Cynthia Stigall

I like to make a good first impression.

Students bring so much to the table every day.  Not all of it is positive, but it all impacts their ability to learn and my ability to teach them and all the students in my classroom.  Classroom management is one area that I hope to gain additional learning opportunities for myself.

I am so thankful that my school system provided me with a mentor that has gone above and beyond!!!  She has been available and always either answers the question or finds me someone that can.  She has, on several occasions, stopped what we were doing and called another teacher or resource person who can answer a particular question.  This is especially true because my mentor is not a CTE teacher, but she is very experienced and goes the extra mile to make sure the question is answered (she doesn't just say "ask this person").

As an educator, it is extremely important to separate personal from professional life.  I have been a practicing nurse for for 36 years, so this concept is definitely not new.  I am appreciative of the terms and abbreviations section because there are so many that I am unfamiliar with.  It helps to realize where your students are when I use medical terminology.  I have to realize that those terms are equally unfamiliar to them even though I have been using them for 36 years.

I have gained an appreciation for the history of CTE and the many aspects of this program that come together to make CTE successful.  I have also gained a knowledge base of many sites to look to for additional information when I need it.