Anyone who has ever quipped, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t do, teach” has obviously never met Mike Pope.
Not only has he worked as an industrial insulator for 27 years, but 15 of those years have been spent passing on the tricks of the trade as an instructor at
Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Saginaw Valley Chapter. For this experience and dedication, Pope earned
ABC’s 2009 Craft Instructor of the Year award.
Selected from a group of three other finalists, Pope exemplifies how teaching credentials backed by countless hours on the job can translate into classroom success. He teaches one or two times per week at the ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter Construction Academy, often drawing on his day-to-day experiences at Dow Chemical Company as a superintendent for
G.E. Insulation Co., Sanford, Mich.
“I think a lot of people teach to the book and add in a few things, but it’s really all about solving problems,” says James Kubiak, director of education for the ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter. “There’s an art and science to insulation.”
Pope, who is certified in all three levels of the
National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) insulating craft training curriculum, brings the material to life through hands-on learning. “I really encourage my students to bring problems to school so everybody can learn from them. We go through the problem and learn the best way to solve it. If it’s something really important, then I will incorporate it into future classes,” he says.
Additionally, he regularly invites other NCCER instructors or journeymen from other crafts to speak to his classes about skill requirements and insulating from different perspectives. This commitment to going beyond the textbook makes an impact on Pope’s pupils, many of whom also work for G.E. Insulation.
From Foreman to Mentor
Positive, patient, knowledgeable, likeable, encouraging and flexible are just a few of the words students and colleagues use to describe Pope.
“Mike understands it’s not always as easy to do your task as it may seem in a book or on a worksheet,” says Raymond Stanley, an ABC graduate. “He’s able to explain things so a person who is still learning the trade can understand. I have used his ideas in the field, and still today if there is something I may have forgotten, I can call him and he is more than willing to take the time to show me again.”
Adds Lon Rule of G.E. Insulation: “Mike made me the best insulator I could be. He always took time at school, and work, to help me master the trade. Even though I am a journeyman insulator, I always turn to Mike when I have questions.”
While always being available to students past and present seems like business as usual after 15 years, Pope admits finding time is the biggest challenge to taking on a teaching position. He credits Gary Elza, president of G.E. Insulation, with giving him the leeway to embrace this responsibility.
In fact, Pope jokes that Elza virtually volunteered him for the teaching post when the previous instructor—also a G.E. Insulation employee—retired. The two have known each other since riding dirt bikes together back in the 1970s. After starting a family and working in and out of the construction business for about a decade, Pope joined Elza’s company in 1990 and quickly became a foreman.
As he honed his craft, estimating and supervision skills, Pope eventually started managing maintenance projects at Dow Chemical. And for the last nine years, he has served as superintendent there, assigning jobs each morning, handling paperwork, performing field audits, managing employees and communicating with plant leaders on a daily basis.
Responsibilities and Rewards
Seeing students succeed on the job “makes it all worthwhile,” Pope says. “The biggest benefit is seeing the students take what they’ve learned, use it and be proud of what they do.”
Pope also gleans satisfaction from seeing his students compete in ABC’s local and National Craft Championships competitions. He has been the insulating subject matter expert for the ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter competition
since 2001. His responsibilities include creating a 50-question examination, designing a three-hour hands-on activity and recruiting judges for the annual event. Thanks to Pope’s preparation and mentorship, several ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter Construction Academy students have gone on to win medals at the
National Craft Championships.
“Mike was instrumental in my being selected as a competitor for the National Craft Championships, in which I placed second. I feel this is due to Mike being able to teach his vast knowledge of his trade exceptionally well,” says Donald Zarlengo, a silver medal winner at the 2008 National Convention in Puerto Rico. “All of this has given me a positive attitude toward my craft and pride in my work.”
In Puerto Rico, Pope, like so many other times in his career, asked what more he could do to help ABC. The answer: serve as the insulating project manager for the National Craft Championships at the 2009 ABC National Convention in Honolulu.
“I totally redesigned the project and was able to get it all built and donated,” Pope says. “It’s nice to have supplier and contractor members of ABC who are willing to help. And it’s nice to be on a committee where everyone is dedicated. It’s a lot of work, but it’s enjoyable.”
Members of the National Craft Championships Committee were some of the first people to congratulate Pope when his name was announced as 2009 Craft Instructor of the Year.
“Having everybody congratulating you on getting the award was exciting. It makes you feel good that people recognize you’ve done something good,” he says.
Still, winning the award—along with cash, a laptop and a trophy—was just icing on the cake for an industry veteran who plans on teaching until retirement.
“When he retires, Mike wants to make sure his legacy is the knowledge he leaves behind with the younger people coming after him,” Kubiak says.
“Some people work for their parent company and are instructors but don’t participate otherwise,” Kubiak adds. “Mike’s not that way. He goes above and beyond just teaching and is really heart and soul supportive of our ABC organization.”
Along with being a longstanding member of the chapter’s Education Committee, Pope is a fixture at chapter events and single-handedly organizes two skeet shoot fundraisers that benefit the local Craft Championships competition.
When not busy working, motivating students, mentoring new craft training instructors and supporting ABC initiatives, look for Pope practicing his marksmanship or relaxing on his boat: The Vatican.
ABC’s Craft Instructor of the Year award honors a teacher who possesses outstanding credentials and demonstrates a commitment to preserving the educational standards of the merit shop construction industry. In addition to award winner Mike Pope of the ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter, finalists for the 2009 competition included:
Applicants must be nominated by their ABC chapters, member firms or chapter affiliates. Once nominations are judged, winners are announced for participating ABC regions. The overall winner is selected from this group and given the award at the ABC National Convention, scheduled next year for Feb. 3–7, 2010, in San Diego.
For more information, visit www.abc.org/Education_Training/Awards.aspx.