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Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School Career Video

Description: Teach occupational, vocational, career, or technical subjects to students at the secondary school level.

Video Transcript

Being a teacher doesn’t always mean working in a classroom… career and technical education teachers can also instruct students in workshops, fields and kitchens. Career and technical education teachers teach students practical subjects to prepare them for a future career in fields such as auto repair, agriculture, healthcare fields, or culinary arts. Like all teachers, career and technical education teachers develop lesson plans and assignments, grade student work, enforce classroom rules, and discuss student progress with students and parents. These teachers focus especially on hands-on skills. They provide academic instruction as well as developing activities for students to practice actual work tasks. Students might replace brakes on cars, take blood pressure, or write a simple computer program. Teachers typically oversee these tasks in school workshops and laboratories, where safety is an important consideration. Some develop relationships with local organizations to create work experiences for advanced students. Most career and technical teachers work typical school hours in public middle- or high schools, following the traditional 10-month school year with a 2-month break during the summer. They may attend meetings before and after classes. Career and technical education teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and work experience in the field they teach. Public school teachers generally need a state certification or license.