FCS Education as a Profession Advisory Board Meeting

Submitted by Stephani Lindsey

Forsyth County Schools held the Education as a Profession Advisory Board Spring meeting on Monday, February 24. The Forsyth County Schools College and Career Development department invited local business partners, industry professionals, educators, students, and school leaders to take part in this biannual meeting. This is part of a series of advisory boards which allow the community to receive updates about and participate in discussions for the various Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs. I was thrilled to attend on behalf of Forsyth County Public Library to find out how we can better serve our students and their advisors in the Education as a Profession CTAE pathway. All 8 FCS high schools provide the Education as a Profession pathway with East Forsyth High School having Early Childhood Education as an additional pathway option. 

The advisory board meeting consisted of presentations about current events in the pathway including North Forsyth High School students competing at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Leadership Conference and the upcoming CTAE Awards Gala. Throughout the presentations, attendees were encouraged to volunteer time as community professionals for CTAE activities that provide real world experience for students including the on-going mock interviews at each high school. 

After the presentations, attendees were invited to participate in round table discussions to provide feedback and ideas for providing the best possible experience for students in the Education as a Profession pathway. The questions included how to prepare students for supporting the mental health of their own students and addressing personal burnout, innovative ways to recruit and retain future educators, and how we can better forge community connections to provide real world experiences for the students. One of my suggestions as a library staff member was to have school advisors from the pathway visit the library to experience for themselves what opportunities the library can provide to students who may be interested in internships here. This would allow them to recommend the library as an internship option to students interested in Early Education, for example. 

It was wonderful to see so much community involvement at this advisory board meeting as well as the meetings for the other CTAE pathways offered by our school system. I think it would be beneficial for FCPL staff from multiple branches to continue to attend the Education as a Profession advisory meetings, and perhaps other applicable pathways, to continue to build on our connections with the schools, advisors, and students. If you are interested in attending the Education as a Profession Fall Advisory meeting, mark your calendars for Monday, October 20, 2025.