26-04-2025
Lincoln Tech welding instructor building bridges and relationships
CHICAGO — At a space in Melrose Park, students are hard at work learning to create the metal joints that will help construct everything from bridges, skyscrapers, pipelines, and airplanes and it is a source of great pride for Lincoln Tech instructor Joel Smith.
'It's my job to push them to be that welder they know they can be, because they would settle,' Smith said.
Eddie Amaya, who nominated Smith back in September, came through the doors of Lincoln Tech intimidated and with little knowledge about welding, but he soon found a father-like figure in Smith.
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'He is always pushing me. I'll do a bad weld and he'll say 'Just do it again Eddie,' and then I think one time I started crying, but I know it was coming from a good place,' Amaya said.
The 30 men and women who are taught by Smith described him the same way, as a teacher who will give students honest and firm feedback, but with a big heart.
Smith's father was in the trades and he got interested in welding after talking to an instructor at Lincoln Tech.
'And I remember I was managing a doggy daycare facility, and I went to him, I was like 'You're making $14 an hour? I'm making $9,' and he was like 'Yeah I just went to school and learned to weld and now I got a welding job,' so I honestly give a lot of my credit to a fellow instructor,' Smith said.
As soon as he got the job, smith said he knew he also wanted to teach.
Smith has now been teaching for five years, taking his students on field trips to make sure they understand the real-life importance of their work.
Many of Smith's students will find work welding or even inspecting welds, and after five years and hundreds of students, Smith knows his students are ready for the real world.
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'I don't care what people say about tradespeople or this generation you guys work hard, keep it up break that barrier down I'm sick of tradespeople saying this generation doesn't want to work, you guys show up every day and prove them wrong, continue doing it,' Smith said.
To honor Smith as Teacher of the Month, Howard Ankin of Aankin Law presented him with a $1,000 check.
Traditionally, the Teacher of the Month check is addressed to the school, but at Smith's request, the money will be donated to Guide Dogs of America, a charity he said is close to his heart.
'We can train an animal to help visually impaired individuals, like c'mon there is no better feeling there,' Smith said.
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