My buddy's wife is some kind of big-wig in one of the local public school districts. She's trying to get me to teach high school auto shop, and I'm considering it, and I think I'd be pretty OK at it. My concerns are mainly centered around "I've never been a school teacher, so I know there are a ton of issues that I haven't even thought of yet."
So, hit me with your ideas of the pros and cons, things to consider, best and worst case scenarios, all that.
Your personality is a pro.
A con is your personality. 😂
I honestly think it's the perfect 'retirement' gig. You're still young, doing something you enjoy, simultaneously trying to educate and enrich kids... You'll feel like a fish out of water for the first 2 years though, just because it'll take time and lots of effort to create lessons and structure from nothing... but it's like changing dampers- the first time takes forever, and each subsequent time gets dramatically easier.
Plus, summers off, you get fun money to literally do with what you please, and it'll keep your brain sharp instead of melting into a recliner watching the price is right every day...
Plus, the biggest 'PRO'- free labor for Monzora :p
Seriously, I think you have a great knowledge base and creative approach to problem solving that young people need.
Do you want to be with kids all day?
I started my career pursuing being a shop teacher, but realized I probably wouldn't do good with the paperwork and interacting the the administration. I don't handle BS well.
But I still wish I had done it.
Zero experience myself, but I happen to be buddy buddy with an auto-shop teacher who also happens to be a certified master tech. If you wanted, I could put the two of you in touch.
Honestly I see it as one of those things that could be REALLY AWESOME or really awful (depending on the teacher's personality, the admin, and the students).
SV reX said:Your personality is a pro.
A con is your personality. 😂
That's f-ing perfect!!! 
I think you should do it. I mean, if you hate it you could quit after a year?
I would have been so far ahead of where I am now if my high school offered an auto shop. Plus, depending on the facilities, you may gain access to some tools/equipment/workspace that would be useful for personal projects?
They still have high school auto shop?
Huh. Weird.
If the school district is good, you will probably be good. If you get hired at some crappy district you are probably gonna hate it.
One thing to think of, if you are preparing for future mechanics, you want to know at least something of EVs. Nothing worse than getting through a class and going "ok, where are all these 50 year old machines I learned on?"
I remember the kind of know-it-all punk I was in highschool.
I'd rather take a beating with a brick stick than teach a classroom full of my former self.
Visit and shadow an Auto Shop class for a week and see how it goes. I had a high school art teacher friend who had me try and teach his classes true-to-scale perspective drawing for a day.
I didn't do any prep work and the first class was pure terror and I thought I was going to hyperventilate and pass out. Doing and teaching are two very different things. There's nothing more disconcerting than the blank stares of 20 some students who you have no idea if they understand a word you are saying.
Anyway, by the last of some 6 classes, I kind of got the hang of it and actually enjoyed being the center of attention which is something I have never sought out before or afterwards.
Yeah as others have said i think the real question here is going to be about the culture of the school district and the school itself. The work everyone sees will be fun and awesome. The behind the scenes stuff will make or break the deal, though.
I honestly have no idea how high school auto shops are structured, but if it's like literally every other part of school life, you may actually have very little control over your curriculum. That would be one of my first questions if it ever gets to the interview phase.
Aside from that, while the pay in most school systems isn't great for rookie teachers, the benefits are usually pretty decent right from day 1. You're coming into this later in life, so you likely won't be around the job long enough to really get into the sweetest benefit areas, but most school systems have access to pretty decent healthcare plans for reasonable prices, a nice predictable schedule, competent union representation, and pension accrual from day 1.
I'd recommend basing whatever curriculum you can control around building custom cars that you then fence through one of your former students who has opened a shady chop shop in Las Vegas. That always seems to work out fine for everyone.
I can put you in touch with a long-time community college auto shop teacher and Master Tech, if you are interested.
CC and HS are not the same thing, but it may help to talk to someone who's done it.
Make sure they have a real auto shop with tools, lifts, and a budget and not just a bunch of canned modules that the district administrators decided to use instead of real hands on stuff because they were given a sweet vacation by the proprietors and "zomg auto shop is dangerous"
Other than that, I went all the way thru student teaching for tech ed focusing on metals and auto shop, noped out, and couldnt be happier. Never set a day in a classroom, my entire family and extended family but me are/were teachers.
Hi. My name is SkinnyG. I've been a high school shop teacher for 28 years. I have 4 more to go.
I have been directed by other teachers to NOT talk to the student teachers, because my first words are always "It's not too late to get out."
I'm going to try and keep my rant short....
You are either cut out to be a teacher, or you are not. There is a HIGH burn-out rate in the first five years. You need to be PASSIONATE about teaching to make it.
There are two kinds of teachers - those who love kids, and those who love their subject. One isn't necessarily better than the other, but the relationship you have with the kid is more important than the curriculum.
20% of what you do is curriculum. 80% is classroom management. You might hate that.
Everything you say or do will be taken out of context, twisted, and used against you at their earliest convenience. You might hate that.
You have NO IDEA how much of teaching is politically driven. "The System" is not about the kids, it's about saving money, looking good publicly, and getting re-elected. You might hate that. WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR CLASSROOM is what matters.
I am one of the very FEW mechanics teachers in my district (if not the only one) that DOES NOT bring in "outside" work. We don't work on staff cars, we sure as heck don't touch MY cars. I have a FULL program with LOTS to do; I just don't need the stress of little Billy berkeleying something up. Again. And then little Johnny berkeleys it up even worse
Last year I really tried to woo the heart of a sociopath student in my class, so he doesn't hatchet murder me in a dark alley.
Over the years I care less about the academic success of my students, and try to come along side them and direct them to a path that will bring them success in life.
Watching good kids turn to drugs or whatever and ruin their lives is harsh. You might hate that.
Some of my sayings to new teachers:
"There is no task so simple that a kid cannot screw it up."
"30/30/30 - 30% totally "get" what you're talking about. Another 30% haven't got a clue. The last 30% completely misunderstood what you said, but will fight to the death for what they thought they understood."
"You made it through University, with a teachable major and a teaching degree. Statistically, only 10% of these kids are actually going to finish a degree, so if you're teaching to who YOU are as a student, you're missing 90% of your class. You have the teach to the majority."
Having said all that - I absolutely LOVE teaching, and have always enjoyed trying to explaining how and why something works, even before I got into teaching. I cannot wait for the career to be over so I don't have to deal with all the other crap I absolutely hate.
Would I do it again? Probably not; I don't love people enough (I love my subject). I'm also high-functioning Autistic which is both a help and a hindrance.
If you need curriculum, ALL of my EVERYTHING that I do is here: www.gwellwood.com/subjects - help yourself!
I think you should move forward on it. As others have said, be sure you'd deal well on a personal level with the people and administration you'd be working with.
You will be dealing with fewer of the major issues of the education by virtue of teaching an elective. You do not have a standardized test that you need to prep kids for in order for the school to keep funding. None of the kids are *really* forced to be there.
You are going to have to deal with some personal things with kids you don't realize. Chances are you'll get a greater number of kids with attention and behavior issues. You'll almost certainly see kids dealing with difficult home situations - poverty, neglect, potentially abuse.
In reply to SkinnyG :
That's a fantastic summary!
Responses to most points so far:
SVreX, you hit the nail on the berkeleying head. I don't know if I could make it through the day without calling someone a cockbag.
Hungary Bill, yes please pass my contact info to your bud. I appreciate it! Cell, FB, email, whatever.
Mr Asa, not sure if it's "still" or "again".
VolvoHeretic, shadowing is a great idea, thanks for posting that.
JG, Las Vegas is a long way from Detroit, and have you seen C3 prices lately?
Duke, yes please, it would be great if you'd forward my info.
93gsxturbo, I have seen pix of the shop and some of the bigger equipment. It is all new / new-ish, clean, and well lit.
I have seen an outline of the curriculum, and it has plenty of white space around the central themes for me to expand and discuss real-world examples, etc.
I'll put in from a different angle.. I was shy and not confident in HS, ended up going to a charter School type of deal. Always had an obsession with cars so naturally took auto shop. The kids who did "get it" ended up doing the work while we watched the first semester. But, Tiny was a great guy and teacher who made school better for most of us. His class really brought me out of my shell and boosted my confidence as a person. I took over some of the work in the second semester.
Sounds like the admin can and may be BS, but if you're up for it, IMO, you can have a positive real-world impact on kids that they may not get otherwise.
TL;DR: if you do it, give it good effort and someone will thank you for being a role model for them someday.
SkinnyG, thank you! I was really looking forward to hearing your perspective, and I appreciate every word of it. I will reach out to you via the Contact button on your profile, as I can't remember if I have your email address.
Mr_Asa said:One thing to think of, if you are preparing for future mechanics, you want to know at least something of EVs. Nothing worse than getting through a class and going "ok, where are all these 50 year old machines I learned on?"
That is a great point. My role from 2017 until retiring 4/30/24 was brake systems and chassis controls integration on battery EVs, so I can definitely bring some of that into the classroom.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Done. I made a group chat on FB with you and him.
All good so far.
Wife with 29 years of elementary teaching experience...
My summary is you'll like the kids. You'll come to hate the adults.
Maybe (maybe) I'd say yes if it was Community College Shop since you can actually tell the students, "too f'ing bad."
It amazes me that public school teaches are surprised to find out how much of their day is politics. The job itself is the very definition of politics...public service...with some of the good and all of the bad that comes with that.
SVreX, you hit the nail on the berkeleying head. I don't know if I could make it through the day without calling someone a cockbag.
Well, there's that LOL
I am in the "go for it" camp. At worst it's one school year. It will be full of challenges you aren't ready for. Isn't that the allure of retirement? You can take on a new challenge and do things you didn't have time for in the past. If it doesn't work out, move on.
I'll bet there's a forum out there somewhere for auto shop teachers. It seems like there is a lot of potential for creativity and variations, so I suspect there is a resource pool somewhere. I also think the shadow idea is marvelous.
glueguy (Forum Supporter) said:At worst it's one school year.
Not if 'cockbag' flies out on the first day.
At worst it will be an adventure, regardless of how long it ends up being.
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