Monday, May 2, 2022
Gretta Balczewski is an unapologetic superfan of SkillsUSA.
"I could talk SkillsUSA for days and not cover everything," says Gretta, "SkillsUSA is so vast and it's so awesome!"
As a special education teacher and the SkillsUSA advisor at Greenfield High School, her enthusiasm is contagious. The SkillsUSA alumna and former state officer views the student organization as one of the, if not THE, best avenue for career exploration, skill-building, and character development. She might get some push-back from DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, and HOSA advisors on that. But she knows what it has done for her, and she aims to bring those benefits to her students every day.
"I tell my students 'It's OK to change your pathway. It's OK to not know,'" says Gretta. "'But experience as much as you can. High school is about those experiences.' ...SkillsUSA allows you to explore those options before you have to pay for it."
Building a CTSO
Since her first job in 2014 as a special education paraprofessional at New Berlin West High School where she got the go-ahead to run the SkillsUSA chapter, she has been unstoppable not to mention successful. In the last seven years, she has started another five SkillsUSA chapters, both middle school and high school, all of them launched successfully. Here are her tips:
- Find a sponsor. Because CTSOs are co-curricular, SkillsUSA should be tied into engineering and trades classes, for example, and the technical education instructor (220 license) makes an ideal sponsor if he/she is not already the advisor. SkillsUSA allows for parents or community members in case this is not possible.
- Get administrative support. "I'm not talking financial support," says Gretta. "You can always fundraise or find grant money." But it's ideal to have both your administration and school board supporting you, she says. Tap your industry partners, if needed, to help administrators and board members understand the importance of industry-recognized credentials.
- Reach out to other advisors. "I know what it's like to be a first-year advisor," says Gretta. Keep your program of work simple that first year. "I've got it down to a science, and you can reach out to me or others. We're like a giant family," she offers.
- Help others understand the value. Whether you are building support within the administration or recruiting students, bring them to the state conference to take a tour. "The kids will say, 'I get to build for two days? Cool!' My current principal came to this year's conference, saw what was happening, and said, 'This is awesome!'"
As for recruiting, she says, the kids talk to other kids. If they need a team of three for an event, they pull their friends in. "Letting the kids experience it is what really brings them in," says Gretta.
Walking the Talk
Looking back, she says, "If it wouldn't have been for my construction trades teacher [in high school], I would have been miserable. It was the one class of the day that I really looked forward to."
"SkillsUSA saved me and got me through school. ...I found my people."
Her own experience with SkillsUSA has given her a deeper understanding of herself and her students.
"When a kid is struggling and they don't have a way to connect, you cannot go wrong by offering opportunities for them. ...Whatever they want and they're interested in, they drive their experience."
At 32, Gretta went back to school and earned her bachelor's degree in special education. "I did better because I knew myself," says Gretta. Now, Greenfield is sponsoring her effort to get an experience-based license in technical education. She couldn't be happier, unless she could be a full-time SkillsUSA chapter-starter!
"[SkillsUSA] can benefit all kids," says Gretta. For example, one of her students was planning to go to four-year university but knew she needed help with public speaking and joined SkillsUSA. "You can be an athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, or the kid who hates school, and still excel at SkillsUSA."
"That's what I love about it; it's completely all-inclusive."