My son came home from camp yesterday. Before leaving, he ranked his top-ten course choices from a list of about 40 options. He received, and was placed in, five of the ten he selected. On the way home and at dinner, he reported on people he met, adventures he had, games he played, and what he did in his classes. But, he kept coming back to talking about his favorite class–welding.
I must pause for a moment here to explain that my son, though he has many talents, is not very good at working with his hands. He can build any Lego set put before him, but asking him to create art, make a craft, or even write neatly often results in frustration and, sometimes, even tears. At a parent conference when he was in first grade, his teacher suggested that he needed to take more time on his art projects and even said, “He could at least draw hair on his stick people.” This triggered a bit of parental freak-out on my part which resulted in a series of art classes for several years. While he appreciates art a bit more, he is still not very adept at drawing, painting, or really sort of poster-making or crafty activity. So, I was a little concerned that welding would set him up for frustration. Then again, sometimes a little frustration is good for us, right?
First off, he raved about his teacher. She has run a marathon on every continent. She teaches welding classes to kids and adults of all ages. She has her own business–Weld Like a Girl. And, she’s even kind of old–about 50 (his words . . . ouch!). We learned about the equipment he used, how welding works, and how he burnt his finger based on his report. He loved this class and looked forward to it each day. And, he loved his teacher and was sorry that we didn’t get to meet her.
Welding may be seen as a school-to-career or vocational class and so, is not often deemed as valuable for students who have their sights set on college. I doubt my son will pursue a career as a welder, though we would not discourage him to do so if he chose that route. How will he get an idea of what interests him and what talents he has if he is not exposed to a variety of options?
Clearly there was so much more to learn in welding class.
Just as I mentioned in my post about his upcoming culinary arts class, my son was able to easily determine if he had completed the project successfully. He could see the fruits of his labors (that which is frustratingly missing from most academic pursuits). He really stepped out of his comfort zone and even said how he gained confidence as a result of working in a fairly dangerous environment. All this from a class he chose because “it seemed cool.”
And, he was taught to weld by a really fantastic teacher . . . who happens to be a woman. (By the way, he never mentioned that it was surprising that a woman taught welding. Gives me some hope for the future.)
We do a disservice to students when we remove choice and options and discount the learning opportunities presented in areas that are not deemed academic. And just because a student is on a “college track,” it doesn’t mean they don’t stand to learn valuable skills in a “non-academic” class. A good teacher always has more to offer than simply what is written in the course outline or standards. Just as Robert Frost wrote about good fences making good neighbors, good teachers also make good classes.
Update-Ed 
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