Talking to Ron Hazelton, Curious Teacher of the Week, was not only interesting but also left me completely energized. In one conversation, we covered his passion for working with his hands, experience of moving to San Francisco on a whim and eventually to Connecticut for love, path to working for Good Morning America, and much more. Ron’s varied and impressive background shows he is a true lifelong learner.
In addition to hosting his most recent show, Ron Hazelton's HouseCalls (info available on RonHazelton.com), Ron teaches DIY home improvement on Curious.com. We chose Ron as Teacher of the Week because he’s a fantastic teacher. Home improvement tasks can be daunting (power tools are no joke!) but Ron’s teaching style is inviting, thoughtful, and simple in the best way possible.
Please meet the creative and multi-talented Ron Hazelton!
Hi, Ron! To introduce yourself, tell our readers what you teach on Curious.com?
I teach do-it-yourself home improvement. Some of my lessons include How to Build a DIY Pergola, How to Install Gutters, and How to Refurbish Wood Cabinets.
We love your lessons, and we were very happy to have you as a Curious 100 teacher. Tell us about your work, and how you got started with teaching. I know you’ve got a background in TV.
I began my career as a marketing consultant in Boston. I decided to dump all of that, and jumped on a motorcycle and moved to San Francisco. I opened up a storefront restoration workshop called Cow Hollow Woodworks. The inspiration for the workshop came from being consistently exposed to making things myself from the time I was a kid. My father is a builder, and built our family home when he was 19. Home improvement is in my blood.
I got into the TV business by accident. My dentist put me in touch with a KGO-TV producer. We ended up creating The House Doctor, the first home improvement show where we went into people’s homes to help them build. The series eventually aired on HGTV. Working on those projects on-site with homeowners was my foray into teaching.
I went on to become the Home Improvement Editor for Good Morning America, and hosted the History Channel Series called Hands On History, among other History Channel shows. Now, I host Ron Hazelton’s HouseCalls.
So, you obviously have a lot of experience with TV media.
Why Curious.com? Why online teaching through video?
The internet is the best way to distribute information these days, because learners want content on demand through their laptops, iPads and smartphones. People are doing my projects in their yard or garage or wherever, and love to have the video lessons right there next to them anytime they need.
Also, the web is more interactive than TV - on Curious, you can do exercises to reinforce your understanding, post a photo of your project, and communicate with the teacher.
The online learning format is clear and extremely efficient. It’s process-oriented, which really helps when people are learning home improvement tips. A good video almost doesn’t require audio - it can be that powerful.
We definitely agree. What do you love about home improvement, and your job in general?
I just love to work with my hands. It’s incredibly gratifying. I also really enjoy working with my students, especially those who are first starting out with their homes.
But there’s this other market of older people who have time on their hands, and are downsizing to smaller homes. They want to stay interested and active, and are re-engaging with their homes. They’re lifelong learners, which resonates with me because I deeply believe in continuing to learn forever.
That’s why we do what we do - lifelong learning is all about developing our potential as people. Last but not least, let us know: what is one home DIY project you’ve worked on that stands out, and why?
One of my favorite projects entailed building a slide-out pantry. This project stands out for me because it’s something I did for our family and something we use every single day. Typically, things stored in the back of deep kitchen cabinets are hard to see and difficult to access – in a sense, they become “lost”. This slide-out pantry allows every bit of storage space to be used and gives each item front row status. This same idea can be used to convert a closet into a pull-out pantry.
Thanks for talking with us, Ron!
Watch Ron Hazelton lessons on Curious: curious.com/ronhazelton
