TRADART Team Members on Disney!
Caleb Chadwick and Bill Gourley, both TRADART Board members and Building and Construction Technology Instructors for the Santa Barbara Unified School District, had a great opportunity to promote CTE through one of the biggest media companies in the world!
We are so happy our TRADART team members had this experience of a lifetime! Bill Gourley was kind enough to share with TRADART his thoughts on being involved in a shop competition TV show for Disney Channel.
What did you do?
Gourley: The work we did for “Shop Class” was a great experience. We worked on the set with Justin Long, the students, and teachers from different parts of America. It is an eight-series show about a shop competition — which was a really unique opportunity.
How do you feel about seeing Industrial Technology promoted on such a far-reaching platform?
Gourley: I think TV shows that feature students building and making things are great for promoting our Industrial Technology program! My students were interested in seeing the TV show because their teacher was competing in it. Go Goleta Valley Jr. High – Home of the Mariners!
For my entire teaching career, I have been teaching shop because I love it and I think it’s really fun…AND because I think it’s vital that students be given an opportunity to excel at something where they may be very successful even though they have maybe struggled at History, English, or Math. I am excited and I just want to bring the best of their potential! I have wonderful students – funny, hard-working, great attitudes, super responsible, and creative!
Our country is in desperate need of skilled craftspeople who can design, build, and repair homes and businesses. I think it is a terrible disservice to only promote students attending college…
There are really a lot of rewarding and well-paying jobs for young people who don’t fit the typical college mold…they are bright and hardworking, and given the correct opportunity they will be productive and challenged with a wonderful career in CTE fields.
Working with such a supportive community and great students…I feel like I’ve been blessed with one of the best jobs in the world.
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Thank you, Bill, for sharing your experience on such an impressive and exciting project!