I started working with my hands at a young age. The youngest of five brothers, I took on the role as a "maintenance (维修) man" at an early age for our family's small grocery store. Often my dad wouldn't give me a clear idea of how something should be done, so I just had to figure it out by researching or through trial and error.
Fast forward to 2016 and those problem-solving skills would become the focus of Tippecanoe High School's Homebuilding class. I knew I wanted to teach the students skills that went beyond just being able to hammer nails or cut pieces of two-by-fours. The problem was that we didn't have the resources at the time to do much else. The idea of attracting some type of funding seemed very important. Designing, building and selling a tiny house on wheels seemed like the perfect project to accomplish the task. I reached out to a number of local businesses and most of them responded with the greatest support for what we were doing.
This year we added a new element to the program. Through one of our partners, we were able to connect with the nonprofit Veteran's Ananda Incorporated. Students in the Homebuilding class are leading the design and production of micro houses to be donated to this organization. The new partnership gives the students another focus to consider when designing and building the houses.
There has been no shortage of students since our first year. Three years ago we had 41 students, the next 191, and this year it was limited to just over 160 students so we could have a safe and manageable classroom environment. The number of girls taking the class has risen steadily over the last few years as well. This class offers something for everyone and the skills are universal.
