The Nontraditional Journey of Becoming a Career Technical Education Teacher

My mentor for the 2018 ACTE Fellows program is Kandy Smitha.

Kandy began her career in Veterinary Medicine and worked in the field for nearly 12 years.  Afterward, she worked various other jobs and eventually went back to college in order to become a nurse, where she worked in a physical rehabilitation facility for 10 years.

However, Smitha had a desire to become a teacher at a very young age.

“I always wanted to be a teacher since I was in grade school.  My father set up a little classroom in our basement.  It had an old fashion desk that he had found and a chalk board.  I put my stuffed animals in the seats and each day I would come home and teach my animals what I had learned in school that day.  I was discouraged from following this path by an Aunt of mine who told me it did not pay enough to be a teacher and I should do something else,” stated Smitha.

Smitha did eventually work as a Veterinary Assistant for a period of time but discovered her path to teaching simply by luck, where she now has an opportunity to follow both of her passions. 

After entering the education field, Smitha began teaching a CNA class to high school juniors and seniors.  One day, she was approached by her counselor, who stated that he could fill a class with students who wanted to focus only on Veterinary Medicine. As a result, she developed the program of study and has been using the curriculum she developed for more than 18 years.

“I began with the CNA class as in instructional assistant (IA) teaching the skills, and then I was hired as a part time teacher for that class and as part time IA.  In 2001, I developed the Veterinary Assisting class and began my own program.  I now have an IA working with me and have helped multiple schools begin a Veterinary Assisting class.”

Smitha is the current past president of Indiana ACTE, a member of ACTE, as well as a member of her local, state and national education associations.

“The most rewarding aspect of my job is impacting students’ lives, having a part in the veterinary community and being mentor to new CTE teachers,” stated Smitha

One of her struggles as an educator is addressing how student work ethic has slowly diminished during her career. 

“Students don’t want to aim higher and try harder.  They just want to get the lowest passing grade possible and that’s enough.  If the overall grade drops for the class, according to the administration, it is because the curriculum is too difficult or the teacher expects too much from student, rather than the fault lying with the students’ work ethic.  Most students are great but the number of students giving less effort is increasing,” stated Smitha.

Smitha’s involvement in ACTE has been an invaluable asset.  Smitha stated that her involvement in ACTE “has helped me become a better teacher by learning new techniques, incorporating new ideas, keeps me rejuvenated and excited about teaching.  Hearing how others have accomplished their professional goals and make changes that influenced student growth has kept me excited about improving my instructional practice as well.”

In addition, her participation through ACTE has also significantly empowered her as an educator to become a stronger advocate for her students. “ACTE has allowed me to become part of an organization that will carry some weight when advocating for CTE.  If I tried to do this alone or with just a few friends, not many of those who have the power for change would listen.  Collectively [CTE teachers] have a bigger voice that can’t be ignored so easily.”

As part of her professional advocacy, Smitha has worked diligently to educate others in her school and community about the invaluable opportunities offered to students through rigorous and dynamic career technical education programs of study.

Smith stated that “CTE Teachers must always continue to fight the old belief that CTE is for students who are not academically strong.  That it is not for students going to college.  Too many still think of CTE as the old vocational model from the 1960’s.  My opinion is everyone who attends high school should attend a CTE class as well.”