Back to the Hornets Nest
As I walked into the technology wing at Frank Hurt Secondary for my 10-week practicum, I was super excited and nervous at the same time. I was “over-prepped” according to my sponsor teachers but more then capable of handling 3 blocks of classes from day 1. My classes consisted of automotive 11, woodworking 9/10 and power mechanics 9/10. I also decided to take it upon myself to help out in an additional woodworking 9/10 class during my prep block most days.
Over the first week I found my feet and started a nicely paced semester within all my classes. Initially all my lessons were focused around safety and general shop content, which I found to be very smooth and flowing. It was not until my first weekly meeting with my sponsor teachers that they told me to loosen up a little and make sure to be myself. I was shocked to hear this. I knew going into the practicum that we could not be concrete, monotone, instructors at the front of the room but I never thought I was teaching so rigid. They explained to me that I was so focused to teach every piece of material and use every ounce of time that I had , I did not realize that students need a break and cannot listen to instruction for an hour straight. It was after this week that I felt like I actually took on the instructor role.
The weeks went on and lessons were taught, the next big step of teaching a shop class was project work. As machines and tool were starting to be used under my supervision, I was anxious but yet comfortable. Besides the fact that these were students, I felt like my industry training and past supervisor positions were very beneficial at this moment. I was at ease knowing that the lessons I had taught and the safety demonstrations I had preformed were in full practice with little push back from students. This allowed for a very successful practicum overall.
The automotive shop was a whole other animal in itself and I now see why there are so few automotive instructors out in the school districts. Not only do instructors need to have a range of knowledge in the subject area but the attention to safety and liability is huge in a course like this. I must say Frank Hurts automotive program, run by Mani Grewal, is outstanding and runs effectively and efficiently. With his help, I taught a heavy theory front loaded class and personally questioned the content and layout every day. However, over the weeks of instruction, it made complete sense to why he built his course this way and why it was so successful. Out of 3 different subject I taught, automotive was a huge influence for me to teach automotive in my career as a secondary teacher.
I had great experiences with many students who were ELL and student with distinctions, within my classes. My ability to adapt my lessons and procedures proved to be successful for the students understanding within each course. A highlighted lesson for me was my measurement lesson in woodworking, that I had my principal observe. I was able to teach imperial measurements, with infamous fractions, to students and have a unified understanding that was demonstrated through worksheets.
While at Frank Hurt I also participated in 2 extra-curricular activities. First I was a support teacher for the drag racing team. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday after school to work on the 2 drag racing vehicles and get them ready to race. The second activity was a stained glass club that I started and completely sourced from the community via Craigslist and Facebook. I had 6 students sign up and 4 completed their individual projects.
Overall, I had an amazing experience at Frank Hurt with amazing support and trust from my teacher sponsors and energetic participation from students.
An example of students stain-glass work.
(Click on link above for video)