Hey New Jersey TSA! Did you know that February is known as CTE Month?
What is CTE? CTE, or Career and Technical Education, is an initiative to teach students about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although CTE has existed for a while, its presence in our country has been increasing drastically. Nowadays, most schools offer STEM classes in everything from computer science to mechanical engineering and beyond.
February, being CTE month, has been a great time to explore the opportunities that come with a STEM education. With knowledge in STEM, one can become an app developer, a scientist, a civil engineer, an astronaut, etc. As a matter of fact, STEM can be applied to more than just science and math — STEM has applications in agriculture, business, and more!
How can you get involved in CTE? First and foremost, find out what STEM courses your school offers. If possible, sign up for those classes! You could also try to take on some STEM-related hobbies, such as:
- Circuit building (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.)
- Coding (web design, app development, etc.)
- Robotics (VEX, FIRST, etc.)
Finally, you could join extracurricular CTE organizations. Many schools offer STEM-related clubs, such as a robotics club, a computer club, and/or TSA (of course).
To wrap things up, we hope you took advantage of CTE month, and if you didn’t, you don’t have to be involved with CTE just during the month of February – Be a part of a CTE at your school all year long! There are many STEM opportunities for you to explore! Also, be sure to thank your CTE/STEM teachers for all of their hard work!
The NJ TSA state conferences are less than two months away. We can’t wait to see your projects there! Good luck!
Darren Schachter
NJTSA State Vice President