My son, who is in middle school, was telling me about his day the other night.  He said, “so we’re in class, Technology and Innovation a.k.a. Wood Shop.”  I asked him what he meant by a.k.a. Wood Shop.  He said that’s what it is.  They basically take blocks of wood and use tools to make things.  Technology and Innovation Class.

Wood Shop has value, but calling it Technology and Innovation Class is sending the wrong message.  We’ve got a real skills gap in this country.  It’s closing, but you can’t promote the idea that technology and innovation is the same as good woodworking skills.  Middle school kids are smarter than you think.  Teach them PLC programming and call it Technology and Innovation Class.  Or how about Java?

Todd Kmiec

https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkmiec/