Even today, as a shop owner, I remember my teacher saying, “You have good hands for this trade.” That sentence has stayed with me every day since.
If Mr. M only knew how much it motivated me, who knows?
Maybe now he will.
My blog wouldn’t be complete without paying respect to my shop teacher and every other shop teacher around the world.
You know, the guy or gal who puts up with endless questions, mistakes, and smartasses.
The person who takes the complex and makes it make sense.
These are the true heroes of our field.
The truth is, the professionals who share their knowledge in tech schools around the world play a crucial role. Not just in the knowledge they share, but in the confidence they build in their students.
I was lucky to have great teachers along the way.
The only problem was, I didn’t realize it at the time.
High school is a wild time, especially in a tech school where you spend 3 weeks in class and 3 weeks in shop. The thought of putting up with my past self while trying to teach the fundamentals of combustion makes me want to throw this laptop, but my teachers did it.
Our teachers are gold
The world needs shop teachers who understand and value the up and coming generation, like it or not the industry relies on it.
Most kids who like cars enough to consider fixing them see all kinds of cool stuff on social media. They love the turbos, engine builds, burnouts, and huge toolboxes. Social media is flooded with cool cars and techs showing off awesome hacks.
It’s the good shop teacher who brings curiosity down to earth. The teacher who can show kids how it works, down to the nitty gritty.
This is the person who reveals what’s behind the curtain and opens up the knowledge that leads to a successful automotive career.
Who’s better than the person who can show these kids HOW that turbo actually works?
NOBODY.
Basic fundamentals
What actually makes that engine run?
What are the 4 cycles of combustion?
How does A/C work?
These are all critical things to know if you want to make your career in auto repair.
These are all things that need to be taught to our future wrench turning youth. You can watch all kinds of cool stuff online, but if you don’t know the basics, you don’t really know.
This is why a good teacher is so important.
Thank you
So I’ll keep this short and pay tribute to my shop teachers and to all of the other shop teachers around the world. Without you there are no techs, just unfilled positions in shops around the globe.
Keep doing what you are doing.
Grab the minds of the select few who aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty.
Show them they can build that drift car, rebuild that BMW, fix their Mom’s car for her, and start fixing what needs to be fixed.
The knowledge you share will be carried for years to come, not only car knowledge, but life knowledge.
