An Introduction

This blog is to introduce you to the general idea and atmosphere of CPI as a Career and Technical Center. I want people to hear about us, and not in the old “tekker” kind of way. Career and Technical Centers are amazing institutions of learning; students leave here with certifications that adult students pay for. When students graduate they leave skilled workers ready to join the work force, or planning to continue in their field of study through post secondary education. Instructors are skilled and knowledgeable in the fields they teach, and enjoy helping students find a place in the field they have chosen. There is nothing here to make me feel that the old connotation of “tekker” holds true.

So over the next year, I hope you will follow along and see what happens in my classroom, what students are doing, where they are going, and how they plan to get there. I’ll also be allowing students to blog along with me, so you can get their side of the story too. My main goal is to educate and inform the general public about what we do here and how we do it. I hope to be entertaining, and humorous, but most of all I hope to be honest. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always fun, but it is ALWAYS worth it.

Best Regards,

Yana Boyd

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Return to the Real World

The Holiday break was nice. Spending time with family and friends is always refreshing.

As I said in a previous blog, the holiday break can be a blessing or a curse on class determination. This year the curse came on strong. Even though I had high hopes while watching students progress through the projects, the first critique date was missed because they were not fully prepared.  I tried to be optimistic about what kind of work that would be shown when we returned for the rescheduled critique. I had hoped the students would use some of their down time in an effort to be ready for an important critique.

The first day back, "NOT PLEASED" was my phrase of the day. I was admittedly disappointed with the majority of the final projects my afternoon class presented. After a rather unpleasant critique and a very intense classroom discussion we went into a lock-down mode. I was unsure of whether myself or my students were to blame for the botched projects. So I decided that class would be no fun for me or them. I don't like to have that kind of atmosphere in the classroom, but sometimes it's necessary. I want them to enjoy learning but I also want them to understand the consequences of not being a productive worker. CPI is meant to prepare students for the real world of work, and although I have a few students who remind me I am not their "boss", I do have to prepare them what a real boss may be like.

I assigned a three page paper on one of six Pop Artists I presented. There was no sitting near friends, no idol chat, just quiet and keys clicking. After the paper was turned in we started back in on packet work for Illustrator and Photoshop. The students have been on their best behavior and have been working diligently. I hope to get back to a point soon where I feel comfortable with giving a bit more freedom. This will take time, being that they will need to earn their freedom and be able to handle it while producing good work.

With all this being said, I want to say that I am really proud of my students the majority of the time. This was the "oddball" that happens once in a while. I have extremely talented kids who sometimes forget that they still need to work to meet expectations. I hear a lot of things about this generation of students, but I can tell you with the right motivation and direction these kids are capable of great things. I am looking forward to the next project so they can prove me right.
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