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Profile: jmardon
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User Name: jmardon
Forum Rank: Newbie
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Location Oregon City, OR
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Joined: Saturday, July 15, 2006
Last Visit: Saturday, August 26, 2006 1:27:46 PM
Number of Posts: 0
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Last 10 Posts
Topic: New teacher overwhelmed! - need some curriculum and links help!
Posted: Saturday, August 26, 2006 1:27:26 PM
Matt,

As Joe said, we have all been there. It wasn't long ago for me so the memory is fresh!

As I moved into my job, the previous teacher had not moved out and had left the shop in a disaster... I mean it was awful... 5 years of dust coated everything, there was mouse dropping EVERYWHERE, nothing organized, and so forth. Added to this, our Custodian (who is amazing help... Jack of all Trades) uses the shop in the summer for various projects and had also left a mess. It took me 3 weeks to organize it before the school year began... my summer was certainly cut short! The good thing of that situation was that I was able to organize the shop and set everything how I wanted it.

I, too, was misassigned. I, too, have secondary Social Studies endorsement. What is it about us?! My background was in furniture-making. It was an income and a hobby. When I found there were no Social Studies jobs available I applied for the Woodshop and earned it through my hobby!

What I have found middle school kids like, and I'm sure High Schoolers would appreciate is things like boxes, CD holders, bedside tables, anything on the band saw or scroll saw. Boxes are the best in my mind. There's no end to the variety, and kids love something personal that they can keep their stuff in. However, careful, I received news through a parent that their kid was indeed (as SNL will testify) putting their weed in it!! At least she was using it, right??!!

Skateboards are a great idea. There is a fellow who belongs to this forum that sells blanks. In fact, he has probably already contacted you. He has me!

Good luck... breath!
Topic: How can high school shop program's be saved?
Posted: Saturday, August 26, 2006 1:11:03 PM
I am upon my 3rd year as a Woodshop Teacher and have seen some success and failures in my middle school. As a relative newcomer to teaching Woodshop I'm starting to understand the limitations and concentrate on getting rid of them!

I am extremely fortunate to be working in a school where the Principal values the program. In fact, last year when I needed to finance the purchase of new saw blades for the table and sliding miter saws, he reserved a spot in the Parents' Club meeting so I could propose what I needed. Our Parents' Club, I discovered that night, was 100% on board as well. I not only received my two-year funding for blade replacement, but received an additional $2000 for various other proposals.

What I'm finding is that the funding exists in the private sector. I have no shame in asking, and asking a lot! We have a website for our community that connects need-seekers with potential donors called www.donate2educate.com; I use that site religiously and have secured about $1000 of private funding. As another entrant on this forum noted, getting the kids to take high quality projects home generates excitement at home; as a result I have had parents - through their companies or personally - donate wood, tools... I had a gentleman whose job it is to remove stumps from land slated for development bring in an assortment of hardwood and softwood stumps that are curing in my shop and due to become turning blanks for the lathe.

Asides from understanding my funding source, I realize the barrier to making Woodshop a legitimate curriculum is indeed the curriculum. Kids historically take this class because it's an easy A. I don't want to take that away from them, but I want them to learn more than the basics. I spent this summer putting together a "Woodshop Manual" that is filled with their assignments, policies, machine and tool information, and a collection of articles from various sources that together will give them a more well-rounded appreciation and understanding of the craft, and will lead to an acceptance of Woodshop as a viable, rigorous course. When I showed my Principal the finished product he was floored as well as proud that his school was working towards keeping a crucial program.

Within my efforts I'm trying to rid of two problems: funding, and the inherent misconception that Woodshop is a goof-off class. I think it's working.

If you'd like to hear more of this manual, please let me know; I'll post what I can.
Topic: How can high school shop program's be saved?
Posted: Saturday, July 22, 2006 3:31:11 PM
My response comes with great bias, as do most responses I suppose! I believe the first step to saving High School Shop programs is to ensure their place in the middle schools. Being a middle school Woodshop teacher I have the pleasure of working with kids who are truly excited to be in class. If that excitement can be preserved early then perhaps that will provide some impetus to parents and community members to want to keep Shop programs around.

I am in a unique position in Oregon; there aren't that many middle school programs; they're reserved for high schools. Unfortunately, there's still a stigma attached to High School Shop that only the poor students enroll; those who don't find success in traditional classrooms. As a result the Shop model is more frequently developed in vocational settings and is unavailable to kids aiming for college. In order for Shop to be saved, efforts need to be made to keep it available for everybody. Start the excitement early, remove the stigma, save Shop.

How do we do this? Good question! We need a philanthropist with a softness for Woodshop, or Shop in general.
Topic: Middle School Woodshop Teachers Unite!
Posted: Saturday, July 15, 2006 2:29:47 PM
I teach 7th & 8th grade Woodshop in one of the few programs left in Oregon. Our district's other middle school Woodshop teacher and I collaborate on projects, but I'm finding myself quite alone in curriculum development. I have a number of projects available to the kids, but am always interested in discovering new simple projects for the kids.

How many of you out there are middle school Shop teachers? I'm hoping there are a few of us that can help stoke the fires of creativity!

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