2008 Be Awards of Excellence Academic Program - Educator of the Year
Peter Glaudemans
Eastern Technical High School, Essex, Maryland, United States
Glaudemans currently teaches technical computer-aided drafting and engineering at Eastern Technical High School in Essex, Md. In 1992 – his second full year of teaching – Eastern Technical was the first high school in Maryland to drop all of the board drafting equipment in favor of a 30-station CADD lab. While he continued to incorporate traditional orthographic projections and assembly drawings, he modified the curriculum to include dimension styles, 3D modeling, animation, customized cell libraries, creation of reports through tags, and the creation and use of models.
Glaudemans recognized that CADD students were missing important components covered by the engineering curriculum and that the engineering students were being denied opportunities provided by the CADD program. As a result, the two curriculums were blended.
In addition to focusing on technical skills, he helps his students become independent thinkers, learners, and individuals. While many of the program’s graduates have started careers as CAD technicians and design, professional, and military engineers, he does not believe that learning how to create designs and become a productive component of the developing world’s infrastructure is the most important things students should learn. Rather, he motivates students to explore their own interests, pursue their own dreams, and – most importantly – believe they can do anything they put their minds to.
Glaudemans also mentors by involving students in competitions and programs. These include Skills USA Vocational Industrial Clubs of America; the Baltimore chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) competition; and the Be Awards of Excellence student competition program.
"The Be Awards of Excellence program has provided an exceptional opportunity for students to create unique and creative solutions to common problems involved in today’s engineering and construction industry. It has allowed students to build their own skills related to problem solving and collaboration, and has provided a means for students to show to an international audience what they are capable of doing." - Peter Glaudemans
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