Who was your favorite shop teacher? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

Rob Will

04-16-2008, 11:55 PM

Did you have a particular shop teacher (or other teacher, mentor etc.) in high school who had a positive influence on you?

Mine was Mr. Crowley.
We had assigned clean-up tasks at the end of every class period. The assignments rotated every day. One day you emptied the trash cans, the next day you might be assigned to sweep the floor or straighten the tool board.

The first time that I was up for the tool board, I remember putting a little extra effort into the arrangement of the tools. Big rasps had big handles, little rasps had the little handles. Tools were arranged neatly by size left to right and with the handles placed neatly in a line. You get the idea.

After cleanup and just before the bell rang, Mr. Crowley would walk about and inspect the room. He calmly walked to the front of the room and said in a firm voice: "alright.....who cleaned up the tool board today??"

Reluctantly, I raised my hand thinking that I had done something wrong.

Mr Crowley said "OK, from now on, YOU are in charge of arranging the tool board and your job never changes. Everybody else rotates".

I had paid a little extra attention to detail and Mr. Crowley made this little freshman kid feel ten feet tall. It was a good lesson in caring about your work.

Thanks Mr. Crowley and best wishes.

Rob

David Tiell

04-17-2008, 12:30 AM

The woodshop teacher my freshman year limited his students to wall clocks made of plywood with pictures with burnt edges glued to the front and finish applied. I'm sure you've all seen them. Not very promising. Sophmore year, shop was metal shoip, which I tolerated and barely passed. That's right, barely passed. I actually failed my final exam for the year, which brought my overall grade to a "D". I hated that class.

My junior year, they brought in a new teacher, Mr. Stevens. This was a great thing and probably is the biggest reason I continued in the hobby. He believed in actually teaching the skills necessary to make things. He concentrated in safety, first and foremost, but made sure that each project we did used as many tools as possible. Our first project was a nightstand that my mom still has in her house nearly 30 years later.

My senior year, there was no limit. We got to pick a project and build it. I chose a grandmother clock, which I built from scratch. He even helped me modify the plans to fit the clock works I bought. That clock is also in my moms house to this day. It's one of my favorite things I've ever built, and challenged me enough to really enjoy the hobby.

So if you're out there, Mr. Don Stevens, thank you.

Dave Tiell
USHS, Upper Sandusky, OH 1981

David DeCristoforo

04-17-2008, 12:52 AM

I only had one shop teacher and we didn't get along too well.... He gave me an "F"....

Jim Andrew

04-17-2008, 6:33 AM

I had 3 shop teachers in junior and senior high school. One was very good, one was just nasty, and one was just about worthless. I asked the worthless one what he had taken in college to teach shop. He said the general shop program. Found out later it was one class in drafting, one in woodworking, one welding, one plastics, and electricity. Fifteen hours credit, total. No wonder he was worthless. When I went to college, I took every class I could get enrolled in. Wound up with sixty hours industrial arts credit. And still I barely knew enough to teach shop. Jim

Bill Edwards(2)

04-17-2008, 7:46 AM

That was so long ago I couldn't remember a name if my life depended on it.

7th grade I had a wood shop.

8th grade a very odd shop glass... worked with everything from Plexiglas to pounding copper bowls, even 6 weeks of wood shop.

High school was another matter. I hated school so I ended up taking more shop then 2 people (it didn't seem like school)

I had drafting, sheet metal, machine shop, 2 years of Auto shop and 2 years of welding. The welding teacher was a hoot. One day a week we wouldn't have class. He just told stories about his life. What a character.

Mitchell Andrus

04-17-2008, 7:50 AM

6th grade, Mr Viere. He knew.....

Bill Edwards(2)

04-17-2008, 7:52 AM

6th grade, Mr Viere. He knew.....

:D:D:D I had my share of those. :D:D:D

Matt Robinette

04-17-2008, 7:59 AM

I remember my first woodshop teacher Cowboy Roy Estes and the spice rack I built. He was quite a colorfull person to say the least and raced sulkies.

Al Willits

04-17-2008, 7:59 AM

High school welding/metal teacher, Mr Grof (maybe Graf) gave me a trade that has stuck with me for my entire life, and helped me keep my butt out of trouble more than once.

I was lucky enough to see him many years after high school and thank him, when I went up and say hello, before I could introduce myself he called me by name.
I'm sure he's passed away by now, but where ever you are Mr Grof, you gave me a purpose in life, THANK YOU.

If only more teachers were like that I think there'd be more respectful and responsible people out there.

Al

John Pahl

04-17-2008, 9:00 AM

My favorite shop teacher has to be Mr. Fredrickson. What a great man. Everyone looked up to him. He connected to every kid. Even the ones who didn't always connect with teachers very well. I remember at the beginning of every quarter he would bring out bags of hair that he had retreived from drills over the years. He'd spend the entire hour on safety but he'd do it in a way that didn't sound like preaching or scare tactics. In his entire time at our school, he never had a major accident!

John

Greg Cole

04-17-2008, 9:04 AM

Only had one in 6-7-8th grades. Bud Zeitz, he had a "DA" hairdo from the 50's and had the nick name "Zoomer", he for some reason was not much for being referred to as "Zoomer" though, DAMKHIT.
The folks still use the cutting board I made & the "fancy dancy" lamp too. I seemed to have gotten a liking for walnut at that age, as it was the only wood we seemed to have around. I'll never forget "that smell".

Greg

Ben Cadotte

04-17-2008, 9:26 AM

Have had several but one that stands out is Mike Smith for Woodshop. He got along with the students well, and had very good teaching skills. Really enjoyed going to his class. Had him for 4 semesters. Could not take his class senior year as I was in the homebuilding program that built a house for half a school day.

Don Orr

04-17-2008, 9:48 AM

He was a great guy and a great teacher. I wish I had taken more shop classes, especially with him. He taught wood and metal shop. I only got to take shop in JR. High. He was also the teacher for the "Hunter Saftey" course to get a hunting license. He had a wooden paddle that hung in the front of the shop that said "Board of Education". If you made trouble the Board of Education would meet the Seat of Knowledge, if you know what I mean. He's long gone now, but good memories.

Greg Hines, MD

04-17-2008, 10:10 AM

Mike Farrah was my 7th grade shop teacher. He was a stickler for rules, had 10 of them (it seems so common-sense now, I cannot enumerate them all except for #10- Don't Play with Vises). We built a book rack out of pine and a pair of dowels, a "Texas corner shelf" and then as a class built 3-4 feeders for cattle. That part I enjoyed a lot more.

I cannot recall ever using any power tools. We cut out the shapes with el-cheap-o coping saws, fared all curves with rasps and files, then sanded-sanded-sanded with blocks wrapped with worn-out paper. I am sure that my mother still has those original projects somewhere, but I haven't seen them in years, probably for the best.

The other thing I remember vividly was getting my own safety goggles. He had a cabinet full of old ones with scratched lenses and full of the hair grease that was common in the mid-1980s, so I got my own. I wish that they had the kind I use today, because they are so much more comfortable to wear.

I think I have learned more from watching Norm than I ever did in shop class. If it were not for him, I doubt I would do any of this.

Doc

Greg Sznajdruk

04-17-2008, 11:18 AM

My shop teacher was John Slater; this man knew woodworking and how to teach. I’ve still have the coffee table that I built in the 7th grade.

Mr. Slater didn’t suffer fools well and boy were there a number of them in my class. At the time Disney had a TV program called “Texas John Slaughter” there was a theme song associated with this show. Needless to say we adapted this song, I don’t remember all the words but the refrain was to the effect if you didn’t do as told you “ if you didn’t do what you outer you would die”.

May found memories of this dedicated teacher.

Greg

Richard M. Wolfe

04-17-2008, 11:22 AM

Shop -- what's that? When your school has about 100 kids in grades 1-12 in the same building shop is something you heard about sometime after you graduated.

Art - what's that?
Band - what's that?

Middle school - what's that? Elementary school and high school only. High school classes did each have their own room with some classes rotating. Elementary school had four rooms; grades 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8.

Narayan Nayar

04-17-2008, 11:29 AM

I never took shop in school. Looking back, I wish I had, but for a variety of reasons I never found myself in the vocational education wing of my high school.

I did have a writing teacher, though, whose methodologies (or at least ethos) more or less worked its way into everything I've done since and do today. It's real easy in high school to just write "what you feel"...in fact that's encouraged more often than not, unfortunately, and I've had to deal with the results of that pedagogy when I used to teach university students. This teacher was really good at instilling a sense of craft in his students--showing us the value of working a sentence over and over and really spending a lot of time getting it right and honing our skills in the process. Most kids lost interest but for some reason this message stuck with me. Boy did it stick.

So, not a shop teacher, but most certainly a teacher of craft.

Pat Germain

04-17-2008, 2:10 PM

I took shop in the seventh grade. The teacher was a mean, bitter old man who wouldn't let students touch anything.

Our first semester project was a folder made of construction paper. I admit I learned some basic lessons in drafting on the that project. But we could have and should have done it in one period, not one semester.

Our second semester project was a board, about 12" long which was supposed to be square. Again, I learned a few things from that project, but it should have been done in a period and not a semester. Oh, and us students weren't allowed to make any actual cuts on this board. We just drew the lines, got berated for doing it wrong, then he made the cuts.

The shop classroom was filled with great power tools. It was also stacked floor to ceiling with high quality hardwood stock. I expect it had been gathering for years because nobody was allowed to actually make anything.

After such a lousy experience, I never took shop again. In the 8th grade I took Home Economics and learned more in the first day than I had learned in a whole year of "shop". Those lessons were also invaluable to everyday life.

I am very glad to read the positive shop experiences here.

Craig Hemsath

04-17-2008, 4:55 PM

I think I'm in the minority that I had several great shop teachers in Middle School and High school. MS teacher was great, very nice caring man and really taught good 'fundamentals' of woodworking & general shop things. My high school metals teacher was less than stellar, but I did enjoy the class and learned things like welding that are good to know. Auto shop was the same, lots of good skills but not always the best learning environment.

High school wood shop, though, was different. Our teacher - 'Boss'- was long known as one of the biggest jerks and a***oles you'd ever meet. And it was true, he was. You screwed up or screwed around in class, he'd ream you up one side and down the other. You were there, you worked. He graded us as it were a job and our grade was our paycheck. In other words, if you missed one day of class, the best grade for the week you could get was a C+ (4/5 'paid' days = 80% C+).

Now that I have a classroom of my own (science, not shop) and have studied how to teach and continue honing my teaching craft..I reflect a lot on Boss's shop and what he taught me. He was one of the toughest bosses I've had, making many other bosses that much easier to deal with and instilling a good work ethic. He also put a lot of pride into your work, along with chewing butt, he was the first to praise a job well done and really feel like you accomplished something. Too this day, the breadbox and gun cabinet I built are two of my favorite projects (although the breadbox has a big screwup on it). I know a lot of my fellow classmates would still argue with me about the value of his teaching, but I thank you Boss for your contributions to my education. Definitely made me a better worker and woodsmith.

Jim Becker

04-17-2008, 8:35 PM

I remember that the drafting teacher was a really nice guy, but I can't remember his name. The electrical shop teacher, who was also one of the football coaches was also a lot of fun. I didn't really know the woodshop teacher, but he's still an active member of the AAW and does some turning in his retirement.

I had plenty of memorable teachers, all of which were influential. I would say that the one that had the most impact was the music teacher who was a wonderful person. She died from a second bout of cancer many years ago unfortunately.

Joe Mioux

04-17-2008, 9:18 PM

I never took shop in High School. Drafting yes.

With that said, my dad taught me alot. I knew how to solder copper pipe, change oil in a lawn mower, plant a garden, change out a bathroom faucet and a whole lot more before I was 10 years old.

Roger Bell

04-17-2008, 10:37 PM

Mr. Nick Oprisu. In sixth grade taught us how to surface and square a board with a hand plane. We didn't pass until it was perfectly square. Naturally, mine wasn't square until it was good only for a letter holder rather than a cutting board.

Everything else we did in sixth, seventh and eighth grades was done with hand tools. Cutting, surfacing, joinery, smoothing, everything. No power tools and no sandpaper until high school.

If one student (we were called pupils, by the way) caught another pupil leaving a plane "up" with the blade in contact with the bench, the student, upon ratting to the teacher, was given permission to give the offender a kick in the butt in front of the entire class. Quite fun and educational........character and confidence building as well.

John Karam

04-17-2008, 11:26 PM

My only shop teacher through four years of HS was Mr. Ivey. He was a good guy who really knew what he was talking about. The class was very structured. First year we learned safety of all the tools. We then built a breadbox and then a tapered legged table with a framed glass top. Second year we built a wall mirror and then a choice of any project that included doors and drawers. Third year was a group project, build anything with mass production in mind so small items mostly, though my brother's group who had went through the class before me built porch swings. Fourth year was completely open to whatever you wanted.

My first and second year I was very timid about using the machines and my abilities in general. Third year I had thought up a design for a chest that I wanted to build. I talked with Mr. Ivey about it and I remember him saying "Johnny, your skills are here right now (pointing low at his waist), to do this you need to get here (pointing high by his head, and he was a tall man). If your committed you can do it." Thats all I needed. He let me skip the mass production group project and work on this instead. I worked endlessly for about four months between and after classes on this thing...

The chest project is where I got a grasp of how to use the tools and the confidence that I could handle them. Also, its what got me into design...leading me right into my current pursuit of an Architectural design degree.

8671786719

I show this project specifically to say that anyone, even a novice, is capable of doing good work. I ended up wining over $1500 in award money from various shows for this piece. One of the national shows (AWFS) even sent me and the chest to Los Vegas :)

Eric Sayre

04-18-2008, 2:41 AM

Back home in Pawnee, Oklahoma, I took General Shop, Woodworking 1 & 2.

Our teacher was highly organized and had a structured system of making the students think. He stressed safety, housekeeping, and creativity. We had to write a detailed "plan of procedure" for the entire project and have it approved by him before we could start.

Building the project was easy. Writing down all the steps beforehand was the difficult part. But he was very helpful and made us "think the project to life." You could see mistakes before you made them.

You earned a lot of respect Mr. Griesel. Thank You.

Ray Moser

04-18-2008, 9:26 AM

The worst example of a IA teacher was the one I had in 7th grade. When you started the class you were handed 3 pieces of pine to make a bench hook. You had to hand saw the pieces to a set of given dimensions and then take them to him. He would use a square to check them and if they were not square is all directions, you got more wood to try again. When they passed, you got 4 screws to put it together and then you were allow to do other things. I later realized that he wasn't teaching us to saw with a hand saw, he was using the project to keep himself from having to do any real work. While a bunch of 12 year olds were trying to make a square cuts with a hand saw, he sat back with his feet up, doing nothing. Useful guidance was seldom given.

don romans

04-18-2008, 10:59 AM

I also had a Mr. Ivey (Granada Hills H.S.) for Woodshop, or as he would demand that his class be called by it's proper name 'Woodworking'. He was a stickler for detail and finish prep.; "you are not done yet, keep going!". My mom used to take me to adult night class starting about 9 years of age. Mr. Ivey allowed it as long I followed the rules that he set for me, which I did and was always welcome. Those early days are what got me hooked on the smell and feel of fresh milled hardwood. What a great person, mentor, and later on a friend he was. I found out that his old woodshop is now a physics lab, what a shame!

To Mr. Ivey and my mom; Thankyou!

My only shop teacher through four years of HS was Mr. Ivey. He was a good guy who really knew what he was talking about. The class was very structured. First year we learned safety of all the tools. We then built a breadbox and then a tapered legged table with a framed glass top. Second year we built a wall mirror and then a choice of any project that included doors and drawers. Third year was a group project, build anything with mass production in mind so small items mostly, though my brother's group who had went through the class before me built porch swings. Fourth year was completely open to whatever you wanted.

My first and second year I was very timid about using the machines and my abilities in general. Third year I had thought up a design for a chest that I wanted to build. I talked with Mr. Ivey about it and I remember him saying "Johnny, your skills are here right now (pointing low at his waist), to do this you need to get here (pointing high by his head, and he was a tall man). If your committed you can do it." Thats all I needed. He let me skip the mass production group project and work on this instead. I worked endlessly for about four months between and after classes on this thing...

The chest project is where I got a grasp of how to use the tools and the confidence that I could handle them. Also, its what got me into design...leading me right into my current pursuit of an Architectural design degree.

8671786719

I show this project specifically to say that anyone, even a novice, is capable of doing good work. I ended up wining over $1500 in award money from various shows for this piece. One of the national shows (AWFS) even sent me and the chest to Los Vegas :)

Rod Sheridan

04-18-2008, 1:20 PM

I only took woodworking for one year in junior high scholl, and cannot remeber the name of my instructor.

I do however remember the name of my electrical instructor, Mr Ivan Latimer, who believed that the class project was simply the beginning, and that experimentation and learning, were far superior to the completion of a simple, pre-defined project.

I eventually became an Electrical Technologist, so Mr. Latimer must have done something right.

Unfortunately, shop classes are being dropped from High School in my area, which resulted in Diann purchasing a Canadian Rockwell lathe for our shop. It was pretty sad to see 8 lathes lined up at the used machinery dealer, the end of two shops in two High Schools.

Perhaps the lack of shop classes explains the number of neighbourhood kids who come over to my house with their prized piece of MDF to be made into their own hand made "furniture". It probably also explains the number of bedraggled bicycles that make their way to our house, pushed by hopeful owners.

The trades aren't for everyone, however we seem to be focused on the "white collar" occupations, at the expense of "blue collar" ones.

Regards, Rod.

Bill Wyko

04-18-2008, 2:03 PM

My shop teacher beat me into a wall and was known for beating kids on a regular basis. (you could get away with that in the 70s') So needless to say, I'm more self taught.:o His name was Mr. Toothman. I wish he could see the work I do now.:D

Doug Jones from Oregon

04-18-2008, 2:05 PM

In jr. high, I had drafting by Mr. Dow and then he followed me across the street a couple of years later and taught the woodshop class that I took. Great teacher and friend.

Oddly, the only other teacher I remember was Mrs. Koski, my latin teacher which I took as a last ditch effort for my required lanquage credit after failing french and spanish... she is the reason that I met my wife that I was married to for 32 years...

Pat Germain

04-18-2008, 3:48 PM

Back home in Pawnee, Oklahoma, I took General Shop, Woodworking 1 & 2.

Eric, you're post reminded me I took Electricity and Advanced Electronics at the Vo-Tech in Stillwater, Oklahoma. There were two guys from Pawnee in my classes.

While not called "shop", I guess those were very very "shop-like" environments. I learned how to do basic wiring, bend conduit and much about electrical safety. Funny, the basic electrical stuff I learned is still applicable, but the advanced electronics part is pretty much obsolete.

My teacher was Leo Siebert. He had been in the Air Force and I learned a lot from him. Thanks, Mr. Siebert.

Rob Will

04-18-2008, 11:05 PM

[quote=John Karam;The chest project is where I got a grasp of how to use the tools and the confidence that I could handle them. Also, its what got me into design...leading me right into my current pursuit of an Architectural design degree.

[/quote]

Very nice work John!
Normally, I am a real purist for classical furniture with an emphasis on simple, clean, classic lines (Shaker, Roman etc.). Your chest is indeed a work of art that blurs the lines between modern and classical. I like it.

Rob

Denny Rice

04-18-2008, 11:30 PM

Thats easy, I had two!! My Jr. High and High school woodshop teacher Wayne VanSickle. This man was so cool, a really nice guy and a good driver too, he taught drivers ed in summer school, taught me how to drive too, and I got a WAIVER! lol. The other shop teacher I worked for but never took his class for a grade was Tom Price another Jr. High woodshop teacher, that I meet through my shop teacher. My senior yr of High school I helped teach woodworking to disabled kids with Mr. Price, it was a very cool expierence. I think there are a lot of kids out there that would love to learn to work with wood if given the chance. It really disheartensme to see school systems across thecountry removing woodshop from the education system.

Skyp Nelson

04-19-2008, 9:01 AM

When I was stationed at Ft. Stewart Ga in 94, there an older gentleman who worked the "post woodshop" who we just called "Pop". That man forgot more about WW'ing than I will EVER know. You just showed him a picture of what you wanted to build, he'd tell what to buy. Then he would show/teach you how to make the first cut, then let you go. Great man. Oh yeah, he also had ALL of his fingers:D.

John Karam

04-19-2008, 2:47 PM

Thanks for the compliment Rob

Its a shame that the woodshop program always depends so much on the teacher himself. I never realized that so many programs were filled by lazy, do-nothings, as their teachers. I knew that the program I went through was pretty good compared to the rest but shesh...its no wonder many are not interested in woodworking.

John Gornall

04-19-2008, 4:32 PM

Before 7th grade nothing but baseball. Then one Sept morning Mom sent me to a new school. Playing ball by the school before they let us in I chased a ball into the shrubs and when I stood up I was looking into the shop window which was in the basement – never forgot that moment. Turned out my first class was in that shop. Mr. Fredericks showed us “The Maple” a board he’s hit us with if we misbehaved – “shop is too dangerous for horse play”. This was the metal workshop and I went in early every day from then on. I used to light the forge and put the tools of the day out on the benches. Then on to woodwork and drafting – took every shop course offered from 7th grade to 12th grade. Still use the machinist clamps I made and furniture is still at my Mom and Dad’s house. 5 shop teachers and I owe them all a thanks!

Jon Lanier

04-19-2008, 4:36 PM

Although I had a couple of shop teachers at school... my dad was probably the best teacher I had.

John Callahan

04-20-2008, 3:15 AM

I had Dave Draper in jr. high school four decades ago. Firm but fair especially regarding safety and always helpful and encouraging- I've been hooked on woodworking/carpentry ever since. He took no guff; I still remember walking to the lunchroom one day and overheard a kid calling him an a____le. Mr. Draper came out of the door of the shop, looked around, went back in, closed the door, picked the kid by the collar about foot and a half off the floor, and read him the riot act. Respect for him and the tools you used was a given in his class-if not, watch out.

Joe Petersen

04-24-2008, 9:58 PM

Mr Greene was the welding teacher. He was the disciplinarian. Got no respect from anyone (but me of course) and got stabbed in the back by a flying file (accident). I wish I could go back to his class cause he had every machine shop tool known to man if you weren't an a** and wanted to learn. I made a cool cross pien hammer in his class with a knurled hammer.

Stuckey was the auto shop teacher. He got no respect either, but if you wanted to learn, the man would teach (I mean let seniors teach-I had to teach ABS brakes my senior year when I took two of his classes.). He took me to VICA where I won at regional and failed at state.

He also used to take us (Those that weren't too lazy) to work on his farm cutting and hauling trees for the sawmill. That is where I got some life experiences, like don't forget to open the gate on a dumptruck lest you flip it over, and when getting a saw unstuck cutting a tree down, don't crank the second saw in the air like a tough guy and hit the first saw and carve up the handle.

Sam Yerardi

04-25-2008, 6:07 AM

Virgil Donley. May he rest in peace.

James Ayars

04-27-2008, 2:28 PM

Had one semester of woodshop in Jr. high with a teacher whose name I can't remember. He was a good teacher with a lot of knowedge but so many hoodlums and goof offs were dumped in his class that he had to spend most of his time just keeping them under control. Those few of us that wanted to learn didn't learn much.

Had a second semseter of woodshop with Mr. Crain at Douglas Byrd HS in Fayetteville NC. Same situation as jr high just not as bad. Some of the hoodlums had dropped out by then so we were able to do some learning and get some work done.

When I began teaching in 1988, the school I started at had a great woodshop, but the class was a dumping ground for thugs and rif raf. The teacher finally had enough and retired in 1990 and the school system could not find a replacement. That was also about the time that the "Everybody needs to go to college." movement began so the woodshop equipment was stored away and the shop became a weight room. I suspect it eventually found its way into a school board members garage.

That school system has no vocational programs anymore. 13 high schools but no vocational classes. The issue of vocational training had become political with racial overtones so the county just did away with all of them.

I teach at a HS in a different system now and our school has auto tech, carpentry, masonry, horticulture and cosmotology as well as the more college oriented classes.

Rob Will

04-27-2008, 3:54 PM