Highschool shop class, did you have one?

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Im wondering how many high schools have a shop class present time. I went to shop from grade 8 thru 12 in a small town near a big city. This was late 70's. Small town of about 2,500 people. Big city was about 1,000,000, and an hour drive. Ive heard that most schools dont have shop classes any more. Is that true?

 

[RonD]

I was in Calif in late 60's early 70's, junior high was grades 7 to 9, had wood shop only, no shop classes in high school

 

[97RangerXLT]

1980s for me, took Industrial Arts in 8th grade which was basically drafting and wood working. we drew blue prints for minor wood working projects and then built them to the specs. I did enjoy it, and I still have the giant clothspin made of solid walnut. I think Mom still has the oven rack push/pull tool that I made.

High school did have shop class up until around 2014 or so. It is really sad that they pulled it, the teacher had his class making woodsheds and some actual carpentry work. what really irks me is that not all kids can go to college, and that is not even counting financial ability. some kids do not do well in a classroom setting (I was borderline, did go to college for a bit, got an AS degree, took a year at a major university flunked out went to work in a factory 11 years. then when the factory closed I went to another major university and got my degree when i was 37 years old.) Some kids excell with working with their hands and doing skilled labor...

AJ

 

[Curious Hound]

I had shop classes in grades 7, 8, and 9. AND they were doing an experiment, making the guys take home ec classes and the girls took shop classes. So I got both.
From 10th grade on, I didn't have any shop classes. I took extra math and science classes- the "college prep" schedule. But the school had shop classes. This was in the late 70's, early 80's. There was also a vocational tech school nearby where some people went for a higher concentration of stuff like auto mechanics, agriculture, carpentry, masonry, etc.

 

[97RangerXLT]

I had shop classes in grades 7, 8, and 9. AND they were doing an experiment, making the guys take home ec classes and the girls took shop classes. So I got both.
From 10th grade on, I didn't have any shop classes. I took extra math and science classes- the "college prep" schedule. But the school had shop classes. This was in the late 70's, early 80's. There was also a vocational tech school nearby where some people went for a higher concentration of stuff like auto mechanics, agriculture, carpentry, masonry, etc.

yep, college prep for me as well. and I had home ec in the 8th grade too. made a nice apron and a football pillow.

AJ

 

[wildbill23c]

I took shop class in junior high 7th and 8th grade but once I got to high school I was into computer stuff more so I took a few computer classes, became a system administrator for the school district my Sophomore year and setup all the computers in the 2 new elementary schools that had just been built.

I'm not sure when "shop class" was taken out of the curriculum but it was done so because they couldn't find anyone to teach it after the teacher retired. I think they still have auto mechanics shop, but wood shop, welding, and that stuff is gone sadly. Now with this nonsense COVID scam none of those classes exist...if it can't be taught over a chromebook they don't teach it anymore.

We also had home ec....well by then they called it "teen living" but same thing LOL. Not really sure where they came up with teen living as being a better name but anyways, that is no longer offered either.

 

[superj]

I went to school in socal till 92 (sophomore year) and than we moved to Texas and I did two more and finished high school.

We didn't have shop in Riverside CA but when I moved to Texas they had it in Livingston Texas (junior year) and corpus Christi Texas (senior year).

I didn't take them though. My step dad fixed all of our vehicles so I got to learn by handing tools as a little kid and doing it when I got my driver's license.

I bypassed college for the army because I knew it wasnt for me. After the army, I went to tech school and got my associates in aviation technology there and than went back in the army again. Still work aviation now, 20+ years later.


I agree that kids should be allowed to learn hands in in shop classes because not everyone can do classeoom time

 

[Uncle Gump]

Late 70's I had drafting... surveying... and woodshop. They also had metal shop but I took auto shop.Aall those programs moved out of the school system and into what they called VEC Vocational Education Centers by my senior year. They had all kinds of classes. Metal/Auto/Wood/small engine/marine shop. They also cosmetology/hair/fashion for the girls.

Brings back fond memories of a girl named Sheri... she gave the best deluxe hair cuts for class credits.

I don't think many if any school systems do that stuff any longer.

 

[superj]

The high school I ended up finishing at here in flour bluff still had auto shop in the 2000s but my wife said they finally dropped it a few years ago. My father in law got his 55 Chevy redone but the kids in the shop class. He would just take them what they needed and they restored it. It was really pretty when it was done. This was about 12 or 13 years ago

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Ours was kind of Ala carte.

Had woods where you did woodworking stuff.
Manufacturing where we learned stick welding, how to use a torch, and we even did sand casting with aluminum. I still have the chisel I made.
Electrical too.

And then I did all the drafting mechanical theory stuff I could get a hold of.

And I was reuising my notes in college...

 

[sgtsandman]

I when to Junior and Senior High in the 80s. We had wood and shop class in Junior High. I don’t remember there being one in High School. There was drafting class. I guess Vo-Tech replaced shop class.

 

[racsan]

I graduated in 1988. High school had a shop as part of the ag class. my jr & sr year I went to a vocational school. It still exist but a lot has changed. For example, the class formerly known as “auto body” is now called “collision repair technology “. (eye roll). I took the class formerly known as ag mechanics. (I forget what politically correct name it’s called now) Theres more computer crap there now “meat cutting “ no longer exists there. My jr & sr year were a lot of fun, jr more than sr due to being able to work half a day at a job last half of school year (and I was a outboard mechanic at a family owned boat dealership- stayed there 7 years). Its a wonder I didnt get in trouble my jr year. We had a bunch of donated junk chain saws (chain removed though) and we were tinkering with them, this one “city kid” asked me how to check for spark (and I didnt think he would do it) I told him to spill some fuel on the (steel) table, remove spark plug but have it plugged into wire & laying on table, pull the cord-if theres spark you will know.
Yep- it had spark.
Luckily it was saw gas (2-cycle mix) so the fire wasnt too bad.
This kid was in such shock he couldn’t think to point the finger at me. (and I of course wasn’t saying a word)
Later I tossed the same kid a charged condensor (arc a spark to a condenser- it holds that charge!) He jumps of course, mad as hell for 2 seconds than goes hey- howd you do that? Well I showed him- you couldnt trust anyone after that, we were tossing condesers at each other, leaving them on teachers desks (mostly the academic teachers- they didnt know what a condenser ever was) Trying to wire them up to lockers.
Good times. I loved the ‘80s!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Had shop, home ec and something else I can’t remember in middle school. There was still shop in high school, I took all of the electrical courses they offered, but couldn’t get into the other classes because I was in ROTC and took Vo-Tech for carpentry/building construction half the day for two years so there just wasn’t enough time. That was up to 01.

 

[Roert42]

Vocational Highschools seem to be the exception around here.

The high school I went to, graduated in 2015, was a vocational high school. Essentially, 50% of the time you were at school you were in a shop class, instead of just 45min a day.


In 9th grade you pick what shop you wanted to be in. They had a bunch of choices. Welding +fabrication, machine shop, electrical occupations, plumbing, cabinet making, masonry, a civil engineering class,multiple computer and communications based stuff, emergency services training (kids graduated with EMS certs), culinary classes, auto, diesel, small engine, even cosmetology, and dental hygiene.

A lot of the students graduate with multiple certifications that would cost 100s or 1000s of dollars to obtain on their own, and are completely ready to start working full time in their chosen trade. Most even have a job in their trade before they graduated. I was working 60 hours a week doing electrical work when I started 12th grade.

They did a six day shop and six day academic rotation. So you had six full days of only shop class. Then, you had six full days of only academic classes. Academic classes were split into four 1 1/2 hr classes, science, math, English, and social studies.


Frankly, I think that most high schools would be better off with this formula. Even if a student is bound to be academic genius, there is no downside to learning a skilled trade.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Vocational Highschools seem to be the exception around here.

The high school I went to, graduated in 2015, was a vocational high school. Essentially, 50% of the time you were at school you were in a shop class, instead of just 45min a day.


In 9th grade you pick what shop you wanted to be in. They had a bunch of choices. Welding +fabrication, machine shop, electrical occupations, plumbing, cabinet making, masonry, a civil engineering class,multiple computer and communications based stuff, emergency services training (kids graduated with EMS certs), culinary classes, auto, diesel, small engine, even cosmetology, and dental hygiene.

A lot of the students graduate with multiple certifications that would cost 100s or 1000s of dollars to obtain on their own, and are completely ready to start working full time in their chosen trade. Most even have a job in their trade before they graduated. I was working 60 hours a week doing electrical work when I started 12th grade.

They did a six day shop and six day academic rotation. So you had six full days of only shop class. Then, you had six full days of only academic classes. Academic classes were split into four 1 1/2 hr classes, science, math, English, and social studies.


Frankly, I think that most high schools would be better off with this formula. Even if a student is bound to be academic genius, there is no downside to learning a skilled trade.

Thats an awesome way to teach. Wish i had that opportunity. Of course, i still dont truly know what i want to do for a living, even at 59. Ive heard that some colleges and universities will waive fees for senior citizens, which i will be in a couple months. Maybe it's time for some more schooling...!