These days, I often find myself reflecting on the “in limbo” nature of my life. While I work on a daily basis, I also attend university, where I am continually shifting between being a student and a future teacher. This juggling act, however, becomes especially, noticeably unbalanced in carpentry class, where I find myself largely a student and, no where near qualified to become an instructor in this subject area anytime soon.
In the meantime, however, this perspective has further highlighted the importance of building a relationship with students that welcomes the asking of questions, regardless of how redundant or obvious they maybe. Although having a student unsure of whether 2 + 2 = 4 might not be as dangerous as not knowing how to use a table saw, learning how to use the various machines/tools in the workshop has acted as a reminder to constantly be aware of the atmosphere in one’s class and whether it is in fact conducive to inquiry. Despite feeling a little like an ignorant child, requiring an annoying amount of handholding , knowing that the teacher will repeatedly show you, without frustration, how to e.g. adjust the table saw once again etc. is a great comfort. It is because of this support that my project is slowly, but surely, taking form … glue and biscuits were were the first items featured on Saturday morning’s menu.
Even managed to squeeze in some of my Opa’s wood, after scrapping off the varnish, measuring, cutting, planing and voila – four stretchers! It was rather time consuming, but totally worth it and am glad I was encouraged to use it …
