Wood shop Grade 10, Metal shop Grade 11, electrical shop Grade 12, required for all boys.
I got more out of them than anything else in high school, and they certainly didn’t slow me down from getting into college or medical school when it was time.
Yep I remember such classes.
In my day, in my school, the boys took industrial arts classes, and the girls took home arts classes. I’m sure such class assignments would be verboten nowadays.
Basic, standard, college prep, and honors. At grades 7-9 the boundaries were fluid, one could move upwards depending on performance and motivation. At grade 8 students were allowed one or two elective courses, which included choice of required shop classes for all boys regardless of track. We had only metal and wood shop.
Those with desire to pursue more shop skills could go on to one of the two vocational HS which print shop, machine shop, auto shop, and electrical as well as continued metal and wood shop. As I recall these graduates had a very high employment rate, indeed many were sought as apprentices for summer work in senior year.
All high school shop classes had industrial grade machine tools
In the lead up to WWII, one technical high school even had an aviation shop, complete with Link trainer, cut away radial engines. This tech school differed from the vocational schools in that it provided grounding for future engineers with a full academic curriculum as well.
All worked well until the Kennedy Johnson years and the advent of teachers unions with future blue collar workers being totally screwed by the system, becoming the unloved step child of the education system.
And by the way, the entire DC Board of Ed administrators were housed in a single small office building...imagine that. ;>)
I started a lifetime of enjoyment from my wood shop class in high school. You go to a wood tool show and it is mostly older guys like me.