Teacher Appreciation Week

We know that good career and technical education programs with plenty of hands-on learning and mentoring can lead to fulfilling careers for young people and boost local economies as well. In this article, you’ll hear directly from students whose inspiring experiences in the construction trades are testimony to the potential of a well-run CTE program. You’ll also hear from their teacher and learn his surprising take on the most important thing students learn from his program.

When Brian Grindrod teaches the We the People curriculum, his students are learning far more than facts about the U.S. Constitution. They are learning teamwork, research skills, civics, and even empathy and confidence, while they participate in mock congressional hearings and show off the knowledge they’ve collected together. Now that program is threatened by education cuts. Grindrod tells the story on his AFT Voices blog post.

When African American history teacher Renee O’Connor teaches about the cruelty of Jim Crow and the lynchings that marked that era, she knows how heavy those lessons can be. But what does she say to her students when they ask, “Why do they hate us so much?” In this AFT Voices blog post, O’Connor describes the urgency of teaching true history to students who are hungry to learn it and eager to practice the resilience they learn from their own ancestors.

AFT member Gemayel Keyes grew up attending Philadelphia public schools before he started his career there—first as a bus attendant, then a teaching assistant and, finally, a special education teacher. Keyes described his career trajectory—including the obstacles he faced—to a U.S. Senate committee June 20, urging legislators to support teacher pipelines and grow-your-own programs like the one he attended. The Para Pathways program was founded in part by Keyes’ union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Read about his experience on AFT Voices.

For AFT member Clare Berke, hands-on learning goes way back: She still remembers the “newspaper” she created in class with a friend when she was a fifth grader. Today she teaches her own high school journalism students through a range of opportunities to “try on” a career that has always inspired her. They recently met the governor of Maryland, reported on an AFT event about experiential learning and began to pursue an investigative project about problems in a nearby school. “When our students are part of experiences that pique their interests, involve their daily lives, and prepare them for what comes after high school, the whole community benefits,” she says.

AFT member Mary Moriarty is convinced that community schools—those thriving hubs where children and their families are mutually supported by educators, businesses and community organizations—are the answer for struggling schools in her town, Hammond, Ind. That’s why she is working every angle to help establish them at two existing middle schools, starting from scratch. Here’s her story about how she got started—and how it’s going.

When Letecia Miller started teaching graphic arts in the Los Angeles school district, her school had substandard equipment and not much money to upgrade. But Miller had a vision, and after years of persistence she secured the grants she needed to build an impressive graphic design studio for her students. The effort, she says, was worth it: Here’s her story about how career and technical education can be a powerful pathway for education in communities like hers.

Educators are overwhelmed, overworked and burned out—but all too often, even in the most supportive districts, efforts to improve staff well-being are little more than surface-level conversations about self-care. In the spring issue of American Educator, learn how AFT affiliates are collaborating with Educators Thriving to implement research-backed strategies that provide immediate relief while building stronger support systems for teachers and staff.

For too many educators, the idea of a morally centered school may seem like a fantasy—or be so novel a concept that it is hard to grasp. In the new American Educator, psychiatrist Wendy Dean, who studies moral injury, and educator Rachel Schaffer describe such schools, which truly serve students’ best interests by following a set of shared professional values. They also explore how educators and unions can help create them.

With Share My Lesson, educators can help students conduct themselves responsibly in digital spaces—and provide additional support for any students who experience harm. In the Spring American Educator, learn about the many resources available to teach digital literacy and critical thinking, help students set clear boundaries online, support their mental and emotional health and foster open communication about students’ online experiences.