@Random with Industrial Arts teacher Dan Stitt
Interview by James Hanyo, Staff Writer
April 7, 2010
(Bailey Libitzer photo)
|
Although a talented woodworker, industrial arts teacher Dan Stitt is also a musician who plays piano, guitar and bass guitar. While he claims that he can fix anything, he does admit that he’s never been good at welding and never got the hang of auto mechanics. You won’t be surprised to find out that his favorite magazine is Fine Woodworking. And his favorite place to shop? Lowes, of course.
Stitt describes himself as hardworking, happy and fun. He’s visited Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Jamaica and Canada, but says his favorite vacation ever was in Hawaii. He said he is inspired by his father and grandfather, and one lesson his parent taught him that he carries with him is always keep working.
This early bird says if he were a cartoon character, he would most likely be Bob the Builder. And as for movies, the one he could watch over and over is “Star Wars.” His pick for best band ever is Led Zeppelin. And if he were a rapper, he would call himself “Stitt Doggy.”
Right now his favorite song is Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” mostly, he said, because he’s a teacher. His favorite fictional character is Superman because “he always does the right thing.” A movie line he often finds himself quoting is from “Apocalypse Now”: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
He said that milk, butter and an assortment of condiments can always be found in his refrigerator. The oddest thing he’s ever enjoyed eating is calamari, but he refuses to eat tomatoes. He claims to be able to make a great steak and thinks grandma’s apple pie is the best dessert ever.
(Bailey Libitzer photo)
|
When Stitt is bored, he said he works, but he avoids washing floors because that is his least favorite household chore. Slow drivers annoy him, but people who litter are his all-time worst pet peeve. He says the best day of the week is Friday because it’s the end of the workweek, and the worst month of the year is August because that is when school starts. Not surprisingly, to Stitt the best thing about being a teacher is having the summer off and the worst is having to wake up early during the school year.
As a high school student, his favorite subject was biology, he played sports, and he was active in chess club, drama club, stage crew and the woodworking club. He said his German teacher, Dr. Lane, was the teacher who most influenced him. This California University of Pennsylvania graduate said he wishes he could trade places with Bill Gates for just one day. The “coolest” thing he said he’s ever done is gone to college and graduated.
Stitt says the one thing he could not live without is his children. He admits to watching “Dora the Explorer” and the one book he’s read lately is “Go, Dog, Go” (both presumably with his children). Giving his own mother a Grandmother’s card is the best gift he said he’s ever given someone. The one legal thing he admits being addicted to is love.
If he were independently wealthy, he says he would build his own model train set. The best place he’s ever lived is New Kensington. Stitt has one older brother and wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. Students who want to bribe him could offer up some good food, and he said his next goal is to buy another house.
“Get-r-done” is his favorite quote, and when asked to finish a statement beginning with “I am,” his response was “I am ready.” He said he would never steal or cheat and hopefully will never cut himself.
He enjoys playing basketball, but likes watching hockey. His favorite color combination is black and gold. Stories in the media about shootings always capture his attention, and when he thinks of the future, he is most afraid of wars. And if Stitt could leave right now and travel anywhere in the world, we would find him in the tropics hanging on the beach.
[comments] |
