Blogs
What Happens in Vegas Shouldn’t Stay in Vegas
This week, I'm heading west to join more than 3,500 CTE professionals at ACTE's CareerTech VISION in Las Vegas. The VISION agenda includes a wide variety of concurrent sessions. Given there are more sessions than there is time to attend, I'm reviewing program descripti...
Team-taught Literacy: Elective and Core
It sometimes seems as if elective and core courses are divided by a big boundary line: On one side are
the required courses for graduation, on the other side are, well, the "other courses."
I've been surprised to occasionally hear elective courses described as "classes students don't really need...
GoBuild Georgia Builds on Essential Career Readiness Skills
As a part of our governor's initiative to vastly enhance workforce development in the state of Georgia, an office was created to implement the Go Build Georgia program. The purpose of the program is to help dispel the myth of working in a skilled trade, appreciate the value of earning a skilled trad...
New Tricks of the Trade
This month, I kicked off my Educator-in-Residency here at ACTE Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. My goal is to explore workforce development issues and strategic partnerships to benefit CTE and ACTE members as a whole. While purely coincidental, October also happens to be Connected Educator Mon...
Who is in Charge Here?!
I was able to participate at our Indiana ACTE Conference on Sept. 20 as a symposium presenter. My presentation was on the leadership opportunities offered through ACTE. My presentation was at 4:00 p.m. and I only had about 10 people present. I would have liked more, but you work with what you have. ...
Can You Hear Me Now?
I had the opportunity to speak at a workshop for CTE instructors on July 17. I was asked to briefly talk on the benefits of membership in ACTE and the leadership opportunity with the Fellowship Program. Patrick Biggerstaff, 2012 Region III Fellow, asked me to share with the attendees.
I was able ...
Agriculture- It’s More than Farming
I am thoroughly excited that our high school agricultural program made the news with the article "Northern Burlington High School agriscience program turns students into farmers" yet I cringe at the title. I believe in production agriculture as it is the foundation of all of our foo...
The Powers the Be
I just came from a meeting with my state senator, Greg Taylor, about CTE and ways that he and our
senate can support us. It was a very good meeting indeed. Sen. Taylor is very supportive of education and realizes the value of career and technical education, but was not very knowledgeable of the pr...
Advocating for Career Pathways
A couple of years ago, our department of education began to fervently push ahead for Career Pathways.
At the time, my program, Advanced Life Science: Animals and Veterinary Assisting, fell under the general heading of health careers. With the pathway they proposed, my program would only be offered ...
Graduation and Reflection
The school year has come to an end. Every May, I reflect back upon my year and evaluate my performance and influence. Four seniors left my program this year as they move on to bigger and brighter things. Seeing those four girls leave is bittersweet.
Each and every one of them has shown great grow...