As a first-year extern I had a wonderful time working with the Idaho Division of Career and Technical Education. The beginning of my externship started almost a year prior when I had a discussion with Janine Hodges at the CTE Connect Conference about the need for mentors for Idaho CTE instructors at the high school level. From there bloomed a wonderful partnership between myself and IDCTE. Throughout my time with IDCTE, I worked with another extern to to develop a framework for mentoring at the high school level.

My main focus for the externship was to create a bank of questions to ask the CTE teacher while being mentored. As many of us know, teaching is not just about the work we do in the classroom, there are a variety of items we do in addition to teaching. These include lab and materials ordering and management, advising student organizations, and participating in professional organizations. My discussion bank hoped to bridge the gap between the focus of classroom teaching and all the “extras” CTE teachers must also focus on. Working with IDCTE was a wonderful experience. I was able to work remotely from any location, allowing me to continue completing my additional duties as an Ag. Teacher and personal responsibilities. Even though I was completely remote, I felt 100% supported by IDCTE while working on my project. I had weekly check-ins that were productive and time efficient. I would definitely consider working as an extern again based on my experience this year.