Jo Mackiewicz, a professor of rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University, served as a final round judge for the 2025 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Her studies in communication in workplace interactions crossed with her experience as a welder drew our interest to her unique perspective on the skilled trades. We caught up with Jo after the winners were announced to hear more about her first time judging:
How was your experience judging the prize?
JM: Tae Kang did a masterful job organizing the judging, so the logistics were super easy. Using the rubric made assessing the applications pretty straightforward. Beyond that, I enjoyed learning about what these smart and hard-working teachers do in their shops to get students interested in the trades and to scaffold their learning from less to more difficult tasks and projects. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the sorts of projects that the students work on, such as the cars and buses they’ve repaired.
Will you share anything from your background that gave you a unique perspective on teacher applications?
JM: I’m a bit of a weirdo. I work as a university professor, teaching classes in technical communication at Iowa State University. I also work part-time as a welder/fabricator at Howe’s Welding and Metal Fabrication in Ames, Iowa. I know something about teaching, having done it for over 20 years, but I also know something about metal fab. I got my welding diploma in 2022 and have worked at Howe’s since then. At Howe’s, we can go from TIG welding to brazing to stick welding to machining on the lathe all in one day. That’s why I like it.
What surprised you the most when reading applications?
JM: The teachers don’t just teach: they have to do outreach to the community for projects, apply for grants, get their programs certified, maintain equipment and PPE, plan field trips… and they show up and teach too! I was surprised by the amount of work these folks do. Clearly, it’s work they love, but it’s a lot. I found their work ethic and their enthusiasm inspiring.
Did you learn anything new to take back to your own students/teaching/research/welding practices?
JM: My research focuses on communication, particularly communication in teaching and learning interactions, such as between welding teachers and students. Being a judge made me think about the value of studying how we communicate about trades to young people who are deciding what to do after high school graduation, and in particular, how we communicate the value and availability of trades to girls.
