Budget Stretching Ideas

Schools face a serious budget crunch these days created by expanding enrollment and shrinking resources. There are many small things that you can do to stretch your budget and still provide a reasonable level of training for your students. Refurbishing tools that have become shop worn rather than replacing them is one small possible savings. Tools that normally last for years in the field sometimes only last a few semesters in our lab due to the harsh treatment they sometimes receive as well as the constant use. The seals and depressors in hoses are one example. If you have refrigeration hoses that leak, often the leak is in the seal on the end. The seal in most hoses is a small rubber tube that slips into the end of a brass cup in the end of the hose. The core depressor is either held in place by the seal or screws down into it. Replacement seals and depressors are available for most brands of hoses. If the hoses you have are used for connecting to refrigerant cylinders, vacuum pumps, or recovery machines, there is really no reason to have the core depressor. Removing it will speed up all those operations by removing a restriction. A larger savings can come in the type of brazing rod you keep. While I prefer 15% silver, it is now over $100 a pound and we use several pounds a semester. I hate to have students braze any less because brazing is one of those skills that must be practiced. 0% copper-phos is just over $10 a pound and does the same job. No, not as easily, but I can buy a semester’s worth for less than one pound of the 15% silver. Another savings for many programs is to reduce the paper you hand out. I have always been fairly liberal with the handouts, believing that it is important to disseminate information. I still believe that, but I have modified the way I share information. I started by writing a book that had more of what I wanted in it. But there will always be new information you run across that you want to share. Increasingly, I do this electronically by sharing web addresses. Finaly, let the supply houses and contractors in your area know you need help. They can keep their eye out for opportunities to help you. This past year we have received several donations from contractors and supply houses of “stale” stock or equipment with issues. They receive a tax deduction and we receive equipment. A unit with an issue may be a problem for a contractor, but it is an opportunity for my students . We have received two new packaged heat pumps this past year that had leaks on the pilot tubes of the reversing valves. Students patched the leaks and the valves worked. Now we have two new packaged heat pumps.  

Picture Perfect

Several years ago when I was a student in one of my education classes at the University of Georgia, the instructor asked us what should have been a fairly simple question for a group of teachers: “How do you know when learning has taken place?” I don’t remember my response, but I do remember that the question really brought me up short because it was not asking how do you know when the student has mastered a particular knowledge or skill, but how do you know when they have learned something? Well it is a little late, but I received a great answer today: Learning has taken place when the student requests that their picture be taken with their project. We have a flaring project in which students make an assembly of 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2”, and 5/8” copper all connected together by flare fittings. After it is done, it is tested for leaks with 100 psig of nitrogen and soap bubbles. After completing their project, one student wanted a picture. Then they requested I take a picture of them holding the project. The student’s broad smile gave me the answer to the question posed to me many years ago. Learning has taken place when the student can enjoy the pride of achievement with tangible proof of their accomplishment. In technical education we have a huge advantage of being able to actually produce. The students’ pride is not based on my judgment, it is based on holding something they made that they could not make yesterday. Some people consider trade skills and knowledge as inferior to pursuits that are purely academic. However, I feel that a strong case can be made that technical skills are actually a higher form of learning because the students must actually perform. Reality is the harshest judge of all – either it works or it doesn’t. Our students must not only understand the theory, they must also apply it and pass the performance test. So if I had to list a learning sequence today, it would be: you study, you struggle, you sweat, you smile! 

Brain Building

Your brain is an essential component for all forms of education. One obvious way to improve learning results is to improve students brain capacity. Some forms of teaching are better than others at building brain capacity. I have noticed that frequently, “smart” students actually work harder than “dumb” students. I believe that their study habits and the way they approach life in general not only builds their knowledge, it also builds their brain capacity. Just as hockey players skate and football players run to improve their ability to perform the fundamental movements of their sport, students should exercise their brains to improve their ability to learn. So what types of things build brain capacity? One proven way to build your brain is by learning to play a musical instrument. Playing an instrument uses both halves of your brain simultaneously, requiring better communication to be developed between the right and left hemispheres. A few years ago at my son’s band concert, I realized that the trumpet section was also three fourths of the schools award winning math counts team. Playing an instrument is both incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. Looking into this a little, I learned that Einstein played the violin. His brain was perhaps one of the most studied in history. He had grown an extra lump on the right side of his brain, a feature found in autopsies of other proficient violin players. Einstein had to expand his brain capacity to play the violin! Of course it is possible that playing music does not make you smart, but that smart people enjoy playing music. OK, so besides brain building there are some more obvious benefits. For one, you learn self-discipline. You simply cannot learn to play a musical instrument without the self-discipline that comes with practice. Then there is group disciple. The members of orchestras and bands must learn to work together as a group to perform music. The group objectives can only be met by subjugating all their individual egos. As a parent, there are a few other benefits. After half-time we hand out drinks to both bands. I am always impressed by how polite and truly thankful the band members are. They all say thank you and are gracious even if we have run out of cold drinks and are handing out warm water. When I look out over the gathering of the two bands I know I am seeing leaders in every imaginable field and I am positive about the future.   

Looking for a Day On

As we celebrate this Labor Day I am reminded of the many Americans who don’t want a day off, they are looking for a day on. Your job provides you with more than the financial means to support yourself. For most of us, we are identified by our profession. One of the first things people ask when meeting is “what do you do?” Having regular earned income also gives us a way to be more in control of our destiny. With a predictable source of income, you can manage towards improving your lot in life. I truly believe all our political leaders want to help. We would all like for everyone seeking employment to find it. There have been many attempts by government at all levels to pass legislation that would stimulate the economy and create jobs. The problem is that it is very difficult to create truly new jobs, particularly in new and emerging technologies. I believe we would have more success investing our time and money training people for jobs that already exist, particularly in fields where industry growth exceeds the available workforce. HVACR is one such industry. Jobs are available now for skilled HVACR technicians, even with the construction industry operating at historically low levels. Money spent in technical education prepares students for real jobs that we know exist, not jobs that we wished exist. Preparing people for a real job that pays real money makes them a contributing taxpayer. In short, the government gets the money back. Some HVACR students will be successful enough to start their own business. There are several in the Athens area who started as students at Athens Tech. One relatively small business with five employees can gross $500,000. That generates tax revenue of $75,000 at 15%. If those five employees are trained at Athens Tech, the cost of their training is less than one year’s tax revenue. Not all students will generate that kind of return, but even a student earning $12 an hour will likely pay back the cost of training in two years. For people who already have a job in HVACR, education makes them more productive. Increased productivity means a better bottom line for the government – more income to tax. It is not necessary to start new programs with new administrative costs; there are already programs and institutions in place with proven track records of training workers for skilled trades. All we have to do is support them.