US Schools need to bring back Shop classes
An article written by Sir Ken Robinson, PhD. for Time Magazine astutely points out one glaring irony of the No Child Left Behind initiative. Its focus has been exclusively academic standards without regard for vocational classes like wood and metal shop. Dr. Robinson states his case for the promotion of wood shop classes and students far more eloquently than I can recap here. If you have a moment, please read it here. Alternatively, listen to his 2006 Ted talk for more insights on creative schooling and how wood shop classes are of critical importance to modern education.
John Morgan is a Wood Mentor
We recently met John Morgan, the wood shop teacher for Spring View Middle School in Huntington Beach, California. We connected through the Woodworking Teachers Network. John uses exotic and high end domestic hardwoods for his class projects. We had odds and ends of unique woods in the yard. We made John a Godfather offer. Swing by the yard and we’ll load your car with Genuine Mahogany, Maple, Hawaiian Mango, Quartersawn Anigre, and Pimento cut offs. All at no charge.
The Modern Wood Shop Class 2.0
John’s classes are highly interactive and well equipped with modern machinery and tools. His enthusiasm carries over to his students and their projects. Eschewing basic woodshop 101-plans, John’s projects include:
- memo writers
- key holders
- coin banks
- picture frames
- magazine racks
- puzzle boxes
Spring View Middle School’s program is a model for contemporary wood shop classes. In an era when many school shop classes are either gone or are just hanging in, John’s classes are thriving. Well done. Keep up the good work!
March 2019 Update: Orange County Register Article
Wood Shop instructors John Morgan and Steve Kuhn are featured in a March 2019 Orange County Register article here.
It is great to see the Wood Shop revival movement gaining momentum and press coverage.
Quora Question on Wood Scraps
Recently, a woodworker on Quora asked me for advice on how to obtain scrap wood.
Although the woodworker did not give many details, I know what he was asking. We receive many requests for scrap hardwood, either free or discounted. Accordingly, I laid out a guide for picking up low-cost materials. The recommendations work just as well for commercial requests as they do for altruistic ones.