Who was your favorite shop teacher?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

Quilted Maple Chest.jpgQuilted Maple Chest 2.jpg


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]

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]

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]

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.

Quilted Maple Chest.jpgQuilted Maple Chest 2.jpg


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]

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]

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. His name was Mr. Toothman. I wish he could see the work I do now.

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

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]

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.