Technology program is located at Gault Toyota, a local car dealership. >#0160;There is no way to match real-world learning and experiences students get through work-based learning, especially the affective skills. >#0160;We need to get more aspects of CTE programs located in actual work settings.
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Courtney Benjamin
Broome-Tioga BOCES
Automotive Technology II Teacher
Located at Gault Toyota
Doctoral Candidate-Educational Theory >amp; Practice
State University of New York at Binghamton
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