A world away from the red dirt of Oklahoma, David Shields and Shelly Smith felt right at home. A national grant took the Meridian Technology Center automotive teachers on a trip to Germany that car lovers only dream about. The tour to the major automakers last summer has them geared up and bringing fresh ideas to the classroom. They spent four days gathering information and soaking up the history of the auto industry through tours of the museums and manufacturing plants of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. In their tour of manufacturing facilitates the two witnessed how parts are produced from heavy coils of steel, how they are assembled into a car body and painted. They also learned how international engines are produced and are able to follow a car on its way to completion. They observed the assembly process and the quality testing, processes that will benefit them as they teach their students.