Armin Begtrup - “Mr. Mechatronics”

3 years: I have built an engineering program, infancy to flourishing, for rural TN, secondary education. Challenged the status quo; engaging industry partners and creating larger-than-life projects, that solidified a bond between community and the schools. It has been a dream!

This is heart-warming inspiration - students who learn, support, and win, as a team: “We Are Mt. Pleasant DI” youtu.be/8ndMmN377xI

Dearest Students, Thank you. Thank you TODAY for every kind word; yummy morsel; and handshake. However, thank you for A FULL YEAR of pushing; believing; and bettering yourselves. Letting me share in your triumphs is all the appreciation I needed 👩🏾‍🎓👨🏼‍🎓 #TeacherAppreciationDay

Eccentric (adj): unconventional and slightly strange. The staff is a bit eccentric at this institution - just look at their faculty photos. #ACTWordOfTheDay – at Tennessee, USA

Apprentice (n): a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer. Summer is a golden opportunity to pick up an apprenticeship and build one’s skill sets. #ACTWordOfTheDay @SCTWA – at Tennessee, USA

Zenith (n): the time at which something is most powerful or successful. Youth often think they have reached their zenith in high school, but often it is later in life that one finds themselves to be at their pinnacle. #ACTWordOfTheDay @SCTWA talking with Ss re:careers

So proud of @MPHSThinkTank - high school students @MauryCoSchools. In one year they successfully earned 9️⃣ COLLEGE credit hours in #Engineering and OSHA 10 industry certifications! (Some are FRESHMAN!)🤩 This is a crew of college and career ready students. @BillLeeTN #GrowMaury – at Tennessee, USA

Women in HS Engineering #Mechatronics program receiving top praise for their builds from @ColumbiaState’s Director. #DualEnrollment #CollegeCareerReady #WomenInEngineering 👩🏻‍🏭👩🏾‍🔧👩‍💻

Trial (n): a test of the performance, qualities, or suitability of someone or something. The high school students sat through their college exam trials - hoping to prove their worth and knowledge. #ACTWordOfTheDay @columbiastate #Mechatronics #EPSOs #GrowMaury

Snafu (n): a confused or chaotic state. Last year’s testing was quite the snafu - let’s hope it all goes smoothly this time around. #ACTWordOfTheDay @TnReady #EOCs #StriveForLevel5

Resume (v): begin again after a pause or interruption. Résumé (n): a brief account of a person’s education, qualifications, and previous experience. The students resumed their work on their résumés to submit with the internship applications. #WBL #ACTWordOfTheDay #growmaury

Wholly (adv): entirely; fully. The weekend was wholly dedicated to holy days. #ACTWordOfTheDay

Icon (n): a pictorial representation; an object of uncritical devotion; a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that represents an app. People often identify with icons they are raised with or exposed to during life; their importance can shift with time. #ACTWordOfTheDay

Exploit (v): make full use of and derive benefit from; use a situation or person in an unfair or selfish way. The student exploited the fact he had access to so many devices to multitask. #industrycertifications #OSHA10 #growmaury #ACTWordOfTheDay

Sate (v): satisfy (a desire) to the fullest. It should be our goal as educators to never let our students be sated - always leave them desiring to learn, witness, and experience more - for that is how they become life long learners - not just shepherded cattle. #ACTWordOfTheDay – at Nashville, TN

Over the weekend, students took home issues from my collection of pulp fiction. One came back recounting a story of a silver haired mother of dragons who conquers a land to the West.. *spoiler alert* #GOT8 #PublishedDec2000 #AllTheBestStoriesStartInPulp