6 Reasons Why Every Student Should Take Shop Class:
"Shop class, once a staple of American high schools, has been nearly decimated by the digital age. High school students have little time for electives, and when they do, they often choose technology classes. Schools are selling off their circular saws to buy computer labs, and trading in their welding tools for web-cams. After all, why do our kids need to know how to build a birdhouse when they can buy one at Home Depot for $9.99?"
But new voices are calling for the return of shop class. In his 2009 book, Shop Class as Soulcraft, Mathew Crawford praises the benefits of learning how to do manual work. In a time where most of our work is intangible, working with our hands can bring a sense of satisfaction that is lacking in our virtual lives. Even if one doesn’t go into a manual trade, the ability to make and fix the utilities we need can help us “live concretely in an abstract world.”
Mark Leeper was a Civil Engineer before deciding to become a math teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School. Once he got there, he found more personal reward in the hands-on nature of teaching woodshop. After two decades of helping kids learn woodworking, he has seen every type of student benefit from the lessons of practical experience. Here is a list of reasons why every student should consider taking shop class:
"Shop class, once a staple of American high schools, has been nearly decimated by the digital age. High school students have little time for electives, and when they do, they often choose technology classes. Schools are selling off their circular saws to buy computer labs, and trading in their welding tools for web-cams. After all, why do our kids need to know how to build a birdhouse when they can buy one at Home Depot for $9.99?"
But new voices are calling for the return of shop class. In his 2009 book, Shop Class as Soulcraft, Mathew Crawford praises the benefits of learning how to do manual work. In a time where most of our work is intangible, working with our hands can bring a sense of satisfaction that is lacking in our virtual lives. Even if one doesn’t go into a manual trade, the ability to make and fix the utilities we need can help us “live concretely in an abstract world.”
Mark Leeper was a Civil Engineer before deciding to become a math teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School. Once he got there, he found more personal reward in the hands-on nature of teaching woodshop. After two decades of helping kids learn woodworking, he has seen every type of student benefit from the lessons of practical experience. Here is a list of reasons why every student should consider taking shop class: