Every year promises something new no matter how long you have been teaching ( this is my seventh year), that’s one of the things I love most about this profession and why every year about this time I start getting excited to get back into the classroom. This year, without exception, will be one of the most exciting of my career as I will be teaching at the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas. As the name implies, the school has a technology focus and is equipped with numerous computer labs, as well as laptop carts with wireless Internet. Each classroom has state of the art multimedia equipment to consist of suspended LCD projectors, ceiling mounted speaker system, teacher microphone headsets, document cameras, and in addition I was fortunate enough to receive a smart board. The school’s architecture and design is also cutting edge, it looks more like a small college than a typical Las Vegas high school with floor to ceiling windows, modern design to include suspended catwalks, and an outdoor amphitheater. Since water is a premium here in the desert, the NWCTA utilizes an advanced water saving design and has become the model in regards to water efficiency and savings. The school incorporates a geothermal cooling design, in which over 350 holes approximately 400 feet deep cool down hot water coming from the air conditioners. While the air temperature averages around 110 degrees in the summer, the ground is about 70 degrees. Evidently this is a new old technology as the Egyptians first incorporated this idea into their designs.
Just as impressive is the school’s philosophy of teaching and learning. NWCTA approaches education progressively encouraging teachers to implement project/problem based learning into their curriculum. The school’s design supports this approach and includes glass enclosed “collaboration rooms,” there are no individual desks either, instead classrooms are equipped with group desks that seat between three and four students, perfect for collaborative projects. The NWCTA is a “school of choice” and students must apply for admission, there are several “majors” students can choose from including media communications, transportation technology, medical professions, engineering and design, and culinary arts. In case you didn’t know, Las Vegas has turned into a premier gastronomic destination, in fact it is the only city in the world to boast two five star resorts. So much for the 99 cent shrimp cocktail and the $1.99 prime rib casino specials. To help students gain employment in the culinary field the school houses the state’s best teaching kitchen, far surpassing the local culinary schools and even the university. I look forward to all of our school’s in-service meetings when meals are being served as the food is absolutely delicious. All of this does not come cheap as the school’s building and outfitting costs approach 100 million dollars. So, I have a lot to look forward to, and like I said this is going to be an exciting and challenging year but then again that’s why I chose to be a teacher.
