Voices Ringing
Carroll High School Blog
Adjusting woodworking classes for coronavirus safety
Hello, Mike Lakin here with another great blog (and yes, I am still teaching)!
The goal for Industrial Technology classes this semester will be similar to the past few years but a little different for a few reasons. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic changes how I instruct my students. The first four Wednesdays of the year will be Remote Learning days at Carroll, and I plan to show YouTube videos on those days that reinforce what I am teaching that week. When I showed videos during remote instruction last spring, I found that the videos gave students a new perspective on the lessons as well as inspiring me with some new ideas for class.
The other big change this semester is that I will not have student teacher's aides. This will make slowing down the pace of the class and empowering students with more responsibility a top priority. I will also let any student who wants to learn how to use the Computer Numeric Control machines come in after school for extra instruction. This will not only grow their personal knowledge but enable them to help their classmates.
The skills that students learn in this class are valuable for many reasons. Not only do students learn basic skills, they improve on them throughout their lives to use when they become homeowners. A career in skilled labor is a major possibility for my students as well. Demand for skilled labor is high, and many careers in those fields pay very well and can surpass $100,000 each year. No matter what path a student chooses, I know they will retain many lessons learned in these classes.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my blog, see you next time!
P.S. Don't get cut - Amen!
Woodworking safety and skills for a lifetime
Hello, Mike Lakin here with another great blog! The video and pictures you see are the result of two projects in Woodworking I. Teaching the students the safety rules and procedures to make the first project, a three tier shelf, and the second project, a simple table, are foundational aspects of the course. The goal is that after the second project, students will be able to understand plans to make projects that grab their interest.
The skills that students learn in this class are extremely important for various reasons. First, they will improve on their skills for many things throughout their lives, like home maintenance and do-it-yourself projects some day.
Another huge possibility is a career in the trades. As most people know, these fields are in desperate need of people, and most skilled trades pay well into the six figures. Whatever the students choose to do in the future, I know they will retain many of the lessons they have learned in woodworking.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed my blog. See you next time (and don’t get cut, amen!).