English literature doesn’t immediately come to mind when you think of the education required for a secondary school shop teacher, but that is exactly the path that Michael Louie took on his journey to discovering his eventual career.

“I completed three years of an English literature degree, then transferred into the two-year elementary education program at UBC,” says Louie.

While he knew he wanted to teach, Louie felt more life experience would enhance his effectiveness as an educator.

“I graduated when I was 22 and realized I was a bit too young. I needed some world experience,” he continues.  

Louie set off to teach English as a second language in Asia for two years. Although he never questioned his decision to become a teacher, time away gave him space to think about his career path.

For Louie, teaching runs in the family. Both his mother and aunt spent their careers as teachers with the Vancouver School Board (VSB). Louie would often volunteer at the schools they worked at  which sparked his initial interest in teaching.

Before settling back in Vancouver, Louie decided to take a look at the different program offerings at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The Technology Teacher Education program resonated with him. Despite, as Louie claims, never having taken a shop class while in high school, he applied for the program.

“It was a great option because it enabled me to do some more schooling that built on something,” he says.

Louie hasn’t looked back since. He says through the BCIT program, he has made lifelong friends. He’s even gained practical skills, like how to change the clutch in his car and how to build a dining room table.

Through the tech ed teacher program, Louie was exposed to a range of practices including woodwork, metalwork and electronics. Today, he teaches electronics and robotics at Vancouver Technical Secondary and sees students with a variety of ambitions sign up for his classes.

“I’m trying to develop students’ motor skills. Fine motor skills are emphasized a lot in the early years, but students are still developing in their secondary years,” he says.

“The dexterity students gain in working with their hands could serve them well in future careers as surgeons or dentists. You never know where those skills will lead you.”

After more than 20 years at VSB, Louie is still enjoying his chosen profession and has begun to pass torch by teaching courses in the Faculty of Education at UBC.

“I tell future teachers, ‘Hey, if I can do it with no shop background, no shop classes in high school, if I can run a successful program anyway, you can do it, too.’ I hope that my story inspires the next generation of teachers,” Louie adds.

Explore teaching positions at VSB:

Secondary Tech Studies Teacher

Secondary Home Economics Teacher

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