Welcome to the world of woodworking in my middle school Woodshop class!
My students are experiencing woodworking for the first time.
For some of them it is the reason they come to school. For most of them it is a new experience that will last a lifetime. My students are 12 - 14 years old and most have never picked up a tool before. Some are scared but most are really excited. They learn to persevere in projects that take time, patience and skill. I strongly believe that giving students an introduction to working with their hands and providing an opportunity to excel in a class where the emphasis is not strictly academic can be life changing. I encourage them to make projects of their own design in hope of introducing them to woodworking that could turn into a successful career or lifelong hobby. I want to pass on the joy of woodworking that I learned from my own teachers in the very room I now teach!
Our school is 56.6% Title I, and racially diverse.
My Project
My beginning students are very excited about taking woodshop. The third project they make is a hand carved bowl. Students design their own individual bowls drawing right on the wood and then start the job of making their vision reality by carving out the inside of the bowl by using gouges and mallets. Once the bowls are carved, students smooth and finish the bowls.
My students need sharp, sturdy wood handled gouges to shape their hand carved bowls.
Safety is so important, and dull gouges can slip and injure a student. We have just a few gouges on hand now, but I need enough so that each student has access during his or her class period to the proper tools to make their bowls. This project will permit us to purchase 14 more gouges in various sizes.
Unfortunately, most of our tools are original to the woodshop of 60 years ago when the school opened. Time has taken its toll.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Runge and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
