Middle-school robotics program feeds high-school manufacturing, teacher says

A teacher described a progression in which students expand robotics and manufacturing work through middle school and into high-school shop classes, saying eighth graders do increasingly complex projects and ninth graders specialize in metal and wood classes that culminate in building a robot.

"Eighth grade, they do that again. They do more robotics. They do more manufacturing, different harder projects. And then when they're in ninth grade, they specialize and they take the big classes and they build a robot. They're in the shop the whole time," Teacher said.

The teacher said the hands-on pathway reinforces core academic learning and can lead to vocational employment. "What is your greatest source of joy in teaching? I think the kind of that moment for kids when they understand it, when they get it, or they have a project, oh, look what I made. I made this with my hands, or, oh, I understand now," the teacher said. The teacher added that applied projects — for example using rockets to teach math concepts — help students grasp academic ideas and apply them.

The teacher also noted the program's longer-term outcomes: "And that's so rewarding to me and to even see kids come back and pay. I now work in manufacturing." The teacher said seeing former students enter manufacturing careers is especially rewarding: "I work in this industry that you kind of started me on, and that's super rewarding."