Question fow wood shop teachers

I would like some input from some of you who teach wood shop (or have any good insight into the field)in the public schools. I have taught academic classes for about 30 years (current chair of the foreign language dep't), but I have never taught a shop class of any kind. Our wood shop teacher is about to retire and they cannot find anyone to replace him. If a replacement cannot be found, the program dies. It seems nobody wants to do that anymore in this area (just outside LA) While I have never taught shop, I have been a hobbiest for most of my adult life, and, if I dare say so myself, I am not that bad a wood butcher. I am not, however, a true expert or professional. My principal knows me, my work, and my interest in wood and asked if next year I would like to take over the wood shop. The present wood teacher, and all other shop teachers for that matter, and I have been friends for many years and he has offered me all the help I need or want, as well as all of his plans and jigs. I have until February to decide.

Since I know several of you are experienced in this area, I am sure I could benefit on hearing your perspective. I am most interested in hearing the plusses and minuses of teaching HS wood classes from those who have been there.

Reply to
Glen
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Sounds like a dream job to me :)

Reply to
Rob V

Well the dream job would be the one at our HS, where the "shop" teacher also teaches science. As I used to say, that's all you need in life - science and shop.

If you have the support of the principal and administration, you may avoid the biggest problem, that of classes overloaded with goof-offs. Span of control is critical in a shop, where things are sharp and or mechanically dangerous. If you have the power to keep 'em out or kick 'em out and the principal to back you up, you'll have a class where you can put your head down and help. The four corners theory of malcontents doesn't work if they have to move around to accomplish a task.

I liked the upper class assistant program to put a junior or senior of my choice in class with the young ones. The extra eyes and hands made the class much more worthwhile. Your most experienced class is also responsible for most machinery adjustment and cleaning - part of their grade is "maintenance" - for which I used to repay by "open shop" after hours once or twice a week. Since they were not bus-dependant, it gave them a couple hours of uninterrupted work, and me sharpening time. It could get you in Dutch with the rest of the faculty, so be careful as you read your contract. The smaller group of motivated individuals can really turn out some work.

My pet project is a "survival" course in how water gets into a house and out the drain, electricity, and generally how to take care of things at home, where an increasingly clueless generation is being taught by one nearly as inexperienced.

Reply to
George

Take a shot.

You will learn much more than you will teach.

That seems to be a rule of thumb for those of us who try and pass on the knowledge.

Besides, if the interest is so low, you will most likely be instructing in the basics rather than the advanced stuff.

Good basics are more important to newbies anyway.

Just my humble opinion of course.

Best of luck.

Reply to
USMC Nam Vet

Well, you know, the heft of the hooters and fit of the jeans are, you know, after all, the most important qualifications for teaching DIY these days, you know.

Reply to
Swingman

Swingman responds:

Hah. Didja ever expect to see 15 year old girls with plumber's butt jeans?

Charlie Self "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to." Mark Twain

Reply to
Charlie Self

the biggest problem, that of classes overloaded with goof-offs.

The typical guidance dept considers all such "electives" as a dumping ground for the marginal student.

Reply to
Rumpty

What cup size is Norm?

Lrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooodddd!!!!!!

Barry

Reply to
Ba r r y

Lrod?

Gary

Reply to
GeeDubb

Hooter or protective?

Reply to
Swingman

He can't have that power no matter how much support he has. The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) clearly requires mainstreaming Special Education students into the regular classroom and many attend shop classes. You simply cannot remove such students from your classes, you must find ways to teach them. Being a Shop teacher is not simply enjoying your hobby while showing some interested kids how to use tools. It is an educational program that requires at least as much ability to develop educational approaches and strategies as any academic program and teachers there are no more able to throw away the hard to reach students than academic teachers are. I would assume that you will have to get your appropriate certification in Technology Education (or whatever they call the shop, CAD and other such curricular areas in California). I hope that the education process will help provide the strategies for teaching in that environment.

Dave Hall

Reply to
David Hall

I've embarrassed (pun intended) a few in class by asking them if they were going to be plumbers. They pull up and sit up pretty well after that.

Reply to
George

Isnt it the truth. Its amazing how many of my friends cant seem to fix the simplest things or even try. Ie - my buddys soap dispenser by his sink just stopped working - what does he do - calls a plummer. To top is off he was pissed b/c the plummer quoted him $125 to change it out and he paid him.

Just kills me

That "survival" course should be a required course!

Reply to
Rob V

And this has what to do with chronic mis-behavers? The short-bus kids are some of the best at listening to and following directions in my experience.

mainstreaming

Reply to
George

|>If you have the support of the principal and administration, you may avoid |the biggest problem, that of classes overloaded with goof-offs. | |The typical guidance dept considers all such "electives" as a dumping ground |for the marginal student.

No kidding. And if the whole school is marginal.....

A former coworker has been teaching electronics courses part time at the local community college for years. (I did the same a number of years ago) When he retired he became more of a full-timer but was never a tenured type.

When the electronics instructor of a local high school was called up from the Army reserves a number of other high school teachers tried to fill the slot. They went through several of them before approaching the community college for an instructor.

After several weeks of bureaucratic bumbling, trying to determine whether a white guy was qualified to teach in this "magnet school", my friend reported for duty.

Always one with a sense of humor, he sent me an email a few days later and said that he would probably be leaving soon because of a murder--- either his or one that he committed.

Fortunately, he quit before that happened.

Reply to
Wes Stewart

On 11 Dec 2004 14:53:22 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.comnotforme (Charlie Self) calmly ranted:

No, but I'm sure we all wished we could.

P.S: Make that "18" just so we's legal and all that, huh?

============================================================== Like peace and quiet? Buy a phoneless cord. http://www/diversify.com/stees.html Hilarious T-shirts online ==============================================================

Reply to
Larry Jaques

This, of course, is a result of our increasingly urbanized society. We're just not exposed to the broad range of skills that were so necessary to our forebears. Used to be that farmers were, in addition to their green thumbs and animal husbandry skills, experienced at woodworking, metal working, welding, plumbing, carpentry...you name it...and their kids learned these things at very young ages. It was a matter of survival.

City dwellers, however, don't have to worry about things like that. They just call a craftsman...who grossly overcharges for typically shoddy work.

Suburban living is also a contributor to the loss of craftsmanship. In many communities, the CCRs would prohibit a homeowner from pulling a table saw into the middle of his driveway and make sawdust. And with 2-hour commutes in each direction to and from work, who has time for that anyway?

But I digress. I used to be an instructor in a private technical school. That was 30 years ago and it was hard enough then to maintain order among students who were paying to be there...not like today's macho teen aged punks who are constantly posturing, challenging authority and disrupting classes. There is no way I'd take a job as a high school teacher in this day and age...especially one in which the potential for serious injury is so great.

(snip)

>
Reply to
Chuck Hoffman

help stamp out crack?

Reply to
mac davis

I think that most wood workers have the general knowledge, but it takes a special skill to teach..

You have that skill, and a general knowledge of wood working, right?

I'm sure the state and county have guide lines and such, and maybe required class structure..

IMHO, if you can teach a few kids shop safety and basic wood skills, and to appreciate wood, you've accomplished quite a bit.. and along the way, you might create a few sawdust addicts like us..

also, as we all know, the best way to learn is to teach..

Reply to
mac davis

The high school girls I see sitting in front of me at the hockey arena certainly don't seem embarrassed. I was under the impression that the visible thong straps were on purpose. Kind of like the garter straps that are longer than the skirt that we saw in past style fads.

I have yet to see a plumber in a lace thong.

Barry

Reply to
Ba r r y

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