Brett Baker, also known as Mr. Baker or Baker, has been teaching for six years.
Baker’s high school Agriculture Mechanics teacher, Troy Gravatt, is the individual who inspired him to pursue teaching. His favorite part about teaching is welding and wood shop because it is not a traditional class at school.
Baker’s favorite lessons are things that allow him to demonstrate a skill to his students then seeing them try to do it themselves. He enjoys teaching AG very much, as he loves seeing these unique students and their passion for AG.
If Baker was not a teacher, he would have a job that had something to do with Agriculture. Baker’s goals for his students by the end of the year are to be able to identify common hazards related to agriculture mechanics settings and how to strive to mitigate those hazards by demonstrating a strong awareness of shop safety. In addition to that, Baker ultimately wants his students to be comfortable with the basic steps of project planning and completion.
Baker’s way to adapt with students with special needs is to devote himself to getting to know his students very well from the first day of school and throughout the school year, stating, “This allows me to have a stronger understanding of how I can better support their individual needs as well as highlight their personal strengths.” His way to handle classroom discipline is to emphasize classroom expectations early in the school year and continue to establish a clear understanding of these expectations each day.
Baker handles conflicts between students by having a direct and heartfelt discussion with his students. His strategies for engaging students who are struggling are to try to incorporate as many hands-on learning opportunities for his students as he can.
If students are struggling to engage in the project they are working on, he communicates with them one on one and tries to identify a way that students take more leadership within their project. Baker’s way to handle stress between work-life is to plan ahead and get stuff ahead of time.
His advice for people who want to be teachers is to shadow the teachers of the subject you would like to teach. Baker’s favorite memories at this school are the times that he is able to see the “lightbulb” turn on when students grasp a concept in the shop.
