Education – Introduction

 

The ability to learn new things is essential for the Maintenance Tech. When you are just starting out, fixing things seems like a monumental task. It is overwhelming! However, if you get the proper education, in other words, the ability to gather, store, and use information, you will be able to be successful in solving all kinds of problems. The education of a Christian and of a maintenance tech is not only crucial, but also essential. Much wasted time, talent, and resources are the result of not knowing what to do! Many costly solutions are needed to fix things that have been improperly fixed by someone who didn't know what they were doing!

The amount of money and time that is put into education is very much worthwhile. However, a considerable amount of time and money can be wasted in the wrong education! What good is it in learning something if you learn it the wrong way? You will just have to learn it over the right way to be successful. One of the great lessons to learn from a bad education is to not do it that way!

Proverbs 23:23 "Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding."

Don't misinterpret this verse. It doesn't mean not to make money using the truth you have learned. It means not to lose or get rid of the truth. Truth is valuable and once you get it you need to keep it!

As a Christian, one of the goals that God gives us is the "renewing of your mind":

Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Education is important for the Christian also. To be successful in life, a Christian needs to be very familiar with the solutions that the Bible reveals! It is very comforting to know that you are doing the right things at the right time in life!

This goal is comforting for the maintenance tech because it shows you that "just because everyone else is doing it that way, you don't have to!" The good maintenance tech will look for the right way to fix something not the way everyone else does it!

Almost half of my time at the university is spent either rebuilding something that was installed incorrectly or modifying it to work the way we do things. I spend a lot of time labeling and organizing things so that others can work on them after I am gone. 

Unfortunately, much of my life is spent repairing mistakes that I made when I was younger and still make today!

One of the greatest lessons about maintenance, I learned from my dad when I was younger.

Although my dad was only around until I turned 13, I remember some of the things he said.

My dad was the bicycle repair man of our neighborhood. All my brothers and sisters had bikes. So did the neighborhood children. When someone had a problem, they brought it to dad. I vividly remember him showing me how to fix a flat, pump up the tires, and adjust the handlebars and seat. I used to watch him take apart the wheels and clean and grease the bearings. I learned many things by just watching him and asking questions.

My cousin Ricky had an interesting bike. It had a two-speed hub on the back wheel. When you wanted to change speeds, you just stopped pedaling forward and reversed the sprocket back about ½ a turn. The bike would either shift up or down, depending on how fast you were traveling. It was a little tricky to learn because if you went back to far the brakes where applied.

I had seen my dad take apart bicycle hubs, grease the bearings, put them back together and the ride would be much smoother. I felt I knew how to do it. Ricky asked me for help to do this. We took it apart, greased it, and put it back together. Although we thought we did it right, it would not turn!

Not knowing what to do, we waited for Dad to come home from work. He came out to the garage and started working on it. He could not get it back apart! It had seized up! For what seemed like a couple of hours, I watched him get really frustrated! He eventually was able to break the axle and get it apart. I am not sure where he got the new axle, but he fixed it.

I will never forget the way he admonished me, "If you don't know how to put it back together, DON'T TAKE IT APART!"

Having the correct knowledge and putting it into practice is the key to success. I consider it so essential that I have three sections in this website devoted to learning, teaching, and studying! My main goal and purpose in this stage of my life is to pass on knowledge to the next generation.

God has made us with the ability to learn. He does this primarily by using these four methods: by watching, by listening and asking questions, and by reading.

Watching is extremely important. Notice how God phrases it:

Psalm 19:1-3 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

All that you see cries out that there is a Creator! If you will observe nature, it is amazing what God will show you!

For the maintenance tech, watching how something works brings great insight into how to fix it. Also, by watching an expert fix something increases learning. When I hire someone, I am careful in evaluating them to see if they are paying attention when I am fixing something. Their interest shows the ability to learn by watching!

The New Testament admonition is to observe the life of someone and gain what needs to be emulated and what needs to be discarded.

An expression that Jesus used 18 times was "follow me". The apostle Paul recommended that he be followed as he followed Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

While watching is a good learning tool, another good one is to sit and listen. That is why good Bible preaching is so powerful. Here are a couple of verses that reinforce this:

Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

Listening is powerful, but just listening may sometimes lead to confusion. What is also helpful is to be able to ask questions and get advice from experts. The disciples were always asking Jesus for clarity: see Matthew 13:10.

Many things can be learned by reading. Reading about how to do something is a good first step. Always read the instructions. Do it first not last. Time spent learning by reading is not wasted time. It is valuable and will save time in the future. Reading with comprehension is an essential skill. It is probably the key to all other ways to gain knowledge.

Although I have learned a lot by watching videos and listening to experts, I don't think there is any substitute for being able to read about things.

Not everything can be learned by just reading. Doing is important, too! Head knowledge is not always transferred to the hands. Knowing how to shoot free throws is an essential skill for a basketball player. The importance of being able to make the basketball go into the hoop when no one is guarding you and you can take your time and aim is a skill that can be taught. How to stand, how to focus, how to hold and release the ball. How to breathe. All of these are easy to understand. Shooting a gun is the same.

While the knowledge of how to do it is important, the act of doing it is what determines whether you will be good at it. The only reason a person would not be able to hit free throws or shoot a rifle is the lack of serious focus and time spent practicing!

It is the same in the maintenance world. While knowing what is wrong is important. Knowing how to fix it is essential. The key to success is to actually attempt to fix it.

The purpose of this section of the website is to give the "know-how" and the way to gain the "know-how" to make you a successful maintenance tech and Christian. Lord knows there are many failures out there! And because there are, there is room for the one who knows what to do and does it!


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