By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Prayer is powerful, and just listing a request on a prayer list sometimes brings an instant answer.
The director of Upward Hope Academy found herself in a quandary when the school’s longstanding shop teacher had a great job offer in Houston just as the school year was about to start.
Shop class is a vital subject for the students at UHA. Eighty percent of the students enroll in the hands-on class. “The kids learn a lot in shop class about cooperation, problem solving, math and they have fun,” explained the school’s director, Kathy Whatley.
Kathy’s first response, as a woman of faith, was to ask her prayer chain to pray for a shop teacher. Little did she know, on her prayer chain was an individual who had a long time ago dreamed of being a high school art teacher.
“Right after I put out the request, I got a response from John Scott, who is now our new shop teacher,” said Whatley. “The students really have a lot of respect for him, we are so thankful to have him,” Whatley added.
John Scott prefers to work behind the scenes; when asked to pose for a photo, his shy spirit becomes very apparent. He has spent a lifetime building sets behind the scenes so that performing artists were able to shine and deliver their artistic talents.
Scott had been a private business owner building sets for the motion picture industry.
While his business was in Atlanta, his work was shipped to Los Angeles. He also designed and built sets for promotional exhibits. His handiwork was once part of exhibits at the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta.
Born at St Joseph’s Hospital in Houston, Scott returned to Houston in 2000 to be closer to his parents. While in Houston, he developed skills in 3-D design. In 2014 he retired from his full-time work in design and began working as an accountant for a rental company.
He and his wife have a home in Texas City and attend First Baptist Church in Galveston. This is where the prayer chain was initiated. “I saw the request and knew it was what I wanted to do,” said Scott.
During his first year of college, Scott reports he was drafted and while down at Houston’s downtown Post Office, he along with other draftees were invited to enlist in one of the branches other than the Army.
“My granddad was in the Navy during World War II and at the time I was a surfer, so I said to myself, ‘hey I’m going to join the Navy.’”
Scott served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War on the Benjamin Stoddert. He had several tours of duty during his four years of service, but he was never required to get off his ship.
After his service in the Navy, he came home and enrolled in college. At that time, he was focused on becoming a high school art teacher. Then he and his wife added a baby to their household and that pulled his attention away from college and onto providing for his family.
As he enters the autumn years of his life, he is teaching high school students how to express themselves through art and design. But does he have experience teaching the use of power tools and can he work well with young people?
For a couple years he served as a youth leader at his church, and he has taught others how to use the tools of the carpentry trade.
“While owning my own business, I hired inexperienced adults and taught them carpentry,” said Scott.
The skills he is sharing with the students are skills they can use beyond the classroom. One of his students has plans for just how she will use her skills. “I’m hoping I can help my aunt as she builds her house,” shared Anna, who is a senior at the school.
Scott has a laid-back approach to working with the students at UHA. He understands the importance of them building something they are proud of and not an exact replica of his work. He is observant of what they are doing and is on hand to guide them to find answers and solutions to their own design dilemmas.
“I like working here, I feel that if I can reach one student to understand the essentials of life, that’s a life well spent but if I can reach multiple students with knowledge and skill sets, that’s even better,” shared Scott.
For several years, the students of UHA have been crafting holiday décor for sale as a fundraiser and as an entrepreneurial learning experience. Without a shop teacher at the beginning of the year the students would not have had time to build their skills to take on holiday orders.
Thanks to an answered prayer, the students will be ready to churn out holiday décor in time for the holidays all the while building their creative skills and learning some essential life skills.
