Networking Jackpot

I was one of the lucky educators who attended the ACTE conference in Las Vegas. It was a wealth (notice the theme here-totally unintended) of information for the country girl from PA. The difficulty for me was deciding which of the overwhelming amount of informative sessions available, I could attend. Being somewhat of a type A personality, I had actually previewed the sessions from the online list, printed them out, and made a daily schedule in Outlook that I used. At least, I had a place to start.

Other than the issues I have with airlines, I had a terrific experience. I got into booking my hotel a little late and so I ended up at the Riviera. I was expecting to see Frank Sinatra at every turn and down every pathway! The planning of helping people stay lost in a hotel casino is quite an art. I would recommend that everyone try it on the Vegas level–just have a cell phone handy for 911 access. Niagara Falls and Atlantic City cannot compete with the level of expertise practiced on poor unsuspecting hotel guests in LV.  I wonder if there is a special CTE course offered in Nevada that addresses this career pathway?

Once I made it out of the hotel/casino and into the fresh air on Wednesday morning, I walked around the outside of the hotel for a shuttle. Yes there was a shuttle available a bell hop told me, but I would have to pay! I needed the exercise anyhow, so I started walking to the Convention Center. Good luck was with me as I met up with some cowboys from Montana headed in the same direction! We battled across 6 lanes of traffic and eventually stumbled into the CC, exhausted and ready for coffee.

This is where the exceptional part of my trip really began. From the Montana boys, to the gals from Texas, to folks from Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Arizona, I was able to network and learn from the experts. I listened to folks from Google explain the future of education and technology, to women in technology explaining the benefits of the IGNITE program, to Ruby Payne discuss the rules of poverty and wealth, and so much more. I believe I learned more from the people I met in casual conversation than I could have ever imagined. I hope to use the buzz words and information on Career Clusters to rethink our Perkins plan and to develop new courses for the students of Butler County.

Thank you, ACTE Conference organizers, for doing a fabulous job. Thank you Guidance and Career Development Division for providing the opportunity to have two delicious lunches complete with fabulous conversations! Many thanks to the educators and CTE personnel who traveled to LV and helped me learn about CTE from another perspective.

I know I keep repeating this, but CTE is an amazing place!

Joyce