Three Generations of Construction Teachers

Sometimes the impact of a great teacher can be measured years later—and not only in the success of one former student, but in the subsequent generation of students that same person goes on to inspire.

More than a decade ago, Bengi Price was Bo Dooley’s construction teacher at Gordon Central High School. Bo graduated in 2014 and continued his education at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, where he earned credentials in Construction Management and Electrical.

Bo then spent several years working in the field. But his success story didn’t end there.

When Bengi decided to return to his hometown to teach at Chattooga High School, he knew exactly who he wanted to take his place. He called Bo and said, “I want you to take this job.”

So Bo returned to the classroom, this time as the teacher at Gordon Central, and began giving students the same kind of opportunity and guidance Bengi had once given him. He also worked with Construction Ready to gain Industry Certification for the school from the Georgia Department of Education.

One of Bo’s students was Paul Guerrero, a 2021 graduate who followed a similar path—Paul earned a technical school education, then worked in the construction industry and gained real-world experience in the field.

And then he, too, returned to the classroom. Today, Paul teaches construction at Cass High School in nearby Bartow County.

“What runs through my mind is the thousands of kids who have been positively influenced,” says Bo, who now teaches at Sonoraville High School, also in Gordon County. “I was fortunate to learn under a great man, Mr. Price, and I do my best every day to continue teaching the lessons that he once taught me.

“Now I see Paul teaching those same lessons,” he continues. “It’s just amazing. The impact that students are now receiving all over Northwest Georgia because one man invested into a student and poured in everything he had—I’m thankful for that.”

For Bengi, watching the ripple effect continue is something special. “I’m proud of him,” Bengi says of Bo. “I’m just really proud of him and proud to be a part of it.”

And who knows: Even now, Paul Guerrero’s program at Cass may be developing another young man or woman who will follow the same path.

This story illustrates what can happen when young people are introduced to the skilled trades early, have teachers who believe in them, and are given a pathway to turn what they learn in the classroom into a career.

And these three men offer a great example of how a program becomes a pipeline and how one great teacher can ultimately influence generations of students he or she may never even meet.