this for me is heaven...

Today in the Clear Spring School wood shop, first, second and third grade students helped in the making of two bird feeders, sawing and planing each of the parts by hand, and wanting to hammer each and every nail (until they got bent and wanted help). It is fun working with such enthusiastic young folks.

The seventh, 8th and 9th grade students had a practice day using crosscut saws and squares and scroll saws. We weren't making anything in particular, just testing and developing skill.

One of my 7th grade boys exclaimed, "This for me is heaven." And I tend to feel that way myself. A bit of time in the woodshop makes many things better. I explained that many woodworkers enjoy wood working because the level of concentration required makes all pressing problems disappear from view, which was confirmed by one of my young woodworkers who came in crying because her small sister had been taken this morning to a far away hospital for emergency surgery to save her life following a serious accident. As she was leaving wood shop with evidence of her own learning and concentration, she told me, "It worked."

There have been those who've believed that wood shops no longer have a role to play in modern education. Due to the prevalence of stupidity and insensitivity to its true worth, I can suggest that schools have been made plain and boring for too many as a result.

Make, fix and create...