High School Shop Classes

[mtnelect]

While doing my research on shop classes, discovered that there is a need for apprenticeship instructors. See my post under "Education".

 

[kwired]

A friend of mine has been teaching welding at local high school past few years. He has no teaching certifications. A teacher is present but she knows little to nothing about welding compared to my friend. This school stopped teaching welding many years ago, mostly because they have never had anybody that can teach it.

The class he is teaching however is after school and only for a few weeks each year. But there is interested kids participating, about have to be if they are willing to attend after the rest of classes are done for the day, plus it is at a time that often interferes with sports practices and other activities.

 

[hbiss]

There's the push over the last 40+ years to aim students away from manual trades and towards college and a "career".

Something that's not widely known, but high schools get ranked on how many kids they graduate that go on to college. The higher the ranking the more aid the school gets.

-Hal

 

[packersparky]

There is only one college in my state that offers Tech Ed (shop) as a program. Several years ago, there were 4 graduates in one year. Even if you school wanted to offer shop, finding a teacher is a real challenge. Because of the shortage, shop teachers around here are some of the highest paid teachers. Our smaller district is lucky to have a shop teacher, and also great support from many area manufacturers and construction companies.

 

[drcampbell]

There's the "get teachers" problem. ...

This is actually multiple different problems, not limited to shop teachers, and not even limited to teachers.

Requirements are escalating. Most districts now require a master's degree before a teacher is deemed fully qualified. My old alma mater no longer even mentions a bachelor's degree in Educational Studies, Workforce Development and Education. It's considered a professional degree, on par with medicine or law. (the education & entrance requirements, but not the pay or respect)

Workforce Development and Education

ehe.osu.edu

Salaries are falling. (in real, inflation-adjusted terms) A lot of teaching positions have a pay scale that's more commensurate with a community-college certificate. At the very least, pay needs to be enough to retire student loans in five (?) years and qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced house in the district.

The amount of ... ahem, bovine biosolids teachers need to cope with is escalating. Not bringing glass to a science fair isn't even the tip of the tip of the iceberg. A lot of teachers are bailing out for this reason alone. Anything resembling actual education is becoming the last priority.

http://the7lessonteacher.com/

And as if the B.B. from egghead deans & superintendents weren't enough, they now have to cope with extremist politicians & prosecutors who have absolutely no clue what teaching's all about, and even less hesitation to use their positions of power to meddle with it to advance their sectarian agenda. If you deviate from the prevailing orthodoxy -- which changes with every election -- you may find yourself on the bread line, or worse.

Michigan prosecutor mulls charging Lapeer library over LGBTQ book | Bridge Michigan

In an escalation of Michigan’s library wars, the Lapeer County prosecutor is threatening criminal charges if a public library doesn’t remove a controversial book.

www.bridgemi.com

 

[gar]

23040-2432 EDT

My dad had tools and equipment of various sorts that I was exposed to from probably 2 years of age.

My dad taught various courses, wood shop, printing, and drafting. For some of these classes he was a roving teacher to various elementary schools as well as teaching high school classes. I might have been as young as 3 when there would times when he took me to some of his shop classes. I would participate some by hand tools to students.

Among tools at home was a metal lath. Also in my young years my mother got into the printing business at our home. we also rented rooms to tourists. These were things you did to survive the depression.

In my grade and high school days i started to learn horse back riding probably the second week of first grade. This was an important activity until I was 10. Then we started to work 1/2 day each week day in the summer. This required punching in and out at a time clock. Our starting wage was $ 0.15 / hour. By the time I reached 12 th grade pay was a little over $ 1 / hour. I worked all sorts of different jobs. Examples: metal shop, sheet metal, Jacquard loom restring, architect helper, lawn mower repair, a radio studio doing radio repair ( was here at the time the first and second atomic bombs were dropped on Japan ), print shop, experimental engine assembly, electrical engineering running voltage regulator tests, same group later in car radio group doing repair, antenna tests, and ignition noise tests.

In high school chemistry class we saw the Detroit water processing plant, a blast furnace being tapped, open hearth furnaces. In high school physics class we ran a car braking experiment. This measured reaction time, braking time, and deceleration. We also measured our horsepower output to run up a flight of stairs.



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[drcampbell]

23040-2432 EDT

My dad had tools and equipment of various sorts that I was exposed to from probably 2 years of age.

It was an entirely different world.

I enjoy reading old issues of Popular Mechanics from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, when they published articles saying "Look at all the cool projects you can  do". Today, it's "Look at all the cool products you can  buy".

 

[mtnelect]

"In Glendale Unified schools, we embrace diversity and focus on equity to accelerate learning and increase pathways for every student. We are resolute in our commitment to provide all of our students an education that prepares them for success in college, career, and life and supports their social emotional growth. We are a diverse school district that welcomes students and families from all over the world. It is important that we embrace each other’s differences, be mindful of how our words and actions might affect others, and work together to build a stronger Glendale Unified community".

No hands on shop classes.

 

[mtnelect]

"In Glendale Unified schools, we embrace diversity and focus on equity to accelerate learning and increase pathways for every student. We are resolute in our commitment to provide all of our students an education that prepares them for success in college, career, and life and supports their social emotional growth. We are a diverse school district that welcomes students and families from all over the world. It is important that we embrace each other’s differences, be mindful of how our words and actions might affect others, and work together to build a stronger Glendale Unified community".

No hands on shop classes.

Try this after school.

 

[Kurt Vilary]

WARNING: GROUCHY OLD KRAUT RANT

Our district has totally cut out all 'shop' classes'.

Problem is, those who could teach a class ( basic electricity, basic electronics, simple woodworking, simple metalworking......hell even 'remedial' Algebra or Geometry, those who could [ mainly 'retired guys, myself included}
CAN'T because we have no 'teaching certificate'.....REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE counts zip-nada-nyet; the teachers' unions have a Death Grip on their turf.

As if most of the teachers today are totally competent in what they 'teach' (when not too busy indoctrinating in the latest Hot Fad).

I never post or reply to posts but I gotta respectfully disagree with "Grouchy".

I am a Licensed Master Electrician and a HS Electrical Trades teacher. I never attended a day of college prior to being hired as a teacher. I did have to take 2 years of "alternative route" college classes to obtain my "Standard Certificate" once I was hired. "REAL World" experience is what administration wants because it is so valuable. The schools and the unions support " Career Teachers" because we are successful at making real tradesmen and tradeswomen which are the salt of the earth.
My fellow career/vocational teachers and I are incredibly blessed that we get to teach what we love and help these kids achieve greatness (without college debt).

 

[mtnelect]

I never post or reply to posts but I gotta respectfully disagree with "Grouchy".

I am a Licensed Master Electrician and a HS Electrical Trades teacher. I never attended a day of college prior to being hired as a teacher. I did have to take 2 years of "alternative route" college classes to obtain my "Standard Certificate" once I was hired. "REAL World" experience is what administration wants because it is so valuable. The schools and the unions support " Career Teachers" because we are successful at making real tradesmen and tradeswomen which are the salt of the earth.
My fellow career/vocational teachers and I are incredibly blessed that we get to teach what we love and help these kids achieve greatness (without college debt).

That is great news !

My first contact with Glendale Unified School District was somewhat successful. They do have online technical classes (computer) on weekends and afterschool, but no class instruction like yours in the trades yet ... still working on it.

 

[TwoBlocked]

You can't put all the blame on the schools. For millwrights, mechanics, electricians, ets. factories want a 2 year degree or 5 years experience. Then the new hires have company training to go through. So why bother with trades in High School?

 

[retirede]

You can't put all the blame on the schools. For millwrights, mechanics, electricians, ets. factories want a 2 year degree or 5 years experience. Then the new hires have company training to go through. So why bother with trades in High School?

Why bother?
For me, high school Vo-Tech classes are what lit the fire and compelled me to go on to Engineering school. I was able to test out of all my level 1 classes thanks to what I had learned. Got my BS degree in less than 3 years.
Young people are quite impressionable, and those who haven’t figured out what they want to do can be positively influenced.

 

[4x4dually]

First, if you're here commenting and worrying about it, your kids are already a step ahead. Too many parents don't have the time.

Tom nailed it. Our school is too small to have any of that so it's up to us to teach it. I have been cleaning the shop the last two nights and I teeter between mad and happy. Tool laying around, all my side cutters with notches in them, a wake of destruction from the door to the bench.....but at least my son at 14 is out there building stuff. He doesn't clean up his mess and all that, but it could be worse. He's getting to where he can woodwork and weld and cut etc. It does take a lot of time from parents but there is no better place to learn.

My daughter came home from ag class last year at 15 yrs old and told me they taught her how to wire receptacles and swtiches that day in class. Without pause we went to the shop, grabbed some boxes, Romex, and tools and I had her show me how they taught her. Needless to say, we had another lesson that night in how not to wire a receptacle.

Shop class in high school was one of my favorites. I really do wish both my kids had that opportunity now.

 

[4x4dually]

You can't put all the blame on the schools. For millwrights, mechanics, electricians, ets. factories want a 2 year degree or 5 years experience. Then the new hires have company training to go through. So why bother with trades in High School?

Well that's an odd thing to say. Why bother teaching them anything in high school then? Retirede said it well with "oung people are quite impressionable, and those who haven’t figured out what they want to do can be positively influenced."

 

[Ponchik]

That is great news !

My first contact with Glendale Unified School District was somewhat successful. They do have online technical classes (computer) on weekends and afterschool, but no class instruction like yours in the trades yet ... still working on it.

I had wood shop at Toll junior high and auto shop at Hoover High School both at GUSD.
Good luck with your endeavor.

 

[hillbilly1]

I taught electrical and plumbing my Junior year in high school, they had one shop teacher, and he taught a large class, so I would teach the electrical and plumbing part of it, while he taught carpentry, masonary and the other trades. He would prepare a special final for me to take at the end of the quarters. I graduated High school and trade school the same year, since I had enough credits. Don’t know if they still have trade classes now. At that time we had one class for construction, one for mechanics, and one for metals (welding) I took all of them. Our local trade school now offers lineman’s classes. The local utility can’t get enough people anymore! Back when I was going to school, someone had to die or retire before the utility had an opening! Several of my friends I grew up with, are engineers over there now.

 

[Kurt Vilary]

You can't put all the blame on the schools. For millwrights, mechanics, electricians, ets. factories want a 2 year degree or 5 years experience. Then the new hires have company training to go through. So why bother with trades in High School?

I have to make the "Man" before I make the "Electrician". Soft skills are one of the most important attributes today's teens are lacking. My goal everyday is to make the best electrical apprentices upon entering the workforce.

 

[kwired]

Tom nailed it. Our school is too small to have any of that so it's up to us to teach it. I have been cleaning the shop the last two nights and I teeter between mad and happy. Tool laying around, all my side cutters with notches in them, a wake of destruction from the door to the bench.....but at least my son at 14 is out there building stuff. He doesn't clean up his mess and all that, but it could be worse. He's getting to where he can woodwork and weld and cut etc. It does take a lot of time from parents but there is no better place to learn.

My daughter came home from ag class last year at 15 yrs old and told me they taught her how to wire receptacles and swtiches that day in class. Without pause we went to the shop, grabbed some boxes, Romex, and tools and I had her show me how they taught her. Needless to say, we had another lesson that night in how not to wire a receptacle.

Shop class in high school was one of my favorites. I really do wish both my kids had that opportunity now.

Most the small schools around here have industrial arts classes of some sort. Most usually have at least some sort of woodworking, some do have building construction that may or may not go into wiring and plumbing to a limited extent. Many offer welding and other metal fabrication classes as well.

The building construction class back when I was in school did help some with getting me into the construction trades. We did a little bit of just about everything. My class had an addition to a house that we did. We did not install footings or the blocks or even garage floor but instructor took us to the site while they were laying block and we learned some things about that. We did pour the driveway to the garage near the end of the project, got a special day where we got out of other classes to do so since we would be there nearly all day for this particular task. We also did the wiring on this project, branch circuit level wiring anyway. There was no electrical permits or inspections back at that time but because f licensing requirements and such now that same class only does limited wiring in the lab at the school - they learn how to connect simple receptacles, switches, lighting etc, but don't connect anything that will actually be used outside that lab for the most part. Still at least gets them a little sample of what is involved and maybe helps trigger a few students to consider this trade or for that matter any other trades just being in that class. There are other aspects that they seem to be more limited to than back when I was in that class, some of it does depend on the size of class alonge with size of project they are taking on. New house, which they sometimes still do, is just too much for them to get done with the little time they have. So they do a little bit of many different aspects but other professionals do the remainder of it. Drywall for example, they may only do a few rooms while some contractor or even the owner maybe does the rest. In 1970's and 1980's there were a lot of kids in this class every year, they did almost everything in entire homes back then.

 

[kwired]

WARNING: GROUCHY OLD KRAUT RANT

Our district has totally cut out all 'shop' classes'.

Problem is, those who could teach a class ( basic electricity, basic electronics, simple woodworking, simple metalworking......hell even 'remedial' Algebra or Geometry, those who could [ mainly 'retired guys, myself included}
CAN'T because we have no 'teaching certificate'.....REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE counts zip-nada-nyet; the teachers' unions have a Death Grip on their turf.

As if most of the teachers today are totally competent in what they 'teach' (when not too busy indoctrinating in the latest Hot Fad).

Another thing there is if you are really good at any these trades you have potential to make a lot more $$ than you have as a teacher teaching these trades, particularly in a high school. Post secondary teaching of this could have a chance of offering you some more though you still could possibly make more as the owner of a contracting firm than you could teaching this stuff.