DUNEDIN, Fla. — This week’s A+ Teacher pursued the career he’s in now after an injury in 2020.

Brandon Szymanski hurt his harm in a snowboarding accident and couldn’t continue being an electrician. He transitioned to a career in teaching trades to students.

He’s the building trades instructor at Dunedin High School and leads the construction technologies program. 

“We focus on electricity and framing, roofing, all these different things,” said Szymanski. “All the projects you see around me are things built by the students.”

Over the summer, he taught at a summer camp at the school aimed at introducing different careers to students. 

“We’re just trying to come up with new intuitive ways of getting them interested in the trades, working with their hands,” said Szymanski.

During the school year, he works with his students to make sure they have hands-on experiences in different trades so they can find a career path to pursue.

“I know every single student. I know what they want to do, and I try to help them achieve those goals,” he said. “I use my professional career before I came here and all my connections to really help these students get their foot in the door and communicate to employees exactly what these students are capable of.”

Szymanski is teaching them the technical skills they need but also life skills.

“I don’t want them to just find a job,” he said. “I want them to be five years down the road. I want them to be thinking about their electrical license with the state or opening a business or starting a real estate investment group.

“I want them doing something that’s for them and not just to survive.”

He says he’s looking forward to the new school year starting in two weeks. 

“I can’t wait to see what ideas we get out of the students this year,” he said. “And what creations we can do.”