Jim Nelson
Jim Nelson never planned to be a teacher. But, the profession found him! Jim started his working life shortly after high school working on stock cars, installing parts, and doing construction jobs before opening a demo/construction company. He also repaired and detailed cars and managed pre-delivery inspections at a dealership. When Vail was planning a new high school with a CTE focus including a Transportation Technologies Pathway, Jim Nelson was the perfect fit… now he needed a teaching certificate. Because Vail placed such a tremendous value on Jim’s industry experience and his vision for the new program, Jim earned his teaching certificate through extensive professional development in Vail and through Pima County JTED education courses.
Since then, Jim has been teaching Transportation Technologies, Welding, and Alternative Energy, and has earned all ten ASE Certifications. Everything in Jim’s courses is hands on and conceptual. And, because many of Jim’s students struggled with math, he began incorporating automotive math into his courses. Students study the math behind cubic inch displacement, steering angles, ride height, etc. His students now often come to him with a math concept they are learning and try to find its application in a car!
Jim has coached just about everything available in the Vail Community and the Vail School District, but his favorite community outreach program at Andrada consisted of building a new sleigh for the annual Red Sleigh Toy Run by the Christian Motorcycle Group. The group began delivering toys to underprivileged children years ago with just a few kids in the Vail area. Vail now serves 3,500 children in this capacity. They needed an upgraded sleigh, so Jim’s students built it. Never has Jim been prouder than when he sees that sleigh rolling down the highway behind a custom motorcycle serving the needs of our community!
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