Technical Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence

Good to see HF step up like that. I grew up fixing garbage-picked bikes, later went onto mini-bikes and faster stuff. So I was up on almost everyone when I took auto shop in HS. I got into fixing high end outboards and inboard boat engines.

In our shop, it had a lift, full oxy-acetylene for gas welding, we learned arc welding too. The instructor was awesome. Tools... we had a few locked cabinets on the wall with a shadow for every single tool. If it wasn't back at the end of the class... nobody left until the missing tool was found. By the way, they were Craftsman donated by the local Sears store.

 

When I was in high school my shop teacher was a complete and total ass! Awful human being , shit teacher and an even worse mechanic .

I was in school in the late 80’s early 90’s and the big push was college or university courses, not trades .

now there is a huge shortage of skilled tradesmen and it’s reversed and they are pushing trades again.

the public high school by my house is known for trades courses ( drafting , tech math etc and also has a auto shop , wood shop and metal shop)

the catholic high school is known more for the arts and works closely with the hospital and medical community for kids who want to get into that .

my older daughter opted for the catholic school as she lives the arts and drama and would like to get into “ something “ with being a doctor .

my younger daughter is wanting to go to the public as she would like to learn both hands on and theory .

my older daughter did pick automotive next year as an elective course !! Said “ with you as my dad I should ace it “

I did tell her I failed my grade 12 auto shop with a 49 !!!!

like I said the teacher was an ass , and me being me I would call him out relentlessly when he was wrong with what he was teaching us or showing us .
One day I had him shouting at a class of 30 boys about being a skilled mechanic with a license and what he says is correct and not to second guess what he was teaching us ……. I called him out snd told him “ licensed mechanic , you can barely use a broom never mind a wrench “ all 30 of us pointed and laughed at him .

I guess I “ earned” the 49% grade

I think about him and some of the shit mechanics ive worked with over the years and how many kids where discouraged out of the trade simply because they didn’t have a positive roll model or person to introduce them to the trade ?


Let’s face it , there really is no other trade where you need to know as much as a mechanic . Electrical , hydraulics , internal combustion, computers , hydraulics , welding , math , science, etc etc etc etc .
Teachers like @anthony myrick are unfortunately few and far between from what I’ve seen and experienced.

 

Thanks.
But I’m just fortunate enough to have other great instructors and a system that lets us just teach.
How long will it last?
Who knows. Election year this year. We’re only a couple board members away from disappearing. But, ya do what ya can when ya can.

 

I was doing things in my HS shop class that NOBODY today knows. We did a few heat exchanger repairs on inboard engine fresh water cooling systems. We would cut off the ends of them and ferret out the bad tubes and solder them closed. Then weld them back up.

We had a local clammer who had his clam boat submerged in his canal. That had a new Evinrude, 135 HP and the insurance gave him full value, like $2200 in 1972 dollars. The kid bought the manual and we tore the engine completely down in the shop. The electronics we rinsed in water, baked them dry using a home-ec oven. Then assembled it, it ran like new. The shop had 2 outboard test tanks, one for smaller engines and one for the big guns.

Hands down the craziest thing we did was to swap 2 inboard Chris Craft boat engines. The owner was a big shot at the local Sears. He had a rigger drop off his old engines and the Chevy dealer drop off the new crate ones. That had a deadline, had to be done by the end of the school year. We did it and the owner threw us a catered party for the shop.

I did wood shop and metal shop, still have the metal shop tools I made, just artifacts, not suitable for every day use. We poured ash trays from melted down Corvair pistons.

 

I am currently a middle school shop teacher for the last 23 years and still more to go. I get to do what I enjoy each day. There are issues with shop classes though. There are so very few students graduating as industrial tech teachers today. Alternate licensure is not able to fill the gap. The cost of programs are sky rocketing as material price increase. My budget has decreased substantially as cost have increased substantially. Many times supplies come out of my pocket.
The advice I can give to keep these programs alive is to talk to these teachers and ask them what they need. Buy them a package of sandpaper or cans of paint. If you have a shop offer up scrap material or do some machining for them. On Friday I had our metal supplier donate a piece of 14 gauge and one of our local race car fabricators will cut a couple of projects on cnc plasma. It was not huge but it saved me some money out of my pocket. If you have a car club, adopt a shop class. Our racer car fabrication took time out for the industrial tech club to tour. Showed them tig welding and cnc plasma. They talked about it for days.
Sorry for the soapbox. I am getting to the end of my career and want to see it live on for my grand kids.

 

Hello,

Our old high school Auto Shop and Metal Shop is gone, but the vocational portion of the area schools is still hanging on in the local high schools. If the auto technology classes are the goal, then when graduation from high school is done with a diploma, those kids are automatically accepted to the community college and now the local state college has also stepped up to accept high school graduates.

"Long Beach City College offers a comprehensive automotive technology training program designed for students looking for entry-level work in the field. Your coursework is likely to include courses that cover steering systems, fuel systems, computer systems and automotive air conditioning."

• Program Name: Associate in Science Degree in Automotive Technology
• Program Length: 42-54 credits
• Tuition and Fees: $1,174 per year for residents, $7,750 per year for non-residents (for 2018-2019)
• School Type: 2-year, public; about 23,845 students (all undergraduate)

"To summarize, automotive mechanics in the Long Beach, CA area can obtain an Associate of Arts Degree in Automotive Technology from Cerritos College and an Associate of Science Degree in Automotive Technology from both Fullerton College and Long Beach City College."

What is there? The community college has good automotive classes and curriculum with ties to the local auto industry. The shops are fairly modern and the technology is there for future jobs in the myriad of auto dealers in most parts of any city or county. A degree for entry level experience is offered. So, the future is there, using local curriculum. It is just not at all high schools, but most community colleges.

Orange County services at the local community colleges
https://www.saddleback.edu/atas/autotech
Automotive Technology

"Futures in the Fast Lane"
"The Automotive Technology program at Saddleback College combines contemporary technology with old-school elbow grease to produce shop-ready automotive technicians who can do a little bit of everything. Students receive training in practical garage skills, as well as customer service, cooperative, and problem-solving skills, for a well-rounded higher education experience."

"For those looking for even more hands-on training, Saddleback College offers Cooperative Work Experience (CWE) internships through partnerships with local dealerships and independent businesses."

Jnaki

So, it is no longer hands on stuff for high school teens, unless you want to drive and be away from your home school. But the courses beyond high school is usually found in community colleges. At least it is in So Cal. One local high school that still is the center of the automotive technology programs for the whole school district had an open house recently. It is still supported by local small businesses as well as school funding, so there is still light in the end of the tunnel. YRMV

 

Good for HF. I'm a fan, have outfitted my shop at our second home with stuff from the local HF store, and have nothing but good things to say about the quality of the tools, the service and the availability of tools there. I admit I was surprised when a clerk there told me at the register (paying for the power washer I was buying), "Just so you know, when you're done with your project and return this, there's a 20% restocking fee." The previous trip there had netted a nail gun and battery powered chainsaw from the table of returned tools. Both looked like they'd been used once and returned after the job was done. Fine with me, about half price of the already reasonable prices there.

 

Hello,

My old high school is one of the few that has a survival auto shop in the curriculum. But, the whole campus which is at least 127 years old has a new life coming soon. Big changes are coming for Long Beach Poly High School. Within the local school districts, there are only a few schools in the whole area with the auto shop in the curriculum track.

The flagship high school of the Long Beach Unified School District has been a major cultural and educational force in the city since its founding in 1895 as Long Beach High School—two years before the city incorporated. We were there from 1956-59 for my brother’s teenage years and me from 59 to 62. We thought the school was old then and was in need of an upgrade. But as teenagers, the curriculum was pretty comprehensive and there was something for everyone.

Photos taken in an alley next to the school and side streets. Disregard the errors in the story… the writer was a young kid that knew nothing about fast cars or hot rods.

But, over the years, new schools were built and the grand old lady fell behind in facilities and was in need of a serious upgrade. Well, now in 2022, the plan is in motion. What was cut from the other LB school district curriculum courses still is in the current and future plans for LB Poly HS.

Jnaki

Architects and facilitators from Irvine-based LPA Design Studios presented a master plan for major upgrades to the historic campus, which has been mostly unchanged for more than a half-century.

The school, which serves more than 4,000 students as the largest school in the LBUSD, hasn’t had a new building or major renovation other than its auditorium in decades.

In our day, the old auto shop, metal shop and other elective classes were in a building where the new pool will be located.


The New auto shop facility on the other side of the campus. So, there is hope...yet!

 

Saddleback was the only local community college to have any auto classes when I was growing up, my HS had a VERY, VERY weak shop class (no equipment, a few hand tools, super small room and a teacher who didn’t care). Most of the good large unit classes at Saddleback were during the day when I was working. I just looked at my HS they don’t have auto shop (or drafting) anymore….but they still have ceramics 1 and 2 (and now yoga wellness ).
Great to hear one of the tool companies giving back to help out future mechanics. I think other companies should do the same, it only makes sense to help out the future buyers of their tools.

 

The indoor pool was nice......

 

My Grandad was a high school shop teacher, then an administrator. For you guys who live in Eastern Iowa, my Grandad was one on the people who founded Kirkwood Community College. He was Vocational Education to the core. I took every shop class I could and would do it over again in a heartbeat. Little Truckdoctor will do the same. Fantastic on Harbor Freight for all they give back. Not everyone can afford SnapOn and Mac and the Harbor has good stuff. Grandad would be proud, he would LOVE The Harbor.

 

My granddaughter graduated from high school this year. We have a tech/ trades school that just celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. She took auto mechanics there and began working at a local car dealership during this time. She won the outstanding student award ( the first female to do so) and her instructor received that Harbor Freight award as well. Same trade school that I attended 50 years ago. She's been drag racing since she was 6 yrs old and now has a off topic Camaro that she races along with my son. Great to see trade schools get the support they need.

 

Hey IM,
When we were high school students, the indoor pool was pretty good. There was a three level high dive and facilities for championship events. But, there was always the aroma of an indoor pool with the chemicals and wet stuff close by. When we were not in our sports team practices, we were able to go swimming and diving. Some of those powerful college bound athletes could not swim and hung on to the wall the whole time in the pool with other athletes. Who would have known that fact...

As nice as the indoor pool was, this new pool will be an Olympic size pool, but outdoors. The new pool will be steps away from this photo from 1962.
The New pool and outdoor plaza will be right where the old Industrial Arts (Auto Shop/Metal Shop/Wood Shop/Crafts ) building was located including the alley way to the street. So that part of history will now be gone, but a new building will be located all the way across the campus.


The 2022, current 800 building at the top is the same one we had our auto shop/metal shop classes. The indoor pool is ls in the red circle at the other side of the campus. So, "Times they are a changing..."

 

I just read that my old HS auto-shop teacher had passed away. He knew his stuff, I'm grateful for what I learned from him.