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Wow, Dan!

Tinman
Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
Fascinating. Magnificent.

Stop Texting. Open a book. And your mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQB0KK2rxcw
Steve Minnich
SuperTech

Comments

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Yes. Thanks for watching.
    Retired and loving it.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Yeah. He's the best. No doubt about it. He spoke to my class last night at Mechanics Institute and had all the students at the edge of their seats.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
    SuperTechErin Holohan Haskell
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Thanks for bringing me upstairs, John. I enjoyed those guys. Such enthusiasm! You're doing a fine job with them. Thanks.
    Retired and loving it.
    Erin Holohan Haskell
  • Tinman
    Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
    @JohnNY - I was adjunct faculty at a community college a while back. I can’t imagine being able to teach in a historic building like that. Good for you!
    Steve Minnich
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    We've been at it for 199 years: https://generalsociety.org/?page_id=196
    Retired and loving it.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226

    @JohnNY - I was adjunct faculty at a community college a while back. I can’t imagine being able to teach in a historic building like that. Good for you!

    An honor and a privilege for sure. Teaching is a great way to give back to the industry and community. I didn't realize how instrumental it would be in keeping myself sharp, too. All the questions an instructor has to answer...what I don't know I've got to learn myself and then translate and pass the answers along in the language familiar to my students. It's a wonderful challenge.
    Thanks, @Steve Minnich
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    It's also a fine way to sharpen your ability to talk to customers who are not very technical. It teaches you how to better make your case, and to not give up or think of them as stupid if they don't understand you at first. It's hard work, but it pays off.
    Retired and loving it.
  • Tinman
    Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
    Teaching is incredibly hard work, especially when you first start out. And John, you're absolutely right. No matter how well you think you may know something, you have to take it to the next level and above prepping for the questions you're asked.

    Another challenging aspect was reaching that student who wasn't thrilled to be there.
    Steve Minnich
    JohnNY
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Yes, the habeas corpus student. "Okay, I've delivered my body, as ordered by my boss. Now I dare you to do something with it." Win that one over and you know you're good.
    Retired and loving it.
  • Tinman
    Tinman Member Posts: 2,808
    I can see those faces now. They're the ones I remember the most. I was out to get them...in a good way.
    Steve Minnich
  • Voyager
    Voyager Member Posts: 393
    Fantastic talk! I hope a few of today’s young people take this to heart as we older folks edge closer to the Dead Men Society.
    Rich_49
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @Dan Holohan said

    Yes, the habeas corpus student. "Okay, I've delivered my body, as ordered by my boss. Now I dare you to do something with it."

    Boy, isn't that the truth.

    I taught at the union hall for a few years. This is my last year.

    Motovating them is the toughest problem. I have herd it all

    "Can we go home early"
    "Is it break time yet"
    " Are we ever going to need to know this"

    I took apart a 5hp motor and showed them how to change bearings in it. "we will never do that, will go to a motor shop"

    I said "what if its a 30 or 40 hp motor and you need to get it running? It's on a roof". "Do you know what the rigging and cost will be?" You can carry two bearings and a puller and a hammer up the stairs

    Nope. There not interested. I though over the years some hands on stuff keeps their interest more than looking in a book.

    Instead of motivating them they unmotivated me.

    Sadly, I am done
    Was a good part time gig too

    All they want to do is play on their phone and "Google" the answer.

    I have or had (let some go) 14 trade licenses in different states. I got grandfathered for 2 or 3 and took and passed tests for all the others.

    Think I passed all of them the first time except for 1

    They are just not interested
    Rich_49STEVEusaPA
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,272
    Hello @EBEBRATT-Ed , I know I'm meddling, but seems you know too much, and care too much to not teach! I've taught Union classes as well and the three things I do that seem to help are #1, have fun. Because when they can't predict what you'll do next, they have to pay attention. Also, research points out that when you're having fun, you learn about twenty times faster! #2, pretend you're talking to intelligent fifth graders. I avoid lingo and acronyms as much as I can. Don't want them to have to translate anything. #3, Get physical. Pass around bits and pieces for them to handle and with water heaters, I get them to learn about the equipment by taking apart stuff that was on it's way to the dump. We use polite tools and impolite ones like a Sawzall and oversized pipe wrenches to do stuff. I also make them use antique wrenches I have so they just can't be a bump on a log. Playing with tools you've never seen before is fun!

    It's largely @Dan 's fault as he wrote "How to Teach Technicians" and that book really gave me the guidance I needed to understand my audience and be able to get to them. Anyway, that's my three cents. ;)

    Yours, Larry
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,513
    Thanks, Larry.
    Retired and loving it.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @Larry Weingarten
    Thank you for the kind words
    You make some excellent points, and I have tried some of the things you mentioned.

    Just an example. Taught them about motor starters. Brought some in had them disassemble, remove and inspected contacts, continunity through the coil, overload relay the whole 9 yards. Described how to wire with a separate control circuit, start-stop button, hand-off-auto switch etc

    Mounted one on the wall. "ok I need 2 guy to come up and wire this thing" They all sit there and look at each other.

    " Are we ever going to use this, we never work on motor starters"

    In MA the service techs are required to get x # of electrical code hrs. etc to be able to get their refrigeration license. That's what I taught.

    Unfortunately after about 8 years of this they demotivated me
  • Henry
    Henry Member Posts: 998
    edited March 2019
    Someone put water traps on a header and all risers of a very large condo that had a two pipe vacuum system. he got rid of the vacuum pump system. There was water hammer galore, air in the system that could not escape as there were water traps instead of steam traps.
  • foresthillsjd
    foresthillsjd Member Posts: 114
    @EBEBRATT-Ed , continuing education is tough, I totally get why that job could suck the life right out of you. But for what it’s worth, I would have loved to learn how to do all those things! Nowadays, you can learn so much from reading and watching YouTube videos, but nothing beats having an expert show you in real life. Those knuckleheads missed out on a great opportunity to learn from you!
    TinmanLarry Weingarten