By FRANKLIN LY and BRYAN LOPEZ

Ryan Coggins is an important asset to the faculty at Manteca High, because of his ability to teach well and transfer his skills onto others. Coggins teaches Agriculture Mechanics, Woodworking, and Welding, vital classes to students raised in the rural Central Valley. He provides his students with tools that many of them will use later in life. Tower News sat down with Coggins to chat about projects he has in mind, what would he do with more funding, and who inspires him.

Tower News: What led you to start teaching?

Ryan Coggins: When I was in seventh grade, I had an awesome RSP teacher. Her name was Mrs. Cook. She would always help me try my hardest. In high school, I had an awesome Agriculture teacher named Mrs. Maddox. If it weren’t for those two teachers, I probably wouldn’t be teaching.

TN: Can you describe your career progression? RC: I came in my first year of teaching, not necessarily having the best background in Agriculture Mechanics. In fact, I had gone to Fresno State, and I was studying animal science and Agriculture education, and that’s what I specialized in. There was a learning curve for me when it came to being an Ag Mechanics teacher. It took probably into my second or third year to become a lot more comfortable with the content that I teach. But now I’m seeing the results, and now I am able to teach through the units faster. I’m able to teach the students a lot of the technical skills at a much different rate.

TN: Are there any projects of your own that your most proud of? If so, what was it? RC: There are different projects that I have done. The one I am most proud of is when I first got here in Manteca High School. The shop wasn’t necessarily in the best situation in terms of how much clutter there was; how much old tools and equipment that probably needed to be taken out. I’ve spent a lot of time the last three years here going through old equipment, getting rid of it, and getting a lot of new equipment. It’s been a blessing because I’ve had a lot of support from our admin and a lot of support from our CTE director; been getting a lot of new equipment that’s up to date for our students. I’m also proud of the projects that some of the students are able to do. One of new equipment item that I got was a plasma table. Some of the cool things that they have been able to do off of that are a firepit and even a barbeque.

TN: Who inspired you to do Ag Mechanics? RC: The person that inspired me to do Ag Mechanics is a teacher at Ripon High School. Her name is Sherry Johns; she taught me everything about welding and taught me everything about mechanics and general safety to run a shop.

TN: Why is Ag Mechanics so important for the future? RC: Ag Mechanics is important for the future because a lot of the skills learned in this class are skills that they need to have in the future, whether it’s electrical wiring, laying concrete, fixes with welding, gas welding, and electric arc welding. There are different things kids can learn in this class to be able to effectively take care of their home. There are many hands-on skills they can learn. That is why Ag Mechanics is important for the future.

TN: What projects would you have in mind if your classes got a bigger budget? RC: I would love to see more larger scale projects such as trailers (and) larger barbeques. There are so many things we could if we got a larger budget for my classes.

Franklin Ly is a junior Journalism student at Manteca High School. He works hard on homework and on class. He also works on his typing skills and uses his free time to play game with friends.

Bryan Lopez is a senior Journalism student at Manteca High School. He wrenches on cars and plucks strings on guitar. He also does photography of cars.