Amy Bogner has spent more than two decades repairing vehicles and the past four years preparing the next generation of collision repair technicians at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. She can now add another title to her resume: published author.
Bogner, who teaches Automotive Body Repair at the LoGuidice Educational Center, is the author of the workbook that accompanies the fourth edition of Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing, published by G-W Publisher. The workbook will be used by students in Career & Technical Education programs and post-secondary trade schools across the country to reinforce the lessons presented in the textbook.
The project began with a simple request.
As G-W Publisher prepared a new edition of its 6-12th-grade textbook, it invited instructors to review a chapter focused on electric vehicles. After Bogner completed the review and shared her feedback, the publisher asked whether she would be interested in writing the accompanying workbook.
She was first asked to develop sample questions for the electric vehicle chapter, using a variety of formats, including multiple choice, matching, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and identification. After submitting two rounds of sample questions and receiving positive feedback from the editor, Bogner was offered the opportunity to write the entire workbook.
Over the course of four months, she authored questions for all 36 chapters of the textbook while continuing to teach full-time.
As each chapter manuscript was finalized, it was sent to Bogner, who wrote 40 to 50 review questions before submitting completed sections to the publisher. By the end of the project, she had written nearly 1,800 questions.
Most of the work was completed in the evenings and on weekends to meet the publisher’s deadlines. Seeing the finished publication made the effort worthwhile.
“Being a published author feels surreal,” Bogner said. “I never imagined that would be part of my career. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of, and it gave me a real sense of accomplishment.”
Bogner said she hopes the workbook helps students build the knowledge and confidence needed to succeed in a field where qualified technicians remain in high demand.
“There just aren’t enough skilled people to fill the jobs,” she said. “Many experienced technicians are retiring, and not enough younger people are entering the trade. Shops are looking for trained, certified technicians who are ready to contribute right away.”
