This is a bit difficult to navigate. There is a difference between the helpfulness of AI and the reliance on AI.

So important to remember that memorization does not show understanding of the content. Critical thinking must be used.

Student engagement is key to a successful classroom.  This gives students little down time to become a discipline issue.  To make this work properly you will need to have clear set plans for your class.  Always prepare for more material than you can cover in a class period.  This helps eliminate idle time for students.

Advisory boards play a crucial part in a successful CTE classroom.  They help align content to what students will see in industry.  Its important to continue this relationship to help stay current.   Your advisory board will also help you secure potential tools, materials, and internships.

Really taking a deeper dive into strengths vs weakness is important. Occupational outlook is an extremely important tool to see career growth for future.

I learned that integrating critical thinking into a course requires intentional design. Instead of focusing only on content delivery, we should create opportunities for students to wrestle with real-world problems, ambiguity, and multiple possible solutions. Strategies such as case studies, scenario-based learning, project-based assignments, and guided reflection can push students beyond memorization toward application and analysis.

Career investigation and development is an ongoing process and we need to instill this mindset in students.  They need to be confident in themselves when career challenges present themselves.  They may remain in the same or similar profession for their lifetime, or make a change.  Either way, students benefit from knowing this and being prepared for change.  Heck, career opportunites don't even exist today that will be at the forefront in 15 years.  

I like the emphasis on discussing life situations and changes, including personal development, all have a strong effect on the possibility of career changes.  And that is not only OK, but healthy.

There are so very many steps in actually securing employment, from researching available job opportunities, to resume development, the application process, interviewing and then follow up.  Ongoing support for students that we can provide on this journey can be life changing for them, and we just might be that one and only person who was there to help them.

Exploring and doing your research is so important so that you have an understanding of what is all involved day in and out in a specific career pathway, what it takes to get there, and what the occupational outlook is for that career pathway.