Touting career, technical education
Jul. 26—When it comes to prepping students for their futures, few programs dedicate themselves as much to that particular practice as CTE. For Clinton City Schools, the dedication of the teachers behind it — while often unsung heroes in education — is why it's continued to grow and succeed.
CTE is short for Career and Technical Education, which is a program aimed to empower all students to be successful citizens, workers and leaders in a global economy. It's goal is to offer programs that are designed to contribute to the broad educational achievement of students, including basic skills such as reading, writing, mathematics and science.
CTE is also designed to develop students' ability to work independently, as part of a team, think creatively, solve problems and utilize technology.
The teachers are at the core of making that all possible. CTE isn't a new program within CCS and has been around for years and, still, many don't know what or why those teachers have put so much stock in the program.
As strong advocates and contributors to that, many years a few of the CTE teachers for CCS shared their views on why they love and tout the program so strongly.
"The thing I enjoy most is the kids, of course," Stephanie Carter said. "But, the fact that I'm teaching them something that they're actually going to use on a day-to-day basis in their lives — that gives me purpose."
"Same thing, it's about the students," Anita Moore added. "Sometimes you think that they're not listening and they have this feeling of knowing they don't need to pass your CTE class. But, you know they're gonna need what you're teaching so you still keep pushing and driving them to succeed. My dad's cliche growing up was always 'A quitter never wins, and the winner never quits.' So that's what I always continue to use with the students, even though some may not feel that way, but still, I want to keep pushing that motto."
It's the joy of bearing witness to that push bringing success to their many students that pushes Arno Peterson. Hearing like-minded stories from former students drives him forward in the CTE program.
"For me it's seeing my students be successful," Peterson said. "I'm really big on leadership and my kids sometimes ask me 'why did you get so upset?' It's because I always see their potential."
"I have a student that's a sheriff," he continued. "I got called one day by another sheriff who asked if could do a reference for that young man. Back then he played around and he was kind of a jokester, but he was intelligent and I knew that he could do well. Now he's a sheriff."
"For me, that drives me even in those days, sometimes when it's dark and I just want go home," Peterson added. "When I see them be successful and they come back to say, 'you know, I never thought I needed anything you taught me, but I got a job now thanks to the stuff you showed me. I'm using those skills.' That makes it worth it all."
That faith has lead to a host of programs that've been offered to CCS students. From college prep career days, an abundance of classes geared toward career development have been held. Even earlier this year, CTE teachers did a summit at Sampson Community to grow their expertise on ways to better assist students.
The CTE program for CCS is also unique in that it covers 6th-12th grades when it traditionally only focuses on high school. Natasha Faircloth heads CTE at Sampson Middle and she'd share her insight into why CTE is so important to their students.
"I just need everybody else to be on the same page that we're on because really CTE is in every core class," she said. "It really is, that's the foundation and we want to be seen as well. Because these kids, most of them will might probably end up in a trade. We already know a lot of these kids are not going to go to a four-year college and if we can get them certified and have some credentials, that's what our aim is to do."
"I'm also trying to make the transition from middle school to high school as less bumpy as possible," she continued. "That's a whole new world over there at the high school and there's a lot of accountability that's going to be there. I just need everybody to have that same aspect here so it won't be so bumpy there. Then of course high school CTE is just going to take that baton and run with it — that's why all of us need to be interconnected."
For Faircloth, catering the program to each student's individual needs is what she wants to achieve, as she knows that level of care is best to help them be prepared for the future.
"We have to make this intentional for every kid, individually, because we can't just throw them all into one pot, that's not going to happen," she said. "We need to individualize each plan for these kids, it's coming with time and I'm working on it. We're all working on this thing but, you know, I just want to see them graduate and I want to get those graduation rates up. I want to see them doing something outside of doing the street because there's nothing out there."
"Now, when you work at McDonald's, can you take care of a family at $7.25 an hour, no, there's more that is required," she added. "Because even if we have a bachelor's degree, that's really considered like a high school diploma, there's nothing to these days, they need more."
Carter has been a member of CTE for over 20 years and with retirement finally a reality, she shared what she hopes for the future of the program. It is a vision that her and the other teachers present completely agreed on.
"I don't see it going anywhere and it should be given more priority," she said. "I don't think a lot of people, adults included, realize how important our curriculum is for this age. I would just like to say that in the future, that people come to realize that what we teach in CTE is of utmost importance and that's what these kids need. If I was granted one wish for retirement that's what I'd like to see."
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.
