by Education Advisor, Bob Kilmer The way things look and how one feels when they enter your environment can have a positive effect on the productivity and mental wellbeing of those entering the space. Here are five simple things you can do to improve the aesthetics in your learning lab/worksite to make it a … Continued
Strengthening the skilled trades teacher pipeline is essential to meeting the growing demand for high-quality skilled trades education. Below are a few examples of how some educators and communities are addressing the teacher pipeline challenge. Success Stories from Winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence® West Hills, California: Transition Planning … Continued
Eric Dieterich has led the fabrication and welding programs at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for five years. A graduate of the school, he discovered an interest in teaching while working with other students as a teacher’s aide in the automotive classes and never looked back. Now he speaks about his experience … Continued
Jess Bowlin leads the construction program at Auburn High School in Auburn, AL. After starting her career in industry, Jess received a call in 2017 asking her to establish a construction program at Auburn High School. She accepted the offer because of her deep-rooted passion for learning and love of the trades, and she’s been … Continued
Introducing a new mobile learning lab from 2017 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence® winner, Bob Kilmer. This project covers a week-long construction project in which high school students lead teams of fifth graders through assembling walls, attaching a roof and installing a door and window in about 90 minutes at their … Continued
This summer marked the third year of The Sunrise Wyoming Project, an initiative started by 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence® winner Troy Reichert. Reichert’s vision in 2021 seemed simple: simple: create a summer camp for high school students to learn construction skills by revitalizing historic sites in Sunrise, WY, once … Continued
For the first time in six years at Let’s Build ItSM, teachers collaborated on a hands-on project to physically build something! The idea came from 2021 prizewinner Brian Copes, whose students have been building solar suitcases at his campus in Chickasaw, AL, and donating them to teachers in need. After touring Da Vinci Schools in … Continued
More than 1,000 Applications Received, a 31 Percent Increase over 2022 LOS ANGELES – Fifty U.S. public high school skilled trades teachers were named as finalists today for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence®. A total of $1.5 million in cash prizes will be awarded in October, when the field is … Continued
Kathryn Worley and Jeff Bearinger, two past winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, have a combined 55 years of teaching experience. As they retire, we asked them to share the most important lessons they have learned after many years in the classroom. They also shared how they helped their … Continued
Alejandro De Luna is a 12th grader at John Jay High School in San Antonio, TX. Alejandro’s automotive tech teacher, John Gunderson, was a winner of 2021 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. With rigorous training and experiences in and out of the classroom, Alejandro is eager to help people and build … Continued