autoshop teacher

[Ishmael]

In my opinion, the autoshop teacher, or any shop teacher for that matter, should be one of the greatest teachers a young man has. If he does it right he helps form a bond between man and machines for the rest of that young man's life. If he does it wrong, not only can he push that young man away from a great hobby and possibly career, the young man might even be seperated from parts of his body.
I remember my first auto teacher. He drove a Galaxie and did burnouts. I was inspired. I got over 100 % in that class. My grade 12 auto teacher nearly gave me a failing grade. Groups had to teardown and blue print a chev v6. I did the work for the losers beside me but didn't finish mine on time. I didn't have cash for parts. I confronted him about it and he said I had a contract and didn't hold up my end. It didn't matter the reason and I would have gotten fired for it else where. I really learned something there and it changed me.
Now I work with a guy who is blowing it for the kids in my school. Kids can't get to the floor until they've been dead silent for however long while he plays with his computer. Some kids can go most of the semester without being allowed to lift a wrench because he feels they will be a problem. I know kids whose problems were solved by picking up a wrench.
The most annoying things for me are that if you take a minute to talk to him he'll go on and on and on as if he knows everything and you actually care and that he lives to argue every single little point. I want to tell guys like that to just get a life but its tough when you have to deal with them on a regular basis.
Anyway, as I bring this rant to a close, can I suggest that if you are "one of those guys" who brings down the hobby to get involved with something else with less people and if you are a shop teacher, for the love of all things automotive and the future of our hobby, do the right thing and inspire.
Sorry guys, I just read another post and it brought me to this.
rant over

[SLO_Z28]

I remember my first shop teacher well. We called him stumpy because he lost part of a finger in Vietnam. We were rebuilding his 396 1969 camaro with a road race history, fun car. Last I head the engine I built way back then is still running strong and the car is getting ready for paint after its 15 year restoration.

[exwestracer]

Thanks. I agree 110%

[Mathius]

Unfortunately this isn't the world we live in. Trade schools in my area are closing their doors. There's a stigma out there that if you don't go to college, then you're stupid or you're less of a person. Funny thing is, I think I read a statistic that 80% of college attendees don't finish school or don't get a job in the field they went to school for.

Not to make this political, but Obama's been preaching that infrastructure is failing across the country and there aren't enough tradesmen to do the work. I know here in OH they did a survey of all the bridges in the state and found that a large majority of them are in bad bad shape. The ironic part is with all that going on, the trades here in Cleveland all have guys out of work, union or non union. I heard the local electricians hall hasn't taken an apprentice class in 2 years because they have too many guys out of work, and I know for a fact that the sheet metal workers union (think gutters, metal panels on buildings, dust collection, HVAC, etc) has close to 300 guys out of 700 out of work.

I do know that one positive sign is that the OH diesel tech college is flourishing, constantly buying up more space and expanding. They do everything from semi truck engines, to motorcycles, to paint and body, etc. The bad part is, there is a rumor that the ownership group is fed up with the city's regulations and threatening to move the school. And of course the other side of it... the dealerships are closing left and right around here, and I don't exactly see shops opening up all over. Customs aren't real big here in Cleveland. So I just have to ask... where are all these students going? Out of town?

Mathius

[moreHP]

Ishmael, I agree 100%! I was very lucky to have a fantastic auto shop teacher. I was allready interested in cars and his knowledge and guidance helped me and several others tap into our mechanical side. I even volunteered for a summer school auto shop class that was 3 hours a day! And you guys have to understand I wasnt interested in going to school any more than I had to! Well that summer we took my friends 69 camaro that was a 6 cyllinder with a 3 speed on the column to a 327 V8 floor shift 4 speed car. It was a pretty big deal for us since we had never done anything like this before. To this day I am so glad I took the time to learn all that shop teacher would tell me. He had an old cadillac that he was restoring in the corner of the shop too. I cant remember what year it was, but I want to say 1940-41.

It saddens me that there are so many industrial arts classes being wiped out in schools due to budget cuts or whatever other excuse they use. They teach the basics that can not only help you do maintenance on your car but repair things around the house too. Its true that there are not as many people going into to jobs that repair anything. But that could be a combo of economy issues and interest to do those types of jobs.

[absintheisfun]

So I just have to ask... where are all these students going? Out of town?
Mathius

Entirely possible. I got my degree from the University of North Texas in Strategic Management and actually used it for a few years but wasn't really happy. I seached high and low in Dallas, TX for an automotive trade school and there are only a couple in the whole DFW area. They are a complete rip off (upwards of $30,000-$40,000 for a 1 and a half year program) and about a 1-2 hour drive from where I live. I was lucky enough to land a spot in the local CC here and I had to fight tooth and nail for 3 months to get a foot in the door. The classes are really small and fill in minutes. Two months of me calling and going in and speaking with the administrators finally paid off and I was able to talk them into opening an extra spot for me in the first two classes. I am now in school pursuing a passion, not a job as I did at UNT.

The sad simple fact is that there are not enough trade schools around anymore because so many manufacturing companies have shipped that part of the business overseas where it is cheap. They, however, are not entirely to blame--the US workforce also demanded it in a way with their tendency to search more and more for desk jobs and scoff at the less desirable "blue-collar" jobs.

The good news is that the labor jobs and training for those jobs is on the return. check this old thread (https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?70380-WooHoo!-Labor-jobs-returning-to-the-US&highlight=shop+class+for+soul)
And if you want a good book to read look up Shop class as soulcraft. It is a great read about this very topic!

[Ishmael]

The shop classes in Ontario are on a rebound years after a conservative government cut them but its up to the teacher to make it work or kids stop signing up and it kills the senior level class opportunities. But like I said, our auto teacher is killing it by being way too up tight, talking to make himself sound smart and generally being an @$$. If you complain that the kid behind the counter of Crappy Tire or whatever you have in the states doesn't know an alternator from a turbo, you can bet his auto teacher had something to do with that.
Look at all the knowledge that is on this sight and how you can take somebody who knows the basics but knows nothing about ________________, and help him turn out something great. Can you take that and pass some of it onto a kid, a class, an apprentice, a neighbor or who knows? We've got a lot of guys who are way smarter than they give themselves credit for and could get some of those kids back in autoshop. I wanted to start a car club at my school to help out a group of kids but the principal said if any of those kids were hurt their parents could sue the school just because I as a teacher was involved.

[Mathius]

The sad simple fact is that there are not enough trade schools around anymore because so many manufacturing companies have shipped that part of the business overseas where it is cheap.

And they still aren't smart enough to figure out the error of their ways. Yeah, they can make the stuff cheaper overseas, but their markets are still here. All those people who they put out of work by closing factories and mfr jobs don't have money to buy their products now. The Auto companies are the best example. Henry Ford had it right when he said I'm going to pay my workers enough that they can buy my cars. Problem is, UAW took too much advantage of it with so many guys sitting around getting paid so much and not actually DOING any work. There always has to be accountability or someone's going to spoil it for everyone.


They, however, are not entirely to blame--the US workforce also demanded it in a way with their tendency to search more and more for desk jobs and scoff at the less desirable "blue-collar" jobs.

I think it has a lot to do with the success of Japan and the push that computers and technology would be the future and we needed to put more emphasis in education. Unfortunately education is worthless if you don't apply it.

Mathius

[DartorDemon]

honestly, i had a mixed opinion of my autoshop teacher. I took the class during two years of highschool. In the first year i learned a lot, despite the mindnumbing time wasted on the oldstyle(obsolete) micrometers.

The second semester was a giant waste of time as it was meant for students to work on their own projects. Which worked great if you had something to work on. And i can say, there were a ton of people in that class that fit the "uneducated moron" stereotype.


If he does it wrong, not only can he push that young man away from a great hobby and possibly career, the young man might even be seperated from parts of his body.


Sometimes its not even a matter of "doing it wrong". It took me 5-6 college semesters of automotive school before i had an auto teacher that taught the class in a "career" format. That class completely turned me off of that career path and it was all for the better. Giving a realistic taste can help someone decide whether they want their hobby to be a career.