Assabet Teacher Gets National 'Wade Factor' Award

A motivational speaker, Mark Perna gives inspiring speeches to schools to “put the right students in the right programs for the right reasons. He’ll often talk about a bus driver named Wade who had a profound effect on him when he was traveling years ago in Baltimore. Wade ended up moving from being a bus driver to a marketing specialist.

Perna’s got a website and Facebook page seen by thousands of career and technical educators, and on it he includes a section on the “Wade Factor” and asks for nominations of individuals who consistently embody the qualities that Wade so obviously possessed.

According to Perna, a “Wade” exudes passion for what they do, shares and inspires that passion in others, and makes a positive difference every day. Perna goes on to say that if we had more Wades, the world would be a better place.

Neil Mansfield, a lead teacher in metal fabrication at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, was nominated for the award by a co-worker, and was notified recently that he won the award. He’s now featured on the site, and will receive an official certificate.

Mansfield credited both of his parents, his own vocational education, and his time in the Navy (23 years) “with instilling certain core values and work ethic into him, and strives to share and instill those qualities in his students. “

” It’s very satisfying to know that my students are not only attaining higher skill levels but are also reaching new levels of citizenship by demonstrating kindness, compassion, and a general willingness to help others,” he said in an announcement. “My personal style is to lead by example. Each day I try to demonstrate, with my own passion for metalworking, a zest for life, a strong work ethic, and respect for others.”