Mentors

By jrw159

Date 08-13-2008 16:25

APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

John R. West

By HgTX

Date 08-13-2008 16:27

Wow. Nailed it!

I wonder if my mentor would think it too hokey if I sent him this.

Hg

By yorkiepap (***)

Date 08-14-2008 01:00

Hey Allan,
That poem was written by a young woman who understands the meaning of learning & the ever-present "hunger" to satisfy the quest for knowledge. Also, being a published poet, I "see" in her words what she is expressing to those who need the guidance, wisdom, & patience of a mentor/teacher to fulfill their dreams & goals. I know how much I want to pass on the 45 years of experience in the many facets of manufacturing & welding I have stored in memory. I have offered knowledge to several youngsters and a chance to apprentice occasionally at my shop..... to no avail. I am still trying to get a chance to teach a class at the local college. There are many of us out here ready & willing to pass on years of knowledge......for free.......
Thank you, Allan, for sharing those beautiful words........ Denny

By aevald

Date 08-14-2008 06:10

Hello Denny, thanks for the response. There are certainly a host of really thought-provoking and easy-to-relate-to types of statements, letters, sayings, poems, etc. that are out there. I enjoy reading them and seeing how they fit with my own situation or those of folks around me. It is really unfortunate that you haven't found an outlet for sharing the wealth of experiences and knowledge that you possess and have experienced over the course of your life. Even the small bits that you have shared on the forum have been invaluable to many of the folks who have read them, I always enjoy your comments and advice.
I realize that you are busy, but have you contacted any of your local intermediate schools, junior highs, high schools to see if they would consider allowing you to participate in some of their job-shadowing or other types of job-sharing practices? If I remember correctly, don't you have a trailer set-up for doing work out of? If your time allows, you may want to consider pulling up in the parking lots of some of these schools and giving a demonstration of some of your skills and showing the kids the tools and their uses as they relate to the trade of welding/fitting/fabricating. My partner and I have always seen the most interest from students that are younger, they have a fascination and an interest that often seems to fade as their ages increase. You might be suprised though Denny, it is likely that there are many folks who you have met or known who have indeed been sparked to pursue the trade areas because of an interaction or experience with you. Thanks for your contributions and best regards, Allan

By yorkiepap (***)

Date 08-14-2008 21:26

Hey Allan,
You are most welcome and I do thank you for your input and all the guidance you provide here on the forum. Any student should feel honored to study under your tutelage. I will approach some of the local schools & check with some of the vo-techs in the area. Great idea.... Thank you again Allan...... Denny

By aevald

Date 08-15-2008 04:30

Hello Denny, part of my response is somewhat based on some plans that my partner and I have for promoting our own program. We are planning on setting up a working rig welder for both promotion of welding as a trade and to showcase our own program. It is going to be a lengthy process, yet we do have somewhat of a jump on it right now. Currently, we have the commitment of various businesses to provide a portable engine driven welder, steel, blast and paint for a completed welding rig bed, which we will design and our students will be involved with fitting and welding out. Various welding and fitting tools will also be provided by some of our local suppliers. The college's foundation has provided us with a substantial monetary grant to handle additional costs for outfitting our truck. We are currently working on procuring a donation of a 1 to 1 1/2 ton truck which will be the base for building this rig from. In the end we hope to have a working truck which we can "roll" up to the various schools to to provide demonstrations and also offer hands-on weld time to entice and interest more young folks into a welding career. We also hope to use this truck in local parades, exhibitions, the county fair, advertisements for the suppliers who have donated towards this project by parking it at their places of business to show community involvement and their support as well as get the word out better that we have a viable program that can be a great thing for the community. Finally we have plans to set-up "projects" at our school that will require students to use a checklist for verifying that they would have the proper tools and supplies to go out and do a field job if they were sent to do one. Then we will have them "drive" the truck to our mock job and proceed to use the truck and it's assets to indeed start and complete a project. As well they will learn maintenance and upkeep of these types of equipment. As more of this unfolds I will try to keep all of you on the forum informed as to how it's going. Thought you'd enjoy this Denny and thanks again. Best regards, Allan

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 08-17-2008 20:21

As always Allen, you're idea's are excellent!!! Good work there pal!!! :) :) :)

Hey Denny!!! Keep letting the local schools around the area about your willingness to mentor a student or two who expresses theri own real willingness to learn.
Have you been to any of the section meetings (They're on vacation for the summer here) either @ the Pittsburgh Section or the newly formed Johnstown/Altoona section???
Also, try getting in touch with Don Howard, the district director because he might know about some programs near your area who may be in need of your guidance.

DISTRICT 7
D. Howard (Don)
Technician
Concurrent Technologies Corp.
100 CTC Drive
Johnstown, PA 15904
Office - 814-269-2895
Fax - 814-269-2799
howard@ctc.com

Here are a few other gents in our neck of the woods that may offer some help for you Denny:

Education Committee
Chairman
Carl Spaeder
3885 Brookside
Unit 301
Murrysville, PA 15668
(724) 327-3686
cspaeder@alltel.net

S.E.N.S.E. &
Student Affairs
John Foley
Pittsburgh Public Schools
635 Ridge Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
jfoley@pghboe.net

Image of Welding
Chairman
George Kirk
Pittsburgh Public Schools
635 Ridge Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
gkirk@pghboe.net

Here's the Pittsburgh section's website:

http://sections.aws.org/pittsburgh/

Here's a map to help you determine which section to join, and which section is closer to you:

http://sections.aws.org/johnstown/county%20boundries.gif

Here's the Johnstown/Altoona section website:

http://sections.aws.org/johnstown/

I hope some of this helps you Denny because, I would like to see that you do get the opportunity to mentor young folks who are trully interested in welding.

Your desire and passion to become a mentor/educator is most definitely felt by myself, and must be recognized by the rest of our local welding & educational communities.

Respectfully,
Henry

By aevald

Date 08-18-2008 07:11

Hello Henry, thanks for the support. I have to say that you are truly one of the kings of information and links. Someday I hope to be able to even come close to your abilities to navigate all of the informational possibilities that you have. I have been a part of this forum for close to 3 years now and always appreciate everyones abilities and efforts to help out the new folks in any number of ways. I only wish that many of the parents of our young folks could be exposed to much of the information that is discussed here on a daily basis, I do believe they might have a slightly different take on the futures of their own children and how the trades could benefit them. I know that you and most all of those who have visited or become a part of this forum know the pride and sense of accomplishment that can be realized from any level of mastery of the trade/art of welding. I have run into students who are in their 20's or 30's and have never used a hand tool or power tool, it floors me. One of the first toys that I had as a kid and took an active interest in was an erector set. Back to those students, I have the pleasure and honor of watching and being a part of their transformations, their enthusiasm as they realize their potential and the joy they exhibit as they figure things out is extremely contagious. I only wish more parents would take a supportive stance with their kids when they are looking at their futures and consider the trades more seriously. I have you and many others from the forum to thank for helping me with any number of questions that have come up while I try to do my job better. All of the individuals that I have had conversations and discussions on here have given me ideas and led me to pursue areas and topics that have made a better informed and more productive individual. Thanks Henry, and everyone else. Best regards, Allan
BTW: I hope your health has been good!

By medicinehawk01 (**)

Date 08-19-2008 02:36

Thanks for sharing that poem with us. I have taught in the past and still do because it is my nature. I have taught both young and old, male and female and it is a great feeling when you get one like the young lady who wrote that. Thanks again for the good read.
Be well,
Hawk

By aevald

Date 08-19-2008 08:32

Hello Hawk, our student didn't actually write that poem, but she brought it in to my partner and I to read and share with us. Thanks for the response and best regards, Allan