Michael is a 2nd career teacher. He started out in Switzerland as a machinist and engineer. Then, like so many other teachers, he was started to volunteer in a school and was hooked. He now teaches Career and Technical Education and Manufacturing at Granite Falls High where he focuses on bringing the real world into class through hands-on teams like Eco Car Club and the first ever all girls team to compete in Shell’s Eco Marathon – Shop Girls.
Because Michael came to teaching from industry, he has a depth of knowledge about the skills needed for success in the world of manufacturing. He has assembled a committed industry advising board that works collaboratively with him to advise on the program and mentor students. He believes strongly that STEM subjects must be taught in an integrated way with supposed “soft skills” such as critical thinking, work ethic, and timeliness woven throughout. He is an advocate for bringing more shop into schools earlier, and his high school students even run camps and workshops for elementary students.
Michael’s skill at motivating students and reputation have grown quickly. His classes fill quickly and his outreach efforts at all levels continue to grow. Michael believes that good students must risk failure to become great and the goal of CTE programs should be to open up opportunities for students to innovate. We need a creative disruption in education, he says, if we are to keep up with the tremendous changes industry and technology that lay ahead of us.
“Michael, his program, and his passion for learning have had a significant impact on the lives of his students,” says principal Michele Wadeikis. “For the past five years at Granite Falls the class valedictorians have all been associated with our manufacturing program and have gone on to pursue engineering or aerospace degrees at colleges such as MIT, University of Washington, Stanford, and CalPoly. Granit Falls High School and the community of Granite Falls is fortunate to have an innovative, dedicated, and passionate educator that serves our students and celebrates their successes.”
