1- OSHA Great resource for safety. Safety is our number one concern for our students and the abundance of information that OSHA provides is fantastic.

2- NCCER is the approved curriculum for Pioneer Carpentry. Their website has lots of useful resources to help students and teachers.

3-  This Old House is a great resource for how to videos. I trust most of the information they provide and I am never worried about their appropriateness. Most of the demonstrations are short and precise. Their videos give a quick overview of processes without the unnecessary commentary.  

4- Career Safe is our resource for OSHA certifications. They are a great resource for other training as well.

5-YouTube There is a tremendous amount of information on YouTube, but I always warn students that anyone can put information there and it is not always correct. Always watch before sharing, the information can be wrong or inappropriate.

6- NEO is our online class program. My understanding is that is is very similar to Google Classroom. Students review, test and track their progress in class here. 

Being my first year, I tried new strategies throughout the year. As the year progressed, I found these practices to be my best. 

1. Consistency: From a weekly rotating job list, to Monday morning weekend update, to systematic review of curriculum. The students know what will be come next in the classroom. 

2. Inconsistency: Yes, in direct contrast to number 1. I found that in lab the students responded to a more relaxed learning environment. Instead of telling them exactly what we were going to build, I let them chose the project, guided of course. I found they took more ownership if they had input. The rule to this is that I need to be able to teach them the lesson with the project for it to work.

3. Parent contact: In the beginning of the year I did not embrace this practice, but by mid way I would call home for every misconduct per my class rules.

4. Use my supervisor: If a student is misbehaving I like to try to handle it in class by private conversation. If the behavior continues, I don't hesitate to contact my supervisor to remove the student.

5. No cell phones: I found when I was strict on this policy I had the best results. Just before school was out, I had a special place on the white board for all the Senior's phones. As the seniors entered the classroom, they put their pones on the white board ledge and where not aloud to touch them the entire day. In the three hour class they usually have two short breaks when they can check their phones. I know they are social, but I believe teaching them when that is appropriate may be one of the best lessons they can learn. 

Our advisory committee members are great resources for our class. They are potentially future employers, or co-workers of our students. They keep us up to date with current trends in the field which helps me teach the changes that are always part of all industries.

Our CTSO, Skills USA, is another valuable resource. They provide activities and competitions to allow the students to show their skills. 

Our most supportive stakeholder is our community. We are located in a small town, our school is partnered with 14 schools in the area. We have had many opportunities to in the local community to volunteer and complete projects. Our community supports us through community service day as well as projects for their homes and businesses.