New wood shop teacher finds his way ‘home’

After growing up right on Mountain Avenue, wood shop teacher Robert Haas is eager to “come home” and guide his students around the world of carpentry. 

Wood shop is an Arts elective, where students learn how to understand how the class works and how to use carpentry skills. They learn about the tools used in the class and how to finish your woodwork, and much more. Students get to choose what to make, anything from shoe rack to a coffee table, and they get to personalize it the best they can. 

“He makes class enjoyable, from working with the students to teaching different techniques to help us understand the lessons,” sophomore Greg Ryan said

  Prior to being hired at West Essex this year, Haas worked at Montclair High School for the past nine years teaching carpentry. 

“I lived in Montclair for most of my adult life,” Haas said. 

“I started doing carpentry because it is physical and there is something noble about it.” 

Haas said he’s faced some challenges transitioning to at West Essex. The biggest challenge is, naturally, such a physical class as wood shop through Zoom. He gives his students small exercises over Zoom so  they can still do work from home. Haas said he thinks that the school is doing a wonderful job dealing with virtual learning during this pandemic. 

“Right now, we are planning out our item that we are going to create when we get back to school,” Ryan said. 

Haas enjoys working with students, teaching them about the world of woodworking. He has a hands-on teaching strategy, demonstrating how to properly make something, by showing how he does it for the students who are in school.“I think the best way to teach is to show them how to do something, then let them do it.” Haas said.

He has many goals for his first year here at West Essex, and his focus is on how his students are doing. 

“My goal is to build as much as we can and teach the incredible virtues of carpentry,”Haas said. 

Coming back to the town he grew up in, Haas is prepared to bring his knowledge of carpentry to the table. 

“Having grown up here, it is special,” he said.  “Sort of coming back home.”