Miter saws, drill presses, and sand paper galore-don’t forget the safety glasses!-all of which can be found in room 304 of the Skilled and Technical Sciences (STS) hallway at Millard West.
Multiple students have spent time in these rooms building and creating, but one question remains: why should students take a carpentry class?
John Fraser, the Carpentry teacher here at Millard West, says the students in his class respond well to all the hands-on work. They really appreciate the physical aspect of the course, as well as the opportunity to build something on their own and take pride in it.
To him, the best feeling as a teacher is knowing that something a student creates in his class could still be in their house 20 years later.
“That’s the best thing,” Fraser said. “I think working with wood is great preparation for anything because it teaches you ABC [always be checking], and teaches you how to identify mistakes, fix them, and overall it’s a commitment to safety, quality, and pride. Take it, find a friend to take it with you, and if you don’t take it in high school, take it in college.”
Fraser also expresses satisfaction when asked about his teaching journey and how he loves guiding students through the course.
“I really enjoyed teaching, I like working with young people, I really enjoy making things with young people, and training the next generation of craftsmen,” Fraser said.
A student in Fraser’s class, Freshman Ava Tuterow, enjoys the class as well. Her father works in construction and encourages his children to do things by themselves. Even though the class is more of a hobby, she still feels proud when she finishes a project that she made herself. The first time Ava walked into the woodshop, she admits it was a little overwhelming. However, once people get used to it, they don’t even bat an eye.
“Once I got used to it, it made it better,” Tuterow said. “Just always trust the process and keep focusing. It will help with future references and help save money.”
Anthony “Mark” Anderson is not only a Carpentry teacher, but also a Home Maintenance teacher. His background in construction goes back far, to when he was a little kid.
“A lot of stuff I learned, my dad taught me how to do as a kid,” Anderson said. “I grew up helping my dad build decks, sheds, doing house projects, all that stuff. I’ve been helping my dad for as long as I can remember.”
Not only that, but he took construction in high school, and has been teaching Carpentry for a long time before coming to Millard West.
“I had a high school teacher who was really influential on me, and I spent a lot of time talking to him, and he recognized that I was good at the trades. I was good at woodworking, and I helped other students throughout the process in class, and after a lot of time talking to him, I realized that I wanted to be a shop teacher,” Anderson said. “I have taught carpentry since I started teaching back in 2014, and home maintenance was just a class that was assigned to me when I started teaching at Millard West. I really do enjoy home maintenance as well, one of my favorite classes to teach.”
Anderson advises that students take an STS class because they will learn things that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.
“One of the great things about it is just knowing that you can do it yourself and you don’t have to rely on other people,” Anderson said. “If I had a dollar for every time somebody came up and asked me how to fix this, or how to do this, I’d have a lot of money.”
