As a teacher, classroom resources are sometimes at a short supply. School budgets are tight and the dollar doesn’t go very far anymore. I once heard about an art teacher dumpster diving to get items for her classes. Others start a “go fund me page” to purchase books for students to take home to promote reading for enjoyment. In my area of technical education, I had a local businessman offer his equipment and expertise assisting students with hands-on work experience. Last Thursday Adam Olsen of Ole’s Excavating LLC brought his truck, dump trailer and bobcat to the high school and taught students how to operate a skid steer and helped the Building Construction class break up a concrete pad that was in bad shape.
Adam, a 2003 graduate of Houston High School, was a former math student of mine and has reached out to me now as an industrial arts teacher looking for opportunities to give back. For the last two years, he has sponsored “Shop Student of the Month”, he has donated supplies and even offered scholarships for students interested in the trades. He most recently helped students and the school with his excavating business. The students were very thankful for the
opportunity to operate a piece of heavy equipment and you can see it on their faces from the pictures below. As an instructor, I too appreciate Adam’s willingness to give back and I share his passion for the trades. I now have a few students considering the career of heavy equipment operator. Thank you Adam!
From Mr. Koehler