What is your name and department? Robb Barton, ECSB (Engineering, Computers Science, and Business Ed)
What got you interested in engineering? So when I was a kid growing up my dad was a welder, my brother was an auto mechanic, and my next-door neighbor was a cabinet maker. So basically fiddling with things was all around me. I was really big into Legos and RC cars and how video games worked, and I would always take scrap wood out of my next-door neighbor’s house to make my things.
What got you interested in teaching? When I got into college I wanted to go into mass communications and be a journalist, but I found out I had more of a passion in tech and woodworking. And then one day my supervisor from the college came and said that we could teach this stuff and I had no idea. So the minute he said that I was sold because I could take all my passions and share them.
How do you apply recent engineering advancements to your class? That’s constant. It seems every year we’re getting new technology. With the laser cutters, even though they’re not new, it feels like we’re learning how to do something new with them all the time. All of us teachers go on Instructables and YouTube and we see stuff we’ve never seen before and we learn awesome new stuff.
What is your greatest strength as an educator, don’t be modest! Somehow, I don’t know how I do it. Helping students discover their passion and somehow making them better than me at what we do in the classroom. I don’t know but it happens. I mean, if you go pick out the worst one of our projects, it’s probably mine.
How has your time coaching the Robotics Club been since you started? It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. I did it for six years and then I stepped down because I needed a break. But since three years ago I’ve been getting back into it; I’m the co-instructor now and Mr. Powell is in charge. I’m definitely very excited to see where we go from here.
How do you manage your time to make room for personal projects and spending time with family? I usually keep work stuff at work and home stuff at home. I’ll jam my day and free periods, with researching projects, developing lesson plans, and grading. If I have to prep at home I’ll typically do it late at night, so that gives me a good chunk of personal time.
What are your greatest accomplishments in your personal and professional life? For my personal life, it may seem cliche; but it would definitely be raising two amazing kids who want to discover the world and find their passion. And for work, it’s gotta be starting the Robotics Club with Mrs. Hankes and having the success we did almost immediately and seeing other kids gain the same passion.
When you were growing up, who was your role model? I think my role model was my older brother because he worked so hard and was so successful at so many things he did. He could communicate and have a conversation with anyone and he always made people feel like they were someone worth talking to.
In the places you’ve traveled, where has been your favorite? Probably Las Vegas just because of the huge array of places to see and people to meet. It’s just like a different world and the size of the buildings is incredible; larger than life.
What is the best live concert you’ve ever been to? Guns N’ Roses at Soldier Field 2018, because I just couldn’t believe how good Axel Rose sounded that night. It was just incredible.
What’s your favorite movie and why? This is such a tough question. My favorite movie definitely used to be “The Matrix” but the sequels kind of ruined them for me. I’d probably have to go with “Office Space” just because I can watch it over and over again.
