Perspectives on the future of education from Learn4Life
Why This Educator Wanted to Be a School Counselor
The letter in Patricia Ochoa’s desk is a bit worn from being opened and reread many times over the years. She is a school counselor at Learn4Life and the letter is from a former student who graduated a few years ago.
Right before she graduated, the student wrote a letter to Ochoa to say thank you for believing in me. She said that she never believed in herself, and her family never gave her any encouragement.
“It was a constant struggle to get her to come to school and turn in her work,” said Ochoa. “But we never gave up on her and told her every day that she was smart and could become whatever she wanted.”
Educators have long understood the benefits of Career Technical Education (CTE) classes in high school – preparing students for high-wage, high-demand jobs, helping them develop problem-solving skills and even improving graduation completion rates among at-risk students.
Superintendent Shellie Hanes says CTE pathways can save families money in numerous ways.
“Many CTE programs offer dual enrollment at a nearby community college, so students can earn as many as 30 college credits and the high school covers the costs. We pay for the state testing and certificates to work in a given field, which can be significant.”
Our students are often eager to share their stories about how they found our school and how sometimes we were their last option to graduate. We ask the simple question, “What keeps you coming back to our school?”
Here is what a few had to say:
The atmosphere, sometimes it’s better than being at home, it’s calmer. You get to organize your thoughts and there’s no rush. There’s a lot of support from our teachers.
- Ashley M.
The environment. My teacher is so caring and sweet. It definitely makes it worth coming to school knowing you are coming to a loving environment.
- Destiny L.
It’s a great school and it’s like they actually want you to be there.
