|
 In the fifth grade,
Paul Johnson was given a fish tank. By the sixth grade, he wired
it through the telephone line so that he could call home using
a code he had installed, and automatically feed the fish.
Johnson, now 23 years old, has already worked for two years with
Carrier Heating and Air Conditioning in Oklahoma City . . . a
job made possible by a combination of his ingenuity and skills
learned through the Red River Technology Center air conditioning
program. He plans on becoming an engineer and
a motivational speaker to help build self-esteem in kids.
For Johnson, success did not come easily because of his learning
disability. He's illiterate. "There's a BIG difference between
illiterate and lazy," Johnson said. "You have to have
at least an average IQ to be called illiterate. And there are
means to compensate for this 'hidden disability.' I know. I use
them."
That "illiterate" label, however, almost prohibited
Johnson from getting into the air conditioning and electricity
class even though he had a tremendous interest and natural ability.
"I was told by some that I would never succeed in life because
I couldn't read," Johnson said. "This disability is
not an excuse to get out of things. And, people who have disabilities
usually have strengths in other places."
Johnson's strengths are memory and numbers.
"I have trouble with letters, not numbers. Science, math
or chemistry were never difficult for me, but English and classes
that required a lot of reading and writing were tough,"
Johnson said. "I'd just watch the teacher and memorize everything
said. After a test, I could erase what I didn't need anymore."
Red River's occupational air conditioning
teacher, Mike Darnell, took a chance on Johnson.
Darnell helped Johnson compensate for his disability in the classroom.
All his studies were on CD ROM or voice-activated with the computer
and Johnson was assigned a reader for tests.
But, no slack was cut for Johnson.
"Mr. Darnell said that standards for me would be the same
as the rest of the class," Johnson said. "He'd match
me effort-for-effort. The more effort I put into the class, the
more he would, too."
Johnson thrived in the class. He was an honor student and a state
and national competition winner with the vocational student organization,
Vocational and Industrial Clubs of America (VICA).
Today, this young man - who looks even younger - finds he has
to prove himself daily because of his youth.
"There are eight techs in the Oklahoma City office,"
Johnson said. "I may be the youngest they've ever hired.
But, you don't end up and stay with Carrier by accident. They
(Carrier) are recognized as one of the best in the world."
Gaining the confidence and trust of his customers, like that
of his career tech instructor, takes time. Often, the customer
stays right over your shoulder throughout the service call, he
said. It's their money. It's their time.
"You've got to be able to tell them what's wrong - and they
need to be able to trust what you tell them." Carrier's
services range from home ice-makers to 3,000 tons of cooling
chillers with customers like Oklahoma State University's chill
water plant.
"We chase problems," Johnson said. "I never graduate.
Every day something new and more efficient is invented. And,
I question everything."
Johnson says there are no mysteries. In electricity, it either
is or it isn't. It does or it doesn't. There's a reason behind
everything that happens. And, for him, discovering that is the
fun part of his job.
But, safety comes first. There is no room for mistakes when you
are working with up to 480 volts, if only 120 volts can hurt
or kill a person.
"There is a code of science," Johnson said. "A
way it works and moves and acts. Electricity and machines are
boss here. These buildings (OSU) are built for this equipment
- not for people."
This isn't a classroom. It's the real world with no one to ask
how something ought to be done, Johnson said. That pressure makes
some people "pull their hair out." To Johnson, it's
fun.
"I really love it when I get a problem that no one else
can figure out. It may take an hour or days to figure it out,
but when you fix it, turn it on - and it runs - that's awesome!"
Carrier supports Johnson's dream of further education toward
mechanical or electrical engineering but, helping kids with disabilities
or problems with self-esteem is another dream Johnson wishes
to share.
"I'd like to share the positives, because these kids may
be so used to hearing the negatives. I'd like to tell them to
not get discouraged if things aren't as easy for you as it seems
they are for other people," Johnson said.
"Like Mr. Darnell and I used to say, 'Shoot for the moon.
When you bump into a star, turn around and look at the moon that
you've already passed."
|
