International Builders Show 2025 Notes
“Quick Thoughts for the Public”
Probably the biggest take away from IBS 2025 is that there’s a big movement to try to bring back trade education funding and normalize the idea that a career in the trades is a very viable and profitable option. We’ve finally gotten past the late 90s and early 2000 thought that “everyone needs a college education”. We still have a long ways to go, but we’re headed in the correct direction.
First, let’s address this; did they really think that acronym through??? A friend was very concerned when I posted on Instagram “Day 3 of IBS” until she remembered that I was at the Builders Show.
Other thoughts that I jotted down on my way home:
There are some excellent trade educators doing some really cool stuff. Even though it’s time consuming, I need to keep reaching out and finding other instructors. I found a couple more projects, teaching aides, and funding ideas for my shop. Guess what I’m going to be doing this upcoming week?
There’s some very supportive companies out there. Sashco (a caulking and sealant company) has really stepped up and has led the way to organize trade educator support during IBS. This year there were 40 trade educators at the dinner they hosted on Wednesday. We got together with a few builders who are active social media content creators and other companies surrounding the building industry to collaborate and connect. The underlying theme is how do we bring in more support and better awareness to trade education. It’s an amazing event. Sashco organized a scholarship for one trade educator and for one student who is going into the trades, raising approximately $8000.
Free isn’t always good. Unfortunately, some trade educators ask companies for free stuff and it shuts them down. A good friend of mine and owner of a HVAC company made the comment “Why do friends ask for a discount? If you really believed in a product or person, why wouldn’t you pay full price so that business/person could thrive?” When I go up to a company and want their product in my shop, I ask for a little bit of help for my program instead of free things. I want these businesses to stay in business and be able to feed their families too so I make sure that it’s a reasonable request for help.
No one knows what you’re thinking until you open your mouth. I haven’t always had the best “elevator spiel” and sometimes I’ve offended people (sorry DeWalt) but by opening my mouth I’ve gotten more support and awareness for my program.
False positivity isn’t good. Sometimes we surround ourselves with people who constantly congratulate us on whatever we’re doing. It feels good but it’s not always helpful. (In the military, we have a pretty crude saying for it. This isn’t the place to share it, but it has always stuck with me.) Not that I need to surround myself with all negative people but it’s good to have realistic people around me. People who can help me break down if the idea is actually good or not. People who aren’t afraid of saying, “I’m not sure if that’s the best idea you’ve had Josiah.” and are able to explain why they feel that way. People who can help me see potential hurdles and then brainstorm if they’re worth tackling or how to tackle them.
Life Balance. Going to IBS 2025 was amazing and a boost to my program but it also was a sacrifice. It took me out of the classroom for five days and made my wife a single mom of three teenagers for the week. Thankfully, I’ve gotten good at preparing sub plans and don’t take a lot of time during the year so my students don’t revolt too badly. And thankfully, my wife is incredibly supportive and our kids are pretty good. I wouldn’t want to repeatedly leave town, even if it meant additional resources for my program. At the end of the day, I want a healthy relationship with my wife and kids so I need to make sure there’s a good balance between being a shop teacher and a husband/dad/stepdad.
Those are the down-and-dirty thoughts of the week. I’ll expand on a couple of them later but wanted to get them down on paper and out to the public. Not only is this for my Substack post but my local Builders Association wanted some notes too.
Some people have asked for my Instagram which you can find here: Crooked Stool Workshop. You can see pictures of the past week, our school projects, and my personal projects.
Thank you everyone for your support. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.