Diversidad e Identidades Étnicas de Asia Oriental 5.5.1.1.1 Datos Básicos del Nivel 3

John described himself as one of the ‘smart kids’ when he was in high school. He did well in school without much effort and admits that this ‘wasn’t the best

thing, not having to try.’ His easy-going demeanor almost comes across as

dispassionate, but under this outward presentation is someone who is inspired by a challenge.

After high school, John went directly to a four-year college. Sounding a bit bored with the thought, he said:

So, I graduated from high school and was like, well, I guess I’ll go for an engineering degree at the (state university). So that’s what I did, and I absolutely despised it. I didn’t have much drive.

He forced himself to do the work for a while but without any interest in what he was learning, he left the university after two and a half years. On his own, ‘poor and a little depressed maybe’, he went to a local community college engineering technician schooling which he said was ‘a little better’.

He worked for a short time then traveled with friends towards the west coast with no idea what he was going to do when he got here. He found work at a technical company and noticed a machine sitting idle most of the time because nobody knew how to run it. He approached the boss, was able to secure informal training and performed a job with that machine for four years. From there he moved on to another technical company where he worked with a programmer who John says was ‘interesting’: ‘He knew what he was doing, he was just lazy, so you really had to be on your toes and catch things before they ruined the machines.’ This inspired John to want to learn programming, so he came to the program at the case study college of which he is now the instructor. At that time, they were in between instructors and he admitted it was kind of a ‘free for all,’ but this was fine with him since he already knew much of the work and was focused on programming.

He went through two more jobs in about three years before the company he was working for was sold to new owners. He ‘wasn’t a big fan of some of the changes they were making there, so he thought he’d have to get a new job.’ The

teaching position was open at the college. John had never considered being a teacher, but his wife encouraged him to apply. ‘So, I was like, ‘ok’, and that was three years ago. This is my third year here.”

John is laid-back, but not apathetic. He is certainly principled as demonstrated by his desire to leave a job due to changes in management. Throughout his

journey between high school and becoming an instructor he was motivated by not just a challenge, but the opportunity for fulfillment. He takes the initiative to learn and does not settle where he is not satisfied. He recognizes the value of being inspired at least in the polarity of being unfulfilled in high school and at the university.

John and a peer were hired as instructors at the same time. Neither had any teaching experience. We ‘inherited a program that pretty much had nothing.’

Similar to Dave’s experience, they were told by the administration essentially to

‘build it from scratch. So here you go, good luck.’ Regarding starting his role as a new teacher, John recollected:

When we got here maybe half the machines didn’t work. So, we had a class of 48 students coming in the fall, we’d never taught before, and our lab didn’t work. Our summer contract was supposed to be for writing curriculum, but we pretty much spent that time getting the equipment to work because we needed a lab. The first day of school we had no curriculum to teach but (with a shrug of his shoulders) we were like, ‘oh well’, at least the machines run now, and our shop is somewhat clean.

After three years as an instructor John feels it is about three-quarters of the way to a complete curriculum. The program was commended by a student, Derek, who entered at the beginning of John’s second year teaching. He said the

instructors work very hard: ‘They have 24 students – 24 people who have no idea what they are doing, you know? So, they are running around like crazy.’ Derek chuckled and made the point that when he started the program, the instructor had hair: ‘He doesn’t have hair anymore – (holding up two fingers) - two years.’

Another student, Mark, returned to the program after having been in it a while under the previous instructors. He stated:

These guys have done a ton of work, so I give them kudos for that.

They’ve done a lot of work and I can see the difference they make.

The program is a lot better now.

Derek commented on the rigor of the program. The first year is challenging and there is a lot of math. John has structured the first year of the program to scaffold the second, and teaches the foundations needed that are often challenging to the students. He said:

You can see when someone is closing off their willingness to learn, you can see that pretty quickly. But knowing how to get through, or having the time… It is a short program, you just have to dive in and get to it.

He is confident in his ability to teach one-on-one, and comfortable lecturing to the group. He recognizes that some students come to the program ‘are not really comfortable in school’ and utilizes the assistance of an Integrated Basic Education Skills and Training (I-BEST) instructor with the first-year students, who is trained in education. John, like many of his students, doesn’t think of himself an academic. He refers to the I-BEST instructor as the ‘professional teacher’.

Yet he has collaborated with his peers to develop the curriculum for a

challenging two-year technical program, and continues to still strive, challenging himself, to make it better.