I have always enjoyed showing others what I knew, maybe being a big brother helped, also moving during my school years changed my life. My family moved from Ohio to Georgia, then Florida, and I found out that not all schools are the same, northerner's were much more advanced than their southern counterparts. I was forced to sit out
2-years of middle-school (Grades 7-8), having already covered the subjects. YES, I got to work in the school's front office, run messages, escort students in/out of the school, still wasted time. Best part was working in a student counseling program, headed by a therapist, but run by kids - helping other kids feel better, cope with problems, just get along, it was great! Another example of me helping and teaching...
My Father was great and from a young age I was his number-1 "gofer (Go for this, go for that...)", as soon as I could identify tools and parts, he gave me a full-time job. Sure OSHA and safety rules today would forbid what I did, but I was never hurt, had fun and learned a lot. I knew "hands-on" many professions, construction (brick/block & wood), plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tool & die, machining, welding, never an expert in any one trade, but good enough to accomplish the job and pass most inspections.
I was asked in high school what I wanted to do with my life, I knew lots and nothing was new or exciting, until I was introduced to electronics by an retired old war-horse, turned teacher, Mr. Dudley. He showed us vacuum tubes (hot, slow and huge) then turned us onto semi-conductors (did everything tubes did, faster in much smaller packages, with no heat and at low voltages).
WOW, welcome to the future, Buck Rodgers WAS REAL!!
This was the time of Star Trek, Star Wars, aliens were real and mostly friendly - we saw them on our TVs and movie screens each week. I was hooked, I was a full fledged NERD and GEEK! I desired the new modern, wild technological and wired future, with robots and space ships!!
My dream came true when in my area a Vocational Center offered a co-school program to teach commercial/industrial electronics, I signed up the next day!
I had to complete my "high school" basically in 2-years and VoTech training in the last 2-years - GREAT, future here I come. It was even better when after 6-months a commercial computer company, ModComp donated a real machine to the VoTech Center. FANTASTIC! I had my hands on a real computer, the same electronics that ran huge steel plants, were in colleges and universities. These same computers flew in outer space on the NASA Space Shuttles and JPL rocket shots and space flights. I learned well, my first job was at ModComp and I enjoyed working there for many years.
With this passion for the future, having limited knowledge of new technologies and a desire to teach others, besides ModComp, I took on teaching part-time. Florida teachers are made up of fully educated and trained men and women, along with business or trade professionals adding in real-world experiences and practical knowledge. The K-12 classes were given to the trained pros. Vocation Technical programs was where the business pros worked. Who better to learn from than the guy or gal that just finished doing the same job or task, 8-10 hours every day for several years, who left the job just 30-minutes ago?
I greatly enjoyed seeing the "light going ON" behind some student's eyes as they understand the concept or idea of a subject!! Another bit of fun was when I walked into a class full of students, went to front and stated: "Remember this for the test, but forget it as you will never use this in the real world, business or the trades!". Wish someone did this for me in school, all that wasted time and effort, besides displacing other much needed and more important subjects or studies.
Most of my students were young adults wanting to learn or older people, displaced due to technology or mechanical advancements, needing new skills. 90% were males, as women had not learned the secret, high tech did not need brawn, just brains, thus applying technology to girls even more so... Sorry guys, some of us are very limited in the brains department, you got them, just do not use them much, or they are abused with alcohol, drugs or sex.
Now the other VoTec instructors were another matter, most were young men and beautiful women, the smart girls already in the tech sector, but most ladies were attached or damaged from abuse by past bad boys.
Why are girls so attracted to bad boys, then assume they can make them better???? NEVER WORKS and the girls get hurt every time - don't do it ladies, stop yourselves!! YOU CAN ONLY CHANGE YOURSELF, YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE OTHERS...
God's best task was making women, his greatest work and a wonderful gift to man! With each female I interact, I treasure them each, feel so lucky being with them and thank God again and again.
Working on computers and introducing new people to electronics and technology was fun, enjoyable work but took up a lot of my time. All work and no play, makes Jack a tired and dull boy. But I saw no way to change anything or schedule my time for more pleasure or time off.
Considering that problem, one of the other VoTec instructors asked for help, me being me I said: What can I do? Seems she had a young lady in her class that had a poor basic education, specifically math, could I help her?
ME: "Sure no problem..."