CTE Teacher Preparation Program
CTE Teacher Prep News and Updates for August 2026
Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! Whether you are transitioning from industry into the classroom, serving as a mentor to someone making that transition, or adding a CTE Credential to your current credential we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you this year. Wherever you are in your career, you bring knowledge and experience that strengthen our CTE programs and support the people learning alongside you.
Our theme this year, Strong Roots, Strong Futures, has particular meaning for Career Technical Education in the small and rural communities of Northern California. Here, the impact ripples into our community. The students we teach become our colleagues, skilled professionals, business owners, caregivers, and community leaders. By connecting industry expertise with effective teaching, CTE educators help students recognize their abilities, understand where their learning can take them, and see a meaningful future for themselves within their communities. What we invest in our students and in one another directly shapes the strength of our regional workforce and the communities we call home.
We recently saw this theme come to life during our two-day Classroom Essentials training. Three early-career educators, who sat in the same session as pre-service teachers, returned to share what they had learned with teachers in the audience preparing to enter the classroom for the first time. The panel included a special education teacher serving students with extensive support needs, a middle school physical education teacher, and a CTE building and construction trades teacher at a charter school. Two had completed their first year in the classroom, and one had completed two years in the classroom. They answered questions honestly, offered practical advice, and shared lessons they wished they had known when they began. My favorite piece of advice was, “You don’t need to be a superstar; just be a star .”
It was a beautiful reminder that mentorship does not depend on how long someone has been teaching. These educators are still strengthening their own roots, yet they are already helping others establish theirs. Their willingness to share what they have learned reflects a tradition found in strong industries and strong communities: knowledge, skills, and support are passed from one person to the next. A community’s legacy is built over time as teachers invest in one another and in their students, and as those students carry that investment forward through their careers, families, and contributions to our region.
Cheers,
Jillian
CTE 101 AND 103 ORIENTATION
Please remember, Mentors and Candidates are required to attend the same orientation together.
Year 1 (101) Orientation Date: August 19th 4-5 p.m.
Year 2 (103) Orientation Date: August 20th 4-5 p.m.
MENTORS SUPPORTING YEAR 1 AND 2 CANDIDATES
Calendar invites will be sent out this summer.
Please remember to RSVP to all CTE invitations.
Mentors of Year 1 Candidates (101): September 3rd 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Mentors of Year 2 Candidates (103): September 8th 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Candidates: Share Your Growth Plan
After Orientation be sure to open your Growth Plan from your Google Classroom and share with your mentor. This allows for collaboration on the Growth Plan from the start.
We are so excited to have Linda for her dedicated support of our CTE candidates and mentors. Her guidance and commitment help to make a tremendous difference in new educators find their footing and grow in their practice. We are so grateful for everything she has brought and will continue to bring to this role!
Katie Mae Gonko
Ashely Brous
CTE Conference
Paradise RISE
Sentenced: A Literacy Film
SCALE: Sierra to California All-Lands Enhancement Project
Free Digital Literacy Classes
Through our partnership with North State Together, we want to make sure you know about regional upskilling courses. These classes are available to all - feel free to attend yourself or share with your families and partner organizations. Build confidence. Gain practical skills. Take the next step toward your goals. These free evening classes are offered live and online in English and Spanish to support adults in strengthening their digital and financial skills.
Ask an Economist
Join us for an insightful economic update with Dr. Robert Eyler, who will share the latest national and statewide economic and industry forecasts. He will highlight the key opportunities and challenges ahead for Northern California's rural and smaller suburban.
Leading CTE Systems
Leading CTE Systems: Designing Pathways for All Learners is a virtual professional learning network for administrators and systems leaders committed to expanding access to high-quality CTE pathways. Meeting monthly virtually, participants will collaborate to identify barriers, share resources, and apply systems-level strategies to universally design career pathways aligned with workforce needs. This network offers a space to deepen learning, exchange ideas, and support the design of student-centered, future-ready programs.
Deciding as a Class What the Year Should Feel Like
How to Avoid Rushing as a Teacher
California celebrates five years helping students and families plan for school and career through Cradle-to-Career
Five years after it was established under the Newsom Administration, California’s Cradle-to-Career (C2C) Data System is helping students, families, educators, and policymakers better understand the path from school to career. By securely connecting information across education, financial aid, workforce training, and employment, C2C gives Californians better tools to make informed decisions about their futures, while helping the state strengthen its workforce and economy.
Quick Self-Compassion Practices to Build Resilience in Educators and Children
Educators, and the kids they teach, often speak to themselves far more harshly than they would ever speak to a friend. That inner critic quietly drains the resilience needed to show up fully for students. Self-compassion is not indulgent. It is a nervous system shift, backed by research, that trades a stress response for a soothing one, which is what makes connection, learning, and joy possible in the first place. Two doable practices are inside: the one-minute Self-Compassion Break and the Love Letter to Yourself. Both work solo, at a staff meeting, or in your classroom, starting today.
AI Can't Replace Teachers, but it Will Change the Future of Teaching
Love it, hate it, or try to ignore it, AI is reshaping how and what students learn as well as how teachers go about the work of teaching. This has enormous implications for our collective future—how we interact with technology, the world around us, and one another.
96 Gen Z Workplace Statistics & Trends of 2026
The workplace is changing fast, and Gen Z is leading the charge.
As the last of this generation enters the job market in full force, they're bringing fresh expectations around mental health, flexibility, pay transparency, and purpose-driven work. And employers are scrambling to keep up.
From juvenile hall to firefighting academy; 2 nonprofits help redirect paths with fire training
As recent events have demonstrated, there is a great need for more people to fight wildfires in the state, and now two nonprofits have joined to address the shortage and provide jobs to underserved communities.
CDE AI Guidance
The California Department of Education's AI in California page is your go-to hub for official state guidance on artificial intelligence in education. It provides professional learning resources to help educators and administrators navigate AI tools responsibly and effectively in the classroom.
Regional Data Tool
The Regional Data Tool is an interactive web-mapping platform containing up-to-date demographic, business, economic, industry, and community data across California’s thirteen economic regions.
A Practical Guide to Work-Based Learning
This guide from the Progressive Policy Institute highlights how high schools can expand "opportunity pluralism" by integrating real-world work experience, college credits, and industry credentials into standard career pathways. It emphasizes that scaling successful work-based learning depends on building system-wide infrastructure, including dedicated funding, flexible teacher licensing, and strong partnerships among schools, employers, and local communities.
Career Technical Education Sector Resources for Teachers
This curated Google Sheet organizes CTE sector resources by industry pathway, making it easy for teachers to find standards-aligned materials, industry certifications, and instructional tools in one place. Whether you're new to your pathway or looking to refresh your resources, this is a practical starting point.
Next Generation Personal Finance
Learn How to Become Career Finder
Rural Grants Workbench
This space exists to support rural folks across the country in learning about grants and grantseeking. and from Partners for Rural Impact will be the “team leads” as we all sharpen and build our skills together. 🛠️
Professional Development Padlet
Check out out Professional Development Padlet. This Padlet features a range of resources for any teacher to utilize.
Questions? We're Here to Help!
Tehama CTE Teacher Preparation Program Team
Jillian Damon, Ed.D. - Director
Ashley Brous - Consultant
Katie Mae Gonko - Consultant
📧 cteteacherprep@tehamaschools.org
☎️ 530-528-7311