Mentoring students can be easy as ABC

Nomenclature, a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline or art and acronym, a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each successive part. Every career seems to have its own particular vocabulary or nomenclature, and within that acronyms are becoming increasingly prolific.

Education is no different, and in some respects is even worse as there is always a new idea, method or concept for imparting knowledge.

And what better way to sound important than to use job-speak during an educational meeting? But if you slice away all the current jargon that is in use and delve into the meat of education and what has been around for years and what works, the cream rises to the top when nomenclature and acronyms are used.

Recently, on the first Friday and Saturday of October, the Mat-Su Career and Technical High School again served as host to what has become an annual fall gathering of the Career and Technical student organizations, typically called CTSOs. These are the groups that in days gone by we fondly knew as an integral part and supportive component of vocational education. Gladly, these groups are still around and while their names have changed a bit over time, they are becoming an increasingly important part of the career portfolio and experience of our graduating students in classes now called career and technical education.

Business Professionals of America (BPA), SkillsUSA, Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) have been and are continuing to be a driving force for our business, industrial arts, agriculture, and family and consumer science students.

What better way to showcase job skills learned in class than through leadership positions and competitive events while participating through one of these groups? As the Valley grows and our workforce expands, health care is more important than ever and chapters of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) are springing up in Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley and in Fairbanks.

The Fall Leadership Conference (FLC) is the kick-off to an active year, and our students and their advisors gather to strategize and plan the activities of the year, and attend workshops on parliamentary procedures, dress for success and public speaking. Service projects are chosen, planned and implemented, and a theme for the year begins to take shape.

These future leaders and employees return to their home schools energized and enthused about the year ahead and begin their preparations for the State Leadership Conference (SLC) and competitive events in March. Can you analyze a multi-year income statement and develop a presentation on your findings in as little as 60 minutes? How about building a simple cabinet in three hours? Or maybe finish a three-course meal in 90 minutes?

Our students can, and not only do they impress judges in Alaska, they consistently place in the top 10 at their national leadership conferences (NLCs) held in late spring and early summer. Some judges have even extended job offers to students who are seniors.

Not only does our general membership devote precious time to these pursuits, but the state officers of each organization continue to meet on a monthly basis to maintain and plan for the success of all involved. As this year’s FLC theme says, we are “growing, building, managing Alaska’s future.”

Would you like to be a part of this? Judges, mentors and workshop presenters are always needed and often as little as one to three hours would be a great help. Just visit ctsoalaska.org and choose a group you’d like to be connected with. We’d love to receive an email from you.

So, from all the CTSO’s in the state of Alaska, be a part of our FLC, SLC and even NLC, and be amazed at the skills sets and best practices of our students of BPA, DECA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA and SkillsUSA, and become well-versed and a part of our acronyms and nomenclature.

Steven Cook teaches business and information technologies at Palmer High School.