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Car Forum / Antique and Collectibles / Studebaker / September 2005Are schools ruining the old car hobby? OT?
Friends working in a local school corp. have told me in the past about the removal of in ground hoists in high school auto shops due to environmental concerns. At this time ,principals have requested no replacements of any kind be installed because they are afraid students would get hurt or killed if a car fell on them. Here lately,principals have shut down the auto shops during summer break,and have had all the tools and equipment put in storage. The unspoken agenda would seem to be eliminate auto shop,wood shop and machine shop. Basicly anything with moving parts or machinery other than a keyboard and mouse is a danger to the wellbeing of the students and the school pocketbook since they are scared shitless of being sued. We all know some kid in your neighborhood who isnt a computer wizz,but is mechanicaly inclined. You know the one who hangs around while you change the oil or finish up the project at hand. What are these kids going to do? Where are they going to learn the "hands on"after all the bookwork is finished? Do they really expect a person to wait till graduation to go to a vocational/technical school and NOT be so far behind the curve? Are they all supposed to grow up to be mindless drones sitting behind a keyboard and monitor the rest of their lives? I know there are some teachers here,or teachers spouses here. Anyone else notice this silent trend?? Man it boggles the mind!!!! Half these kids have ever seen a stickshift!! Pretty soon no one will be able to fix a damn thing when it breaks,so we will just have to pitch it and buy new. Guess thats how we will support the Global economy,right?? You gotta remember you can't fix cars anymore, you just throw them away or reboot the computer. Come to think of it, that kid with a mouse might be your next mechanic. Besides, who wants to fix up a Taurus<g>? That's why I hate new cars. Mark > Friends working in a local school corp. have told me in the past about > the removal of in ground hoists in high school auto shops due to [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > new. > Guess thats how we will support the Global economy,right?? On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 06:39:00 -0400, you wrote: >Besides, who wants to fix up a Taurus<g>? > >That's why I hate new cars. > >Mark Tarus are simple.. take so Buick/Olds.. 9 computers daisy chained.. or some Beemers.. 82 microprocessors on board.. --Shiva-- Fred, You have struck the very essence of the problem in our litigious society. We are breeding a race of intellectual dummies with the attitude that unless it pays a minimum of $100k it's menial, and very much beneath them. Dummies, whose only goal in life is to be discovered on star search, or become a star ball player, or some other such nonsense. Half the mechanics I know, now, don't have a clue as to how to set points, or time an engine, unless you can plug it into a computer. The other half of the are either dying off, or hanging up the towel because of all the BS one has to deal with in our litigious society. Yelp! Our disposable society is the consumate global consumer. Why just look what we've done to the Chinese! Bo Yep. As a former Auto Mechanics teacher in the biggest technical high school in Indianapolis, I say you hit the nail square on the head, Fred. (No charge for the poetry.) BP. Other than a computer loaded with files, people don't get things fixed any more. When was the last time you got an iron fixed? When the timer went on your washer, did you buy a new machine or replace the time? If you are 3rd world or live where there are poor immigrants, you know that the first line above is invalid. We main-line folks don't fix things anymore. Those who know the value of work and a dollar do. "We have met the enemy and they are us!" - Walt Kelley Karl The timer is acting up on our washing machine, Karl, and I intend to replace it <G>. BP the machine or the timer? > The timer is acting up on our washing machine, Karl, and I intend to > replace it <G>. BP The timer, not the whole machine. I don't know about that Bob? Looked like you were going native there for a moment! Bo <G> Hell,I JUST replaced the timer on our machine.Its about 14 yrs old.New timer cost $113.00,but it was cheaper than new! Other than drive dogs for the agitator,thats it for repairs.And it does at least 1 load a day We used to hire kids from the vo-tech to work in the bodyshop in the summer time. They usually lasted about three days to a week. Most couldn't work unless they were sitting down. Had one tell me after three days that he'd never worked so hard in his life. I had the plugs replaced in a Ford product with a 5.4 engine at a cost of about 350.00 that started throwing codes after about a month. Figured maybe a bad plug, when I checked them I found 5 new plugs and 3 of the old plugs still in there. If you hire a high school kid at $7.00 to 9.00 dollars an hour, I've heard the responce, they don't pay me enough to work. Granted they can sell drugs and make more than most of us make. Most want a part time job that doesn't interfere with their social life. One high school senior here has totaled four cars this year, mom and dad buy him a new one without batting an eye. the rub comes in , the last accident this young student had, killed three of his friends that were in the car with him. I have a friend that has seven degrees, was a professional student untill the age of 42. He is now a doctor, but if I catch him with a screwdriver, I take it away from him. John My dryer started making scraping sounds, then quit heating. I replaced the rollers supporting the drum, the heating element, and the belt. The drum stopped turning again, this time it was the motor, replaced it. Then the idler pulley bearing went out, and I replaced that. Then it quit heating again, this time I replaced the high temp sensor. The timer went out, in went a new one. By this time I could have bought a new dryer for how much I'd spent on parts. It lasted a couple of more years, then one night I smelled something funny, when I investigated I found that the heating element had failed again, only this time a piece of one of the coils had fallen down onto some lint and caught it on fire! I put the fire out and bought a new dryer. Jeff DeWitt > Other than a computer loaded with files, people don't get things fixed > any more. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Karl they dont want those kids AT ALL.. its computer scinces, or nursing related-something in the medical, and nothing else.. plus, jsut for fun, TRY buying good wood working tools now.. LOLOL --Shiva-- In Indiana, not only are high school shop and technical classes suffering, but other "non core" classes (business, home economics, etc.) are fading away because there has been an emphasis on "academic classes" (English, Math, Science, etc.). It's almost as if there has been a mandate that all students complete what twenty years ago would have been a college prep schedule. The credits that are required to graduate leave very little time for anything else. My high school guidance counselor in 1980 flat out refused to let me take "Power Mechanics", (what our auto shop class was called), because my GPA was too high. (I was so mad, I took early dismissal much to her dismay.) The trend has been building for years. Ironically, a skilled mechanic today can find work easier than I can with a college degree. There's no connection to what the market is asking for as a product from the educational system! > Friends working in a local school corp. have told me in the past about > the removal of in ground hoists in high school auto shops due to [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > new. > Guess thats how we will support the Global economy,right?? "My high school guidance counselor in 1980 flat out refused to let me take "Power Mechanics", (what our auto shop class was called), because my GPA was too high. (I was so mad, I took early dismissal much to her dismay.) The trend has been building for years. Ironically, a skilled mechanic today can find work easier than I can with a college degree. There's no connection to what the market is asking for as a product from the educational system!" Boy, Kevin, that is double stupid, IMHO. What sort of message does that send to kids? That you have to be a dummy to take up auto mechanics? Let's face it, to do a good job as a mechanic, to be able to troubleshoot and diagnose problems, you have to be able to think analytically. And some theoretical background in physics, chemistry, and electronics wouldn't hurt, either. I seem to remember much the same attitude prevailing when I was in high school. I'm lucky that I HAD the interest, and could get teaching and support from my Dad. Gord Richmond Not to mention the fact that many auto mechanics today are better paid than many jobs that require a 4-year degree. I've heard of mechanics for Toyota dealerships making near 6-figure salaries... and I know people with Ph.D.'s who make $30,000/yr. Lee > "My high school guidance counselor in 1980 flat out refused to let me > take "Power Mechanics", (what our auto shop class was called), [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Gord Richmond One of the better auto mechanics close to the medical center here in Houston is a Chinese immigrant. He has a PhD in Physics. When I stopped there the other day to purchase gas for my Lark we got to talking and he is doing mechanical work because he couldn't find a good mechanic when he first came here about 10 years ago. He said he enjoys it more and always has more work than he can handle because he doesn't rip people off. Paul V > Not to mention the fact that many auto mechanics today are better paid > than many jobs that require a 4-year degree. I've heard of mechanics for [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >> >> Gord Richmond On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:47:01 GMT, you wrote: >He said he enjoys it more and always has more work >than he can handle because he doesn't rip people off. > >Paul V and there is the EXACT thing.. be it mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc.. those 'trade people' are usually BURIED in work.. --Shiva-- An uncle recreateed antique furnature - if someone had a dibin set and one of the chairs was beyond repair, he would recreate it, even though it might take six months to find the right wood (type, age and condition) and cost a bunch of money. He never had to advertize or seek out customers. Karl |
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