Skilled Learning

     Working with my hands gives me great pleasure.  From the very first time someone put a wad of modeling clay in my hands, I was hooked.  Even though my first creations were crude, like three balls makes a snowman, the satisfaction of the final result was exhilarating.  

     Later on someone put tools in my hands.  Now that was a rush! Being able to take a few scraps of wood, a hammer and some nails and pound together a box or bird house made me feel like I could conquer the world.  

     Unfortunately, I grew up in an era when girls were not supposed to do things like that.  My first year of high school, I signed up for shop and was informed I could not take that class.  They suggested Home Economics.  I don't recall what I suggested concerning their suggestion, but it probably landed me in the principles office, a great way to start out high school.

     About a year ago my husband shared an article he had read with me.  It was about what we will see happen in 20 to 30 years.  It talked about how most young people today were not interested in learning a trade skill.  Trades skills like carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, masonry were going to be almost extinct.

     Think about that for a moment.  The infrastructure in this country, meaning water supply, sewers, natural gas lines and our electrical grid, is aging.  If you live in an older home you already are accustomed to things needing repair.  If your home is brand spanking new and you think you have nothing to worry about, in twenty years your house will be considered old.  By that time, some of the above mentioned infrastructures in your home are going to need some work.  What will happen when there is no one skilled enough to fix the problems?

     I believe an education is important.  Everyone should know how to read, write and have basic math skills.  During the years in the school bus business, I transported many a kid who needed to learn how to do something with their hands rather than be shipped off to some other school because they couldn't behave.  They needed something they could accomplish, something they could take pride in besides passing a science test.  Not all children are college material.  Knowing the difference between a verb and a noun won't unclog your toilet or fix your leaking roof.

     I know it won't save every child, there will always be some who fall between the cracks, but learning a skill can give an individual a sense of belonging and a sense of being needed.  I'm willing to bet that an experienced teacher can pick out the child who struggles at an early age.  Regardless of the hype, there is nothing wrong with teaching a preteen a skill because in twenty years we want that child to be a productive member of our society.  We want them to be the carpenter, the plumber or the electrician.  That would be a far better outcome than learning the skill of being behind prison bars.