I’m Tired

I’m Tired!

Welcome to my first blog for ACTE Trade and Industrial Education. My name is Ed Chipalowsky, and I’m the Diesel Technology Instructor at Monroe Career & Technical Institute.

I’m not a chronic complainer, it’s just that I am emotionally frustrated. Let me explain.

I grew up in a traditional Pennsylvania blue collar struggling and hard working family. I attended a technical high school, tried a year in a technical trade school, and spent the next 25 years laboring in my beloved trucking industry. Finding a calling to teach my skills to others, I entered education with grand illusions of filling the void so desperately needed in my beloved industry. Well we all know what happens to grand illusions in education, they get smashed, stomped, trampled, and ignored by passers-by. The only thing that may be different from what you are thinking is that these illusions were not destroyed by school boards, administrators, parents, nor children, they were broken by two factions; society and industry.

First let me beat up on society. We have ingrained into our psyche the misconception that our most precious commodity, our children, will become the scourge and dreg of society unless they willingly or unwillingly attend a four year college or university, and take a course in anything. When we look at yearbooks of high school graduates, and see no college or university listed after their name we immediately say “what a waste”. Only when they achieve that monumental award after four years, no not the diploma, their first loan statement, will they feel that they have accomplished what every parent wants for their child. I have seen sad cases where families are broken from student loans, and a child taking a job not in their field but one to keep the wolves from the door. I’m tired of hearing stories like this, and my heart goes out to these families.

Now let me beat for awhile on my industry. The truck rental company I spent a large part of my life with taught me two wonderful concepts; Be gracious with people, and ruthless with time. I was taught to care for the customer since they provided substance in my paycheck. My industry is rough and tumble with a rich heritage of service to others, and a “can do” attitude that forced us to figure out a way, no matter what, to fulfill the needs of the customer. So when I read constantly in trade publications, hear from business leaders, look in the newspaper want ads that there is an urgent need for technicians…….my blood boils. I’m tired of industry belly aching that they need techs, but not assisting when I and many other technical instructors send out letter after letter for help and nothing. If they think that taxpayers alone can and will foot the bill for Career and Technical Education in these days of No Child Left Behind forcing schools to focus on their own curriculum, they’re sadly mistaken and quite blind. I’m tired!