Hi Robert, can you tell me a little about yourself and what you do?
My name is Robert 'Bob’ Trowe. Or to my students, I am often: Trowe, Mister, or The Professor. I teach at a high school in Denver, Colorado called North Engagement Center.
Officially I am a math teacher, but I have always favored practical math and, when possible, project based learning. So, I have branched out from math and now also teach The Hand-Built Skateboard, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Algebra.
How did you hear about Roarockit? What inspired you to bring skateboard building into the classroom?
I actually do not remember how I stumbled upon Roarockit. It was maybe 15 years ago and I thought the Thin Air Press was great and looked fun, and my 5 year old son was into skateboards so I ordered a longboard bag and some veneers. I made my own Pintail design and my own mold to make a longboard for my son. That went great, so I made several other longboards for myself and friends and had a lot of fun trying new things with each one.
Since that time I have wanted to get kids involved because it is a fun project that is engaging and teaches those old world lessons and skills that all hands-on projects teach. Things like the importance of planning, tenacity, that you CAN do things that you are not familiar with when you start, delayed gratification, the need to stick through the tedious parts to get the glory at the end. It has taken this long to find a way to fit this kind of class into our district's course requirements.
How do you feel this program benefits the classroom? How do you work this into your curriculum?
This fits in our curriculum as an elective. I personally use it as a vehicle to teach additional things like writing, as students are required to write a daily reflection on their work, as well as create and update project plans. I also require students to do three presentations to their peers. The first one is about what shape of board they chose to make and why, the second one is to present their artwork plan, and the last is to present their completed board. The purpose of the presentations is to record them and give each student a copy of their presentation for them to critique and reflect on the physical presentation, not the content, and then make every presentation better than the last.
The benefits, aside from the actual lessons they learn, are that students are super engaged and usually self-motivated to finish. I see students who may not feel successful in school are suddenly able to take pride and beam as they show their work and say "I did this!".
What were the students’ reactions to getting to build skateboards in the classroom? Do you have any special stories to share of the effects it had on your students?
Most students are surprised when they learn what we are doing in class and say things like "Really? The whole thing? From scratch?". Partially because of what the project is, but also because our school does not have a woodshop. We are building these right in the classroom and they get to stand up and move around and just enjoy the work. Some will talk and chat while they work, and some put in their headphones and tune the world out and focus on their work. The students generally help each other without being assigned a partner or group. Building skateboards like this in class is EVERYTHING that school should be.
My favorite students are usually the girls simply because most of them come into the class with zero experience using tools or constructing things, and as such they are blank canvases. They will listen, try, and surprise themselves with their abilities. I can see in their eyes that a whole new world of possibilities and self-confidence is open.
How were you able to get skateboard building started in your class, did you have to jump through any administrative hoops to get there?
To get this class going I had to propose it every year with a plan and a budget. Every year it was always received with "Well that sounds great, but...". Then this year I have a new principal who is dedicated to shaking things up in an effort to increase student engagement, attendance, and address the social/emotional needs of students post-pandemic. So, it is really due to her being willing to say "yes" that my students and I get to do this.
How did it turn out? Are the students riding their boards afterwards, or do they use them more as an art project?
I am very clear to students that they do NOT need to skate to engage with this as a project. If you like to skate then by all means, you are building the real deal and you can skate it up. Or, it is totally fine to never put wheels on it and simply make a great art piece. Locally, we have a few places like Wahoo's Fish Tacos that utilize skateboards as wall art, so students can go see skateboards as art out in the world. In practice, it is roughly even with those who make art pieces and those who skate their boards. What was most surprising to me was the percentage of students who were enthusiastic about their projects because a friend or family member likes to skate and the student was expressly building the board as a gift.
Do you have a history of skateboarding?
I do not have very much of a history with skateboarding. I always thought it was cool, but I never really got into it. I grew up in the 80's before the current popsicle board became the standard shape, so, I like seeing students build some of the older shapes. As an adult I tried longboarding with my son for a while, then he grew and his interests shifted and mine did too.
I have a lifelong interest in making things and learning new processes. So, the process, the construction, and the design of skateboards is what interests me the most.
Thanks for your time Robert! Any last words for the viewers back home?
While I am teaching this in a classroom setting, I highly encourage this as a fantastic parent/child project. Even if you have ZERO experience, or maybe especially if you have zero experience, this is a great way to spend time together and model for them things like learning, problem solving, and how to cope with mistakes. Do it!
Taryn O’Grady
Roarockit Skateboard Company