Situational Analysis 4 - Grab Bag

I have now been a vocational teacher for almost three years.  Taking this class has done more than its share to open up my eyes about educating students.  I have such a vast understanding now on the "teacher" side of the classroom that compliments my vocational side.

This past week, I have started on class number four.  I am still teaching basic computer repair to my students buy have volunteered to try a new program that the R.O.P and Student Service have collaborated on.  Our Districts Student Services has a program called WE CARE that gives special education students the chance to internship or gain work experience at a local business organization.  WE CARE is funded by a NASA grant the specifies that the student must be enrolled in a vocational or college entry class while obtaining internship.  The great thing about my full-time job is that Laptop Center I work for provides a business like service to the district to support the 2500 or so laptops we have.  The Laptop Center is structured to support and repair these laptops and educate the teachers and students to implement and use technology in the classroom.  The plan is to enroll students who qualify into the class and train them to be computer repair technicians.  The top students in turn get to have a chance to work in the Laptop Center for actual repair on the computers and gain experience with the customers at the same time.  Being the instructor then the employer helps the student develop a more "rounder" experience.  It gives them a goal to perform higher as they can actually receive a job at the end of the class (of course the $1,200 summer internship keeps them competitive)

My concerns have been the obvious, what special attention do I have to take when working with students that require a teacher in a academic setting to be qualified?  Luckily, my wife is a special education teacher and I can grab as much pointers from her as possible.  Though it has only bee a week of instructing, these students in my opinion seem to be more involved is this project than my past classes.  I do not want to compromise this by luring them with offers of jobs and work experience and then them realizing the work involved in becoming a technician.  I have already begun to use the highly effective skills I have learned in my EVOC classes and have kept it a quick and simple on paper while making sure to explain the process and performance steps.  The class will run for two semesters or 36 weeks total, any pointers will help me make sure that this class is the best yet.