By Gail Wood
Brian Stretch was talking about his favorite subject – teaching.
With enthusiasm, he talked about what he enjoys most about teaching auto mechanics, something he’s done at North Thurston High School – his alma mater – for 21 years.
“This is what I like about teaching,” Stretch said, mulling a question asked him. “Whether it’s my advanced class or my beginners class, it’s when they come up to me and they ask a question.”
For Stretch, a question is the face of ambition, the quest to learn.
“They’re taking the initiative and that means they want to learn about this stuff,” Stretch said. “I love it when they’re asking me questions.”
Then, with the insight of a teacher who has taught for nearly two decades, Stretch mentioned another reward he gets from teaching.
“The second thing I like is when they don’t have to ask me those questions again,” he said with a smile.
That means they’ve learned it, a teacher’s quest.
“I’ve done my job then,” he said. “They don’t need me anymore.”
Over the years, Stretch’s enthusiasm for teaching has been contagious. Many of his students who learned how to change the oil, fix the breaks and give a tuneup, went into the field of auto mechanics – either as a mechanic or as a teacher. Timberline High School’s auto mechanic teacher is Phil Thomas, a former student of Stretch’s. Thomas, a 1998 North Thurston grad, won a trophy at a state competition for automotive repair when he was a student there. Thomas’s name and trophy – Stretch won a similar award when he was a student at North Thurston – are among the many lined up on Stretch’s classroom wall.
“I really like his class,” said Andrew Anderson, a senior. “I like how he runs it. And I like that we’re learning about things I think actually matter. I don’t think reading Shakespeare will help me in any way. Not any way I’ve figured out.”
David Wolf is taking Stretch’s classes – helping as a TA – fourth, fifth and sixth periods this semester. As a senior, he’s fulfilled all his class requirements to graduate and is loading up on car repair classes. Wolf could have decided to take two classes and go home. He opted to stay at school.
“There’s some people who go home,” Wolf said. “But I’d rather be here and be around cars and my friends.”
Wolf, a state qualifier in automotive repair in next month’s competition, knew a little about cars before he took Stretch’s class, but not much.
“Just what my dad had told me, which was very minimal,” Wolf said. “Pretty much everything I’ve learned about cars is from this class.”
During a class, three of Stretch’s students are standing next to him under a car that’s up on a lift, listening intently to what he’s talking about. Even though this is a routine moment, Stretch is talking enthusiastically. He admits he’s demanding in his classes.
“We have two different ways of doing things,” Stretch said. “The right way and again.”
In Stretch’s classes, it’s not just a matter of learning how to fix a car. It’s also about learning how to be a good worker, how to be good in customer service. Professionalism is something he stresses.
“We also learn how to keep the shop clean,” said Bryce Lemar, a senior. “If we don’t then we get into trouble. And if we do keep it clean he rewards us.”
Sometimes that reward is pizza. Sometimes it’s a pat on the back, a job well done.
Deneah Alexander, a senior in Stretch’s class, won a first place medal in a recent state competition in customer service. Judges put Alexander through different scenarios, pretending to be customers who were either mad, dissatisfied or happy. She was ready for the challenge.
“It’s a fun class,” Alexander said. “I think it’s very fun, very hands on. Stretch is an amazing teacher. I love the kids in here as well. It’s fun.”
Stretch told a story about how one of his students from a few years back was struggling with doing a break repair job. Finally, after struggling with it for 15 minutes, he came to Stretch for an explanation on how to put the break spring on. Stretch then put the spring on for the student.
“And as I walked away I had him take it off so he could do it,” Stretch said. “That’s the level of initiative I love. I don’t care what you choose to do in life, if you have the self-discipline and the personal initiative you’re squared away. You’re going to make it.”
Besides teaching how to change the oil, Stretch also teaches how to behave with a boss and with a customer.
“There are a lot of smart people out there who don’t have jobs because they can’t get along with others,” Stretch said.
Over the years, students in Stretch’s class have learned how to fix a car and how to treat people. Students will tell you it’s been a class worth taking.
