It's CTE Month!

February is Career and Technical Education Month.  This is the time where Career and Technical Education shines the brightest.  However, if we do not use spotlights, many people will not see the light.  I have been told that people do not know about Family and Consumer Sciences or Career and Technical Education because we do not tell people about us and what we do.  As a FACS teacher, I know that it is hard to “toot our own horns”, but the fact is, if we do not, the public will not know we exist.  At this moment, legislators are now saying that education needs to be teaching career skills, along with academics.  We have been doing this for years..  It is our time to show what CTE is truly about and the many benefits that students gain by being in our classrooms.  Here are a few ideas:

• Show off your students.  Have them do service learning projects for the community or for one of the National FCCLA National Outreach Projects.  You have two to choose from:  Share our Strength and March of Dimes.  Participate in FCCLA Week, February 10-16.  Have the students plan an activity everyday highlighting a national program in FCCLA.  Share your ideas and successes with FCCLA members on Facebook or Twitter.
• Host an open house of your student activities and class projects.  Invite parents, administration and, of course, the school board.  Don’t forget to invite the media to come and see what CTE is all about.  In a small school, collaborate with the other CTE programs and host the open house together.  Remember, we are all part of the same family and it is time for us to bond together to help each other spread the word.
• Spread the word about FACS and CTE by using social media.  Post pictures of your classroom activities and FCCLA on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  If you don’t know how to use these valuable marketing tools, ask your students to help you. 
• Highlight all of your classroom successes, as well as FCCLA, to the school board, administrators, parents, and local media.  Let them know what is going on in the classroom.  Write to your congressmen and inform them what skills you are teaching in the classroom.  Have the students write testimonial letters telling what they have gained from their CTE experiences.  

These are a few of the ideas that you can do.  You are only limited by your own imagination.  Check out www.acte.org or your state CTE organization for additional ideas. 

Don’t miss this great opportunity to let people know what CTE is all about!