PSAV Instructors Not Equal to Credit Instructors

When I talk to all the other instructors from other automotive programs at either other colleges or local high schools, I find that the automotive instructors in my school are treated as non credit and non faculty. I have gone to the local teachers union and the state union and they say we will look into it for us. I think this is a start since we have nothing to loose in trying. I have been in the automotive field for over 30 years and a teacher /instructor for the last 5 of them. I have a BS degree and am a certified master technician along with over 10 years in the military as a technician.

I feel that I have enough training and knowledge to have a PHD in automotive technology but since there is no such thing I guess I have to settle for a BS degree. Now since the school Say's you have to have a Masters degree to be a faculty member what am I supposed to do go to school for math for 6 years for what! When does a degree say you have more to teach than someone that has 30 years of training and experience in a field? I think that if I can teach someone a trade that will allow them to make a six figure income and not live in poverty then I am a teacher no matter what I teach.

When you see a teacher do you say wow I need to get my masters degree so i can teach math? I think that most teachers today started to get there degree in something like a real field and taught this along with the academics then we would have a smarter workforce. I am writing this to get my own word in that I teach 30 hours a week student contact hours along with writing my own curriculum and maintaining the shop and business partners along with budgets and ordering supplies and all this and then some without being in the teachers union and having the rights and privileges that they get. My pay for being a 12 month teacher is the same as a union teacher that has a 168 day contract and has the whole summer off to get more degrees.

Don't get me wrong I like teachers that teach credit classes, but since when has the math or english or sciences fixed your car or done your cars body work, installed that new stereo or alarm? We need all of these types and they all need teachers and mentors to teach the acedemics and trades. I just thought the acedimic teachers would say we need the trade teachers too.