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The hardest would be students. They don’t care about the historical stigma though. I teach courses at a high school. They treat it like just another elective and don’t see the real value in it. The second group would be counselors. They pull students out or add students in at the semester or whenever the student wants an easier elective, but admin/counselors won’t let me have students taken out when they can’t handle the course or refuse to do any work in the elective class. Our main principal sees a lot of value in CTE but doesn’t get how traditional classroom frameworks don’t always work for us. Our courses often require more autonomy than what is given. It also requires time to build courses, prep between classes, and deal with all of the state, grant, and spending paperwork.
Exactly! Why should a counsellor think a CTE course is any less important/ valuable than an AP class?? And they call during my period to pull kids out to discuss whatever it is they need to discuss - during MY period - bc it’s easier to make up my work. Huh?? My students try to drop my class when it gets too hard for them. Awww…. They are forced to suck it up in math or science. But they can drop my class like a hot potato. An elective should be thought of as something special - like a privilege. You are getting the chance to see how this amazing elective will actually make an impact on your life moving towards college or career.
What’s the historical stigma?
Thank you. I understand now. I think CTE can be a wonderful opportunity to graduate high school with a truly marketable skill.
The hardest group to get behind CTE in our district is the HS councilors .
I’ve been working at a voc tech HS that was close to being shut down and was a dumping ground for students that weren’t “college material”. 8 years later, half the HS is enrolled in CTE, we have waiting lists for several programs, and we pull in more funding than the rest of the school. Biggest obstacles were parents who didn’t understand what we had to offer, and thought that CTE meant their kids wouldn’t go to college. First few years were frustrating, and yes, school counselors didn’t get it and worked against us. Now parents are amazed at what we can do in our classrooms. It took awhile and a lot of diligence and hard work, and lots of connecting to my students. My advice is keep looking for opportunities for the community to see what your students can do. Actions speak louder than words.