Pile Drivers Apprentice Training Program, Carpenters Training Committee for Northern California

Organized Labor

Welding Instructor Steve Tiltoon
One of the difficult things for an instructor is dealing with all the strong personalities. They all want to be number one and show off. You have to temper that a little in the classroom, but at the same time they need that spirit in this trade. We want them all to strive to be the best and to work together.

The exciting thing about teaching people is seeing the success in their eyes, when they get that feeling of accomplishment and recognition. That's something you'd like to bottle. When a student starts making strides, the next thing I do is partner them with another student, so they can learn by explaining. They are the best teachers, because they all speak the same language.

My only regret about teaching is I miss being out in the field. I miss building things. My last project was working on the Bay Bridge skyway. But there are also the small projects that you remember, like a fire station I worked on at the Port of Oakland. It wasn't as glamorous, but you get the satisfaction of knowing that because of the work you did, fire boats will be able to get where they are going quickly and safely and put out fires on the estuary and on the waterfront.