I had my '53 in my Auto shop when I was teaching the Voc. Ed. Auto. The kids loved it. I never required the kids to work on my project but they were required to work and not sit around. They completely redid the brakes from the master cylinder to the shoes. They resurfaced the drums. They even made the brake lines including the double flare. They converted the electrical to 12 volts. My wife worked nights and some weekends so instead of me sitting home, I would open the shop for the kids to come in and work. That is the time that I used to work on my own projects. It gave me a chance to really get to know the kids and they realized that teachers are human. Usually on Friday night we would call and order a couple of pizzas and have them delivered to the school. I had as many as 15 kids working at the school sometimes till 3 AM. The parents thought it was great to keep the kids off the streets and in the shop at night. A lot of my former students are now my friends. I just had a former student stationed in Honalulo call me with a question about a truck problem that he was having. Teaching Auto Shop was the most rewarding job that I could ever imagine. Being retired is pretty good also. Don
