It’s no secret that teachers are leaving the profession. Impossible standards, low pay, micromanagement and the constant threat of school violence has even the most experienced and devoted teachers pursuing other opportunities. The place where our students are likely to miss out the most by this mass exodus-the CTE classroom.
CTE stands for “Career & Technical Education” for the uninitiated. This department encompasses a variety of disciplines; basically any class that is “career specific” falls under the CTE umbrella. These classes include:
Culinary Arts Construction Science Agriculture & Vet Medicine Automotive & Welding Business & Marketing Healthcare AV Production Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Computer Science & Technology
CTE teachers are highly skilled, highly employable and highly dissatisfied with education. Many of these teachers teach 3-4 different classes per day. Planning and executing that many lessons daily is a staggering work load. Combine that with more students and fewer teachers and suddenly you’ve got a construction science class with 50 students (with power tools!) and a single adult supervising. It’s untenable.
The reality is this; CTE teachers did not train to be teachers. They came to the profession because they have a skill and a passion they were called to share. Most worked in private industry for years before they brought their skills and experience to the classroom.
And they are uniquely qualified to return to those industries.
As teaching requires more and more work for fewer and fewer rewards, those CTE teachers are going to return to those industries that they left. They probably pay better. They probably need workers now more than ever. And they probably don’t involve active shooter drills.
There is a shift happening in the public consciousness when it comes to earning college degrees. People are realizing more and more that college is not the key to future success it once was. More and more students are graduating with massive debt and few opportunities.
CTE classes prepare and train students for specific careers and instill skills that make them employable right out of high school. Our country desperately needs graduates that are prepared to enter into careers that don’t require a college degree. They often pay better. Plumbers, carpenters, welders…they can charge a premium in society right now because we neglected them for so long. For years we told kids that success looked like a college diploma…when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Students love CTE classes. They get to pursue their own interests and often are able to shine in ways they don’t in a typical academic classroom. For some kids, these courses are the main reason they come to school. It is imperative that schools continue to provide career-centered opportunities for the next generation.
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