The mood in the woodshop this morning was electric as student-built cars raced to the finish line during Mr. Katz’s annual Sixth Grade Car Races. Each student carefully engineered, designed, and built their car during weekly shop classes. The class was joined by our enthusiastic third graders, who will begin working in the woodshop next year. Mr. Gore was also in attendance, assisting students with electronic data collection for future analysis in their science classes. A core part of our comprehensive Middle School Arts program, all students in grades four through six eagerly look forward to taking woodshop each year, a class that continues in our expanded Upper School Art Electives Program.
Few classes develop every learner’s mind, body, and self-esteem quite like woodshop. The principal outcomes of the woodshop curriculum at BCD include each student’s:
- acceptance of responsibility for their own work
- development of their intellectual abilities, physical skills, and emotional flexibility to solve problems and learn from mistakes
- belief in themselves and the understanding that true gratification from work comes from meeting goals that they have set for themselves and fully embraced
- acquisition of basic skills using a variety of hand and power tools
- capacity for collaboration and shared work
- respect for others and their physical and emotional safety
BCD’s Woodworking and Metalworking Studio is a laboratory for working and learning. Features of the room include workbenches, tool walls, lathes, and an array of power tools. Using real tools is essential in developing children’s minds, muscles, strength, and stamina. If you haven’t visited the studio yet, please let me know. We’d be happy to give you a tour!
