Restoring Cars, Building Million Dollar Homes: CTE Students Do It All
2021-07-11
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1Seventeen-year-old Charles Wilkinson will not go to college after completing his study at Edison High School last June.
2That does not mean Wilkinson will face an uncertain future.
3In fact, he is excited about his future.
4About nine percent of high school graduates like Wilkinson in Fairfax County in northern Virginia do not go to either a four-year college or a community college.
5Some of them may have difficulty with traditional school subjects.
6But they are better at making things and using tools to solve problems.
7Wilkinson told VOA he used to wonder what to do with his learning in math, science, and history.
8But that was before he started taking an auto body repair class at Edison Academy, his high school's center for career training.
9At the academy, Wilkinson learned to fix dents and do basic welding - a process where one uses heat to melt pieces of metal and join them together.
10With his training, Wilkinson got a job at a factory to make parts for machines.
11In his extra time, he rebuilt an old car that he bought for $600.
12It is an Austin Healy Sprite, a small convertible made in Great Britain about 50 years ago.
13Convertible is a term for a car that does not have a hardtop like most vehicles.
14Other students learned to work on heating and cooling systems and take care of animals at the academy.
15Some studied how to solve computer security problems, cut hair, and build homes during their CTE, or career and technical education, classes.
16Robert Stringham teaches CTE classes in heating and cooling at the academy.
17He said the current CTE students are better prepared for the future than those who went to high school in the 1990s.
18In those days, Stringham said, some saw CTE classes as a "dumping ground" for students who had trouble with traditional school subjects.
19But now, he said, CTE students are able to learn even more skills.
20"Because that's what it really is - technical. And things are becoming more to where it's not just about hands-on. ... You've got to problem-solve and you've got to think -'creativity.'"
21CTE classes can also be good for students whose families do not speak English at home.
22If they have trouble understanding a teacher speaking or reading a textbook, they can often learn a skill by watching.
23In his class, Stringham said, students learned to work with computers and electrical parts that control heating and cooling systems.
24Other students worked on a home-building project during the 2020-2021 school year.
25And the house they built will be sold for close to $1 million.
26Upon graduation, Stringham said, his students are prepared for a first-year job at a manufacturing plant or to train with an experienced electrician or woodworker.
27Jacob Torres took heating and cooling classes with Stringham.
28The coronavirus pandemic reduced his in-person class time last year.
29So he worked on the heating system at his parents' home to keep learning.
30Torres plans to continue learning about electrical systems and other subjects at Northern Virginia Community College.
31After two years, Torres will then decide whether to go to a four-year college or to work full-time.
32Monica Bentley is the administrator at Edison Academy.
33She said students like Wilkinson and Torres often find a strong connection to school when they discover career training.
34For example, Wilkinson was not able to use the school's equipment to work on his car because of limited in-person learning during the pandemic.
35As soon as the workspace re-opened in early 2021, he was there and worked until the very last second on the last day of school.
36"He can't get enough of this," Bentley said.
37Wilkinson said it is a nice feeling to look at his Austin Healy after days of painting and repairing.
38"Sometimes when I get discouraged, I can look at the car and be like, well, I figured this out myself. ... Even if it's not great, it's like, oh, well, I made that. That's pretty cool. It's a good feeling."
39I'm Dan Friedell.
1Seventeen-year-old Charles Wilkinson will not go to college after completing his study at Edison High School last June. That does not mean Wilkinson will face an uncertain future. In fact, he is excited about his future. 2About nine percent of high school graduates like Wilkinson in Fairfax County in northern Virginia do not go to either a four-year college or a community college. Some of them may have difficulty with traditional school subjects. But they are better at making things and using tools to solve problems. 3CTE classes 4Wilkinson told VOA he used to wonder what to do with his learning in math, science, and history. But that was before he started taking an auto body repair class at Edison Academy, his high school's center for career training. 5At the academy, Wilkinson learned to fix dents and do basic welding - a process where one uses heat to melt pieces of metal and join them together. 6With his training, Wilkinson got a job at a factory to make parts for machines. In his extra time, he rebuilt an old car that he bought for $600. It is an Austin Healy Sprite, a small convertible made in Great Britain about 50 years ago. Convertible is a term for a car that does not have a hardtop like most vehicles. 7Other students learned to work on heating and cooling systems and take care of animals at the academy. Some studied how to solve computer security problems, cut hair, and build homes during their CTE, or career and technical education, classes. 8Robert Stringham teaches CTE classes in heating and cooling at the academy. He said the current CTE students are better prepared for the future than those who went to high school in the 1990s. 9In those days, Stringham said, some saw CTE classes as a "dumping ground" for students who had trouble with traditional school subjects. But now, he said, CTE students are able to learn even more skills. 10"Because that's what it really is - technical. And things are becoming more to where it's not just about hands-on. ... You've got to problem-solve and you've got to think -'creativity.'" 11CTE classes can also be good for students whose families do not speak English at home. If they have trouble understanding a teacher speaking or reading a textbook, they can often learn a skill by watching. 12In his class, Stringham said, students learned to work with computers and electrical parts that control heating and cooling systems. Other students worked on a home-building project during the 2020-2021 school year. And the house they built will be sold for close to $1 million. 13Upon graduation, Stringham said, his students are prepared for a first-year job at a manufacturing plant or to train with an experienced electrician or woodworker. 14Other possibilities 15Jacob Torres took heating and cooling classes with Stringham. The coronavirus pandemic reduced his in-person class time last year. So he worked on the heating system at his parents' home to keep learning. 16Torres plans to continue learning about electrical systems and other subjects at Northern Virginia Community College. After two years, Torres will then decide whether to go to a four-year college or to work full-time. 17Monica Bentley is the administrator at Edison Academy. She said students like Wilkinson and Torres often find a strong connection to school when they discover career training. 18For example, Wilkinson was not able to use the school's equipment to work on his car because of limited in-person learning during the pandemic. As soon as the workspace re-opened in early 2021, he was there and worked until the very last second on the last day of school. "He can't get enough of this," Bentley said. 19Wilkinson said it is a nice feeling to look at his Austin Healy after days of painting and repairing. 20"Sometimes when I get discouraged, I can look at the car and be like, well, I figured this out myself. ... Even if it's not great, it's like, oh, well, I made that. That's pretty cool. It's a good feeling." 21I'm Dan Friedell. 22Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 23What are some projects high school students work on where you live? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 24___________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26graduate -n. a person who has earned a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university 27academy -n. a school that provides training in special subjects or skills 28dent -n. an area on a surface that is lower than the rest of the surface especially because of being hit or pushed in 29dumping ground - idiom. a place where people or things that are not wanted are sent 30textbook-n. a book about a particular subject that is used in the study of that subject especially in a school 31discouraged- adj. the state of being frustrated or disappointed or the feeling of not wanting to do something