I have discovered that I learn best by taking a hands-on approach to my education. I don't like to sit and listen to lectures or watch long videos and the worst thing you can do to me is force me to listen to a podcast (sorry, not sorry.) My zeal for CTE began when I was in high school. My first CTE class was keyboarding and my teacher, Mrs. Wells, only had one hand. I was fascinated by her ability to teach a skill that she, herself, had to modify to do. That class sparked an early passion for business and I quickly found that I LOVED my subsequent business classes. Her belief in me and her enthusiasm motivated me to major in Business Education in college so that I could inspire other students to love business, too.I taught business classes for 8 years before moving into my current role as a CTE coordinator promoting work-based learning, internships, concurrent enrollment courses, and CTE. I have become a passionate supporter of building quality CTE programs in schools. What is CTE, you ask? It's my mothership. These are hands-on classes in Skills & Technical (welding, woodshop, photo/video, etc), Business & Marketing, Health Sciences (Medical Anatomy, Exercise Science, etc.), Information Technology (computer science), Technology & Engineering, and Family & Consumer Sciences (Child Development, Interior Design, Sewing & Foods). Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to serve as the district specialist for Business, Marketing, IT, and FACS classes where I help teachers with collaboration and curriculum development.I'm a lifelong learner so some of my very favorite projects outside of the business classes have been taking our advanced welding students on industry tours, enrolling in UEN classes in digital technology, and giving feedback on quilts and other projects in the advanced sewing classes (I've even learned to quilt and love comparing patterns with students!) I also enjoy running our bi-annual Career Day event at school and was the chairman of our yearly Spring CTE/Fine Arts Showcase for 10 years. Running the school's FBLA club for the past three years was a great experience; I love to see the confidence builder this can be for some of our students as they compete in events at the region, state, and maybe even national level!If you want to chat about CTE, internships, or concurrent enrollment I'd love to connect!