You’re Right!
You’re Right!
I started woodworking in my grandfather’s basement at a young age. I started using tools even earlier than that. Using tools was never foreign to me. However, as a teacher I find that even using ubiquitous tools like scissors or a stapler are difficult for many kids these days. At the age of 5 I was using a hammer, nails, or screwdriver. Today many 5 year olds cannot cut a piece of construction paper. They can certainly find their way around a smartphone or a video game which I admittedly continue to struggle with. However these activities are not doing anything to develop physical confidence, spatial awareness or math skills.
When it comes to woodworking, veterinary medicine, engineering, and any other vocation our children may choose, the knowledge of that endeavor always develops from nothing. As a parent I feel removing barriers to their development is the most important thing I do. Most barriers for my young children are physical but the older they get more and more of the barriers are psychological. I’ve noticed that the more confident they are in a physical task translates into increased confidence when faced with psychological challenges. This is the number one reason we started Creative Maple Woodworks.
I would be very rich if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how I learned to do the things I do. When I tell them that most of the time I didn’t know how to do what I do until I tried it. They look at me like I have some superpower and say things like “I could never do that.” I’m reminded of the old saying “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” The truth is that I became comfortable with tools at a young age. And perhaps I liked working with my hands more than my peers. However, everyone is capable of creating. It’s the mere thought that something is difficult that tends to stop most people before they even try. Whether we like it or not our children are listening. Watching. Learning…from us. It’s time to teach something new.
