ANDREWS One of the only high school barbering programs in West Texas is housed at Andrews High School.
Cosmetology and Barber Instructor Mariam Morris has been at AHS for two years and has 43 students. She also has taught at community colleges and salons.
Morris first got into cosmetology while a student at Midland High School.
“… I am a big fan of getting a trade in high school because that’s why I got my trade. … I knew I wanted to teach. I loved my own cosmetology teacher. I loved everything she was teaching us in high school; everything she was representing and that’s how I got into it. When I graduated, I got my license and I started trying to get everything lined out so I (would) be able to teach …,” Morris said.
Teaching high school students is a lot of work, she acknowledged and they are as excited as she is to be part of the barbering program.
“… How many boys do you know who want to touch a comb; blow dryer; and mannequins and doll heads all day, so I’m very excited they’re happy to be here,” Morris said.
Initially, she thought she was going to have maybe 10 students interested in barbering. Then she looked at her roster and was surprised to see how popular it was.
“Parents started calling and seeing how could their kids get in,” Morris said.
She added that with Andrews being a small town, there aren’t a lot of jobs. Morris noted that there are programs in welding and mechanics, for example.
“We have all of it and they’re able to leave here with a career … Not everybody’s going to go to college … the program is free. Everything is free,” Morris said.
“… If you wait until after high school to take it it can be $5,000 to $20,000,” she added.
Students learn to shave with a straight razor, do basic haircuts, facials, manicuring and hair coloring. On a recent Thursday they were learning how to perm hair.
She said perms were very popular right now and they can perm each other’s hair so they don’t have to go elsewhere and pay someone to do it.
“I have at least eight or nine students with a perm,” Morris said.
“They learn pretty much everything cosmetology learns. The only thing different is they learn how to straight shave. They work with a straight blade,” Morris said.
Barbering has experienced a resurgence recently, but 10, 15, or almost 20 years ago, you couldn’t find a barber shop anywhere, she said.
“… You had to go and get your hair done at a local salon or with a stylist. Now there are barbershops everywhere, on every corner …You see more men walking around with nice clean face shaves and nice haircuts. And, there’s a barber shop on almost every other corner, so that’s a good thing. It is coming back and a lot of people are interested in taking it; making a lot of money off of it. My students, they can’t wait to go work in a barber shop. Right now. I’m trying to get them on an intern basis, talking to people so that they can intern with them in your barber shops,” Morris added.
She added that Andrews has more barber shops currently than hair salons, so a lot of students will be able to intern in town.
She said many want to open up their own spot and some are wanting to get a license so that they can move out of Andrews. “But a lot of them are looking to work here. They have a lot of family and friends here that they want to keep cutting. I’m thankful to the community because since the program has been here, they have been very faithful to come in here, letting the students work on them … sending kids in here to get haircuts. The students have been awesome. I have a student in here every other period to get a haircut from the students …,” Morris said.
A basic haircut with the barbers is $7. If you’re a student in high school, it is free. A shave is $3, so for a shave and a haircut, it is $10.
“Most of your barber shops are charging $30, $40,” she said.
Morris was in cosmetology first, but had to go to barber school to earn a barber license before opening the barbering program at AHS. It took almost eight months to finish barber school.
“But it was very (educational) to go back and get new training,” and refresh herself on things she might have forgotten about, Morris said.
“It’s a different aspect. … I had to ask myself, will I be able to teach a classroom full of boys? But it’s working out. …,” Morris said.
Born and raised in Midland, Morris drives back and forth to Andrews daily.
Aaron Estrada and Gehrig Morris, both 17-year-old juniors, Noah Aranda, and Jadrian Aguilera, both 16-year-old juniors, find themselves enthralled with the vocation.
“I always wanted to try something new and fun and I always wanted to cut hair, so I was really interested in doing this,” Estrada said.
Estrada said the course has been what he expected.
“… Everything’s pretty fun here, whatever you do, so there’s just not really a thing that is a favorite. It’s just things that you enjoy doing,” Estrada said.
He also is considering sports or business, but he will cut hair if things continue going well.
“… It would be a really good start to make more money as a backup plan, or just a plan to proceed after school,” Estrada said.
He is in track, football and baseball. He plays corner and running back for football and centerfield for baseball.
“It’s a really nice program. Everybody knows everybody, so we’re like all family. We’re just really close and have that bond. … You can really ask them for anything and they’ll always be there for you,” Estrada said.
He added that he would like to thank the teaching staff.
“… They’re really nice and respectful to others and welcoming to a lot of people. And I’m just very blessed to have our school that has barbering … because other schools don’t have that, so we just take advantage of it so we can have our education and learn from what we’re doing,” Estrada added.
Morris said he got interested in barbering because one of his friends started cutting hair a couple of years ago.
“… Then I saw it on one of our schedule options. So I went ahead and picked it and it turned out to be a great experience,” Morris said.
The connection with other people is what he has enjoyed most so far.
“I get to come in here with these young men every day and the love you feel from everybody in here is amazing,” he said.
Morris said this wasn’t something he imagined doing even two years ago, so it’s unexpected that he’s enjoying it.
He didn’t know what to expect from the course at first.
“… We’re in here for three class periods, so it’s either going to be a lot of fun, or it’s going to be torture, but it’s turned out to be great,” Morris said.
The first time he cut someone’s hair, he said, it was nerve racking. People make it look easy, but when you start trying to do it yourself it’s a big awakening to find out how hard it actually is, he said.
The program, Morris said, is amazing.
“We get to come in here and learn something that not a lot of people get offered at other schools, so I think it’s a great thing to offer,” Morris said.
Through the program, Morris said he has met people that he had seen around school, but never thought he would become friends with.
“But I’ve made a great bond with a lot of people I would have never thought I’d become friends with,” Morris said.
He added that he would like to work in a barber shop after he finishes school somewhere, or even start his own.
Morris added that this is a great program, and if you get a chance to take it and you think you’ll enjoy it, go ahead and take it.
Aranda said he has a friend who works at a barber shop in Odessa who inspired him to take the course.
“Everything we do is pretty great,” Aranda said.
He said perms are his favorite thing so far.
“I like doing hard stuff and challenging stuff. Perms are pretty challenging,” Aranda said.
Aguilera said he likes the art of barbering, “Like knowing that you can make nothing into something.”
He added that it’s nice to have the program at Andrews because it can teach students a career.
“Students can know that there’s different options of what they can do,” Aguilera said.
He added that he enjoys everything — perming hair; cutting hair; using shears. When he started, he kept snapping the space between his fingers, which was “terrible.”
“I learned from my mistakes, so you do it less often,” Aguilera said.
He added that Mariam Morris is a good teacher.
“I really appreciate her,” Aguilera said.
Barbering is something he said he wants to pursue.
“It’s an art,” he said. He added that you have to be dedicated and focused.
Aguilera added that skills learned in the barbering course are useful, it’s a good source of income and something people need to “look presentable.”
