Blog 4: Communication in Career and Technical Education (Skyline's Welding Program)

    Typically, I spend most of my teaching day in 30 x 30 classroom with no windows, so I often know little about what is happening outside the 200 building! Even in the hallway, I'm surrounded by nothing except other English teachers. Don't get me wrong--I like being a part of the English department, but occasionally, it's good to see other parts of the school and talk with friends and colleagues in other departments, so . . . this week, I decided to get out and about and find out what my friends in other disciplines are doing in professional writing and social media. As serendipity would have it, the first person I ran into was Mike Drobitsky, the welding teacher.  He invited me over to see what his kids are doing, and discuss professional communication with him. This turned out to be exactly what I was looking for (even though I didn't know it at the time)!

     Mike, or "D" as he often called by both colleagues and students, was teaching his Advanced Welding class when I stopped by. I was impressed by the work the students were doing. They all got to work on their respective projects right away with no long instructions from D. In fact, it looked more like a professional welding shop than a classroom because of the caliber of students. Over the past couple of years, D has obviously taught students the basics (safety, different types of welding, etc.), but he has also taught them to be self-starters. Not one single student was standing around, waiting for D to tell him/her what to do. Each seemed to have a mission, and was actively engaged in it. Listening to them talk, it was clear I had stepped into a unique discourse community. D and his students have a straight-forward communication style with each other, perhaps because they have worked together for the past 2 to 3 years, or because this is a no-nonsense type of environment. They have their own welding vocabulary (I would have understood more had I been in a World Language class!) and manner of interacting, which is very different from the stereotypical classroom environment. Of course, when working with fire and hot metal, it’s essential to get one’s point across the first time! Politeness and polite language take a backseat to keeping everyone out of the ER! Yet, this informal—dare I say, rough—style of communication is part of their discourse community and has nothing to do with lack of respect or manners. D and his student welders seem to like and respect each other—they understand the communication of the welding shop and even though it was a bit foreign to me (as someone from outside the discourse community), it works well for them.  

     The welding students work on a number of charity projects throughout the year. D pointed out some of the projects students had been working on. Last year, they made metal name plates for all the staff members at Skyline (I absolutely LOVE mine!); they made a barbecue/smoker for a barbecue champion on the professional circuit; they made special “rods” for  tying down wheelchairs for disabled athletes who throw discus. 

Students made nameplates for all Skyline High Staff

D is showing his students' work (BBQ)

Student heating metal in the forge

Specialized  "rods" for wheelchair-bound athletes, used to stabilize
wheelchairs when throwing discus

Students shaping hot metal; D supervises

Student working on his welding project

    As a teacher, I am in awe of  the work D and his students do. D is clearly passionate about what he does, and that passion has rubbed off on his students.  These students will leave high school as both high school graduates AND certified welders, which makes them immediately employable. That’s certainly more than I could claim after my high school graduation!

    As a student of rhetoric and writing, I am equally impressed with D’s use of social media to promote both his program at Skyline, as well as CTE (Career and Technical Education), in general. D has a Facebook page (Skyline High Weld Shop) and a newsfeed that goes to students and parents. D feels that communication is vital, in order to keep students and parents informed, as well as promote the work of his students. D notes that many people forget that the “C” in CTE stands for “Career.” In addition, too often, in the rush to teach “College and Career Readiness Skills” and increase the number of students attending college, “career” takes a backseat to “college” in far too many high schools. As a certified  welder, nationally certified teacher, and avid reader, D is working hard to change that, along with the stereotypes that surround many “blue collar” careers. One of the myths surrounding these career paths is that welders, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, etc. don’t need to read; D dispels that myth right away. Embedded in his curriculum is a great deal of technical reading. The welder who can’t read is a safety hazard to himself and others. To be successful and 100% skilled, the welder must be able to read technical writing. 
   

     Students are more likely to use Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter than Facebook these days. However, none of those formats would meet the needs of D and his students in keeping a running record of students' accomplishments and conversations. These would be wiped away quickly in other venues. D’s reasons for having a Facebook devoted to his welding classes are multi-facted. Besides promoting the literacy aspects of CTE and keeping the “career” in CTE and the Az CCRS highlighted are parts of it. Another reason is to showcase (and maybe brag about, just a little) the work his students do. D uses the page as a positive public relations tool  for CTE, welding, and his students. Parents, students, friends (e.g., former CTE teachers) and administrators are the primary audiences of the Skyline High Weld Shop Facebook. The Facebook is open only to those who have been invited in, which keeps inappropriate comments and unintended audience participation to a minimum.

                              

          Social media has been used  to keep students and parents up-to-date on important school-related information for the past decade or so. The use of Facebook pages to promote a high school program, however, is fairly new. Other than D, I don't know one single high school teacher who has a Facebook page devoted to his/her classes or program at my school. I applaud D and his students on their use of social media to promote the work they do!

      On a completely "social" note . . . D has two female students in his Advanced Welding class. It was fabulous to see them there! I mentioned to them that when I was in high school, girls weren't allowed in either welding or mechanics classes and, even if they had been allowed, most of us wouldn't have taken either class because of peer pressure. It just "wasn't something girls did" in the 1970's. :-(
 All I can say is . . .

YOU GO, GIRLS!!!!!

 Next Week's Blog: Intercultural Communication

Works Cited