Blogs
A Student Finds His Voice
Kevin L. is a student who came to Wake Tech Phi Beta Lambda extremely shy and unable to express himself out loud in a group. In the spring of 2015, Kevin placed second in a Marketing competition and was able to compete at the National Leadership Conference in Chicago. In general, he stuttered slight...
Leadership Through Action
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams
“Leadership through action.” That phrase resonates for me profoundly as an assistant principal in the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS). Other impo...
International Benchmarking in CTE
While the United States is seen as a global leader in post-secondary education and training, it has lost its once unquestioned leadership position in elementary and secondary education and now struggles to compete with many other “developed countries” as demonstrated by its international test sc...
International CTE Innovation
Platt Tech and Abbott Tech meet Vigo, Spain and Guangdong, China
The Connecticut Technical High School system prides itself on innovation, diversity, and broadening its cultural and technical horizons. We understand at the building and district levels that CTE is a global market, and we can all lear...
STEM Saves Lives: The Rise of Biotechnology
From the early controversial cloning of animals to the recent developments that allow the brain to fully control robotic limbs, biotechnological advances are a clear indication of the role technology plays in furthering medicine. The same pattern is holding true for career and technical education (C...
Meeting My Mentor
I am honored to have Dawn Lindsley as my Fellowship Mentor this year. Despite having a full-time job, a family, and a doctorate in the works, Dawn made the time to sit down and visit with me face-to-face via Zoom. She explained that it was during her fellowship year that she learned about the Career...
Excited for the Adventure Ahead
I have been blessed with a wonderful mentor, Kim Mitchell, a FACS teacher in Alabama. I connected with Kim on January 31st, a Tuesday afternoon. I had left the office early that day because of a headache. I called Kim and she was also home sick from school. That was my first clue that the pairing wa...
The Heart of the Matter
What makes a leader? Is it an acquired set of skills? Or, perhaps, a long list of accolades? Some may believe it comes from the hours put in to a project or a career. While all of these contribute to a great employee or project coordinator, I would argue these qualities are not what make a great lea...
Multiple Paths Lead to CTE
“How did your career path lead to career-technical education?” That’s one of the most interesting questions I discussed with my new ACTE Fellowship Mentor, Nicole Lord. Our backgrounds are similar; we didn’t start out in education, but somehow ended up on the same path.
Nicole is from Michig...
My New Old Mentor
My conversations with Dr. Wider began at the EBS during the summer of 2016. I met her when I signed up for ACTE. She was so enthusiastic about the organization, and helped me understand the value of being a part of SCACTE and my division. I attended the reception during the EBS and had the opportuni...