No wonder the Russians are so talented

[Sam]

I was talking to a Russian craftsman the other day who does furniture repair for a local antique shop. I commented on how I'm consistently amazed at the amount of talented craftsmen coming out of Russia. He told me in addition to repair, he also does carving, painting, sculpture, gold leaf, and a number of other things. I asked him how learned so many techniques and he said that children in Russia begin learning these trades at a very young age. I applaud this and am sorry we don't do the same here in America. In fact it might even be discouraged. How sad. In the mean time the Russians are setting a new standard and doing some of the most amazing work we'll ever see.

 

[Weldon47]

Yep... & our kids are Rushin to play video games...

Weldon

 

[dlilazteca]

I was talking to a Russian craftsman the other day who does furniture repair for a local antique shop. I commented on how I'm consistently amazed at the amount of talented craftsmen coming out of Russia. He told me in addition to repair, he also does carving, painting, sculpture, gold leaf, and a number of other things. I asked him how learned so many techniques and he said that children in Russia begin learning these trades at a very young age. I applaud this and am sorry we don't do the same here in America. In fact it might even be discouraged. How sad. In the mean time the Russians are setting a new standard and doing some of the most amazing work we'll ever see.

Sam

Your right the school district I work for are doing away with all vocational classes, welding, car body repair, small engine repair, woodworking and others.

They think everyone is collage material, but not everyone is, so when they don't finish high school, not only are they missing out on an education, now they have no skills to do anything else!



Carlos De La O III

 

[dogcatcher]

We cannot depend on the educational system, it is up to us to pass these techniques on. Our son learned how to make game calls, because I kept him busy helping me during duck season. The same with the other things I have learned throughout life. The grandkids, when they come over, the same, they get lessons on how to use the lathe, and other tools. Both are to young now to use the tools, but whether they not it or not they are learning the process of what it takes for grandpa to take a blank of wood and turn it into a duck call or a predator call. At 6 the granddaughter asks questions, the grandson at 3 just wants he finished product so he can go bother grandma with a "noise maker".

 

[DKanger]

I'm sure every young person in America looks forward to paying for a vocational education so he can enter the high paying career of furniture repairman. Don't they offer such a career path on the inside of matchbook covers?

 

[Southtexas]

One of the side effects of becoming a 'disposable' society (aside from full landfills) is a lack of income for repairmen. I think some call this "Progress". But it does give fodder for us cranky ole retired folk. Always will be a small market, but has anyone noticed how the 'tv repairman' has quietly vanished? I'll shut up now.
Cliff

 

[Newton Pens]

Speaking of tv repairmen and disappearing - my neighbor is a trained electrician (from Croatia) and over there he had a really good life, made a great living. He comes here to take care of his old mother and can't get any work in his field b/c everybody throws everything away. He's a Walmart greeter. Hard for an old man with a thick accent to find good work here, but he's a genius. He fixes old tvs and dvd players for people on the side, but not enough to live on really. He says the new stuff isn't repairable. You have to throw away bad parts and buy all new b/c they can't be fixed.

Our students at Mountain Pine (I'm a HS art teacher) still get votech if they want it. It's about 2 hours a day in the afternoons. Woodworking, mechanics, small engine, electrical, some computer design and illustration courses, and maybe something else. Not sure. One of my students is learning pen turning at votech right now - or was before the holiday break. She came over and used my metal lathe to make a pen for her mom for Christmas. I should have taken a picture of it.

Sad that some schools don't have votech anymore. All of the schools here in Garland county send the kids to the community college for votech classes and have for the past 20 years or so. It's too expensive for the schools to have these classes themselves. The school where I used to teach had a hell of a votech program but only b/c a local rich family left their fortune to the school when they passed away (Centerpoint School District).

 

[dlilazteca]

I'm sure every young person in America looks forward to paying for a vocational education so he can enter the high paying career of furniture repairman. Don't they offer such a career path on the inside of matchbook covers?

Maybe not so, buy when the $#! T hits the fan, (for whatever reason) a career as a certified plumber or electrician, making at the low end 30 bucks an hour!, (a friend does it) is way better than the minimum wage you earn at MacDonalds.

Vocational is very important and should not be looked down on, as something that is irrelevant or found in matchbooks.

Just my two cents worth.

Well back to engraving. ..

Carlos De La O III

 

[dimovengraving]

Russians are very talented as a people and "seeking" as individuals
In socialist times, they had a very good education system in primary and secondary class of the school. I hope they have kept it.

 

[BrianPowley]

Another great indictment of our "public education" system here in America.
I think you're spot-on that we are actually discouraging our youth from learning to work with their hands.

 

[JJ Roberts]

In the mid 60's I was working for a printing company in N.J.and my boss hired a young German age 19, after watching him run the press's I came to find out he stated in the trade at the age of 11.I told the young man we can't run any machinery in the U.S. until where 18.Just think of all the young people we could help and keep out of trouble if they where guided in the right direction with an early start in life. J.J.

 

[leo]

everybody says the public education system as some of you work for it you have to see it from the point of view of the board of education what it means is if you want a votech programs in your school when they have the meeting for the public you should attend and present your self in Russia the middle east asia Europe and Africa the people that know these trade dedicate at least 2 or 3 hours a day of there time for free teaching young kids of there trade in the us everything is about how much your experience is worth so most of us that practice this trades don't actually see it from that point we mite help our son and daughter to learn it but if there not interested that's it your trade has ended in your life time just think about it if each of us would volunteer and dedicate to our towns board of education 2 hours every Friday and in the shop give 3 or 4 students interested a lesson of what our trade is that student would take that feed back of that lesson back to his guidance counselor and guess what if the student like it I bet they would turn it into a regular program in your school
just remember what a teacher told me from the Philippines he said "remember one thing they would always be a lot of students but not a lot of teachers" so remember our trade is unique if it would be easier to do everybody would do it as you had seen it heard it and look at it if the tv repair men is disappearing guess what they would be somebody out there that would make a disposable one don't let it be the same of your trade

 

[John P. Anderson]

>Your right the school district I work for are doing away with all vocational classes, welding, car body repair, small engine repair, woodworking and others.

In the 1990's vocational education funding (Pell Grants) switched from funding drafting, art, welding, car body repair, small engine repair and woodworking to funding new computer labs. I'm somewhat responsible in that I made my living writing the grants, teaching pc and setting up the labs and later the networks. These days the kids get almost zip for art and craft and are even loosing the ability to write longhand. Sadly they're not very good computer programmers either. It's also an art form of sorts.

I suspect it'll come back. There are far more artist and craftsman in Montana today than 30 years ago so I do have hope.

Luddite John

 

[Sam]

I'm sure every young person in America looks forward to paying for a vocational education so he can enter the high paying career of furniture repairman. Don't they offer such a career path on the inside of matchbook covers?

Kind of a snarky comment don't you think? Or maybe I'm reading it wrong?

 

[Beladran]

America was once a country of highly skilled craftsmen.. Seems like now the biggest skill set is cheating the system.
The system fills our kids heads with the mind set of go to college become a lawyer or doctor and live the good life, maybe you will be on MTV cribs! Well, like has been said earlier... Not everyone is cut out for college, so by my reasoning lets try and teach these kids a skill! But the "machine" pumps kids through the system and because of the whole no child left behind mentality you have colleges pumping out kids with bachelor degrees in business that cant even balance their own check book! An engineer that worked for my dad had no idea what a right angle was... true story. So basicly they have basterdized higher education.
My .02..... Rant over lol

 

[Southern Custom]

Some of the best engravers I know are from Russia and cut rings at a large jewelers co-op in Los Angeles. They do stunning work and unfortunately have had to price themselves into poverty. They charge less than $60 bucks to fully engrave an engagement ring because so many stores just won't pay more than that. I'm lucky to work with a few family run stores that understand a craftsman's value.
It's no longer acceptable to be a mechanic in our culture where at every turn kids are being told they must have the biggest and the best. It's true that a college education is expected for a larger percentage of kids. The problem is that there just aren't enough jobs available to qualified college graduates. Meanwhile we frown on skilled labor as a career path. I live comfortably as a jeweler/engraver. I don't have a new BMW in the driveway but I don't really need one to be happy.
It used to sadden me when I saw young couples come into big box jewelry store where I worked. They drove cars that carry a high monthly note and then asked for $15,000 in credit to make more payments on a ring they couldn't afford. Got to spend at least 3 months salary after all!
More and more folks are amazed at what I do because they are not used to seeing anything like it. Remember when trophies were cut by hand? Those days are long gone.
Layne

 

[Southern Custom]

Maybe not so, buy when the $#! T hits the fan, (for whatever reason) a career as a certified plumber or electrician, making at the low end 30 bucks an hour!, (a friend does it) is way better than the minimum wage you earn at MacDonalds.

Vocational is very important and should not be looked down on, as something that is irrelevant or found in matchbooks.

Just my two cents worth.

Well back to engraving. ..

Carlos De La O III

And here is the problem Carlos. $30 an hour is no longer seen as acceptable. In my town, I can live pretty darned well on $30 an hour. Especially in a two family household.
I never made more than that until recently and I was quite happy. If my wife and I had both made $30 an hour we would have been high on the hog!
Layne

 

[diandwill]

Here in Washington State, the legislature and Governor want 65-75% of ALL high school students to get college degrees. To that end they have done away with Votech in HS...some might still be available in Community College. They channel most education money into the University system, providing teachers, with tenure, exceptional salaries.

If we took away 1/2 the university money and spent it on High School Vocational Tech, and Community College advanced traing...kids would come out with a career at the age of 20. Have Community College also carry the first 2 years of undergraduate work and save millions in teacher slaries at the university level.
The 4 year schools (now) would be reduced to working on the courses needed for a major and minor and post graduate work. A community College could be opened in the extra vacated buildings, as a means to keep the 4 year student athlete in place, and the community together.

I have nothing against teachers, many of my extended family are teachers and my Father was a University Professor. He left the faculty when it was unionized, worried that tenure was replacing quality. He continued teaching at the University, for free, for almost 5 years, until his health failed him completely.

If you truly think that a college degree is a requirement for all our kids, who do you take your car to when it needs work, who do you call when your HVAC needs repair, the washing machine or dryer goes on the fritz?

We will always need competent people working in the service trades, as well as craftsmen and artists to ensure that we maintain some level of culture, something to take us beyond the 'ticky-tacky', beyond the monotony of identical subdivisions, past the boredom of same-old, same-old.

In large part that is why I am a jeweler/engraver.

 

[dogcatcher]

Our plumber just left, $650 for installing a water heater, it took him less than 2 hours, the water heater cost $301. It was a simple job, I did the last one 16 years ago, but age and aches prevented that this time. We are in a resort area, Ruidoso, NM, skilled labor is hard to find, and they can charge whatever they want. And we have to pay whatever they charge or do it ourselves.

 

[leo]

hey southern customs and diandwill I would give you guy an example of how crazy the world is getting the city of new York has one of the most high paying public services jobs and for you to work as a garbage men just to apply not to go threw the screening you need to have 25 college credits or if not they wont accept your application to pick up garbage why cause if you do 20 years your salary would be about 65k a year and you can retire with 65% of that