Lessons from the Woodshop Woodworking, or “Crafts”, has long been a point of pride in the Green Vale curriculum. The value of continuing to teach it extends well beyond the desire to maintain beloved traditions such as 3rd Grade nutcrackers and 5th Grade sailboats. While there is much to appreciate about “what kids make” and bring home, the true learning lies in the process. Scott Carro joined Green Vale in September from Austin, TX where he ran woodworking programs for children as young as Kindergarten. He brought with him a collection of antique tools, many of which the students use regularly, such as a shaving horse he made himself, and a set of Stanley planes from the 1920s. “I love showing them how technology that was in use when the School was founded still works great today.” Carro takes time to educate students about different kinds of tools. Showing them how completely
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different designs can achieve the same end exposes them to engineering and innovation in a tangible way. They compare a Western push-cut saw with a Japanese-style saw, and learn when to use a spokeshave rather than a hand plane. Students understand that “cross cut” and “rip cut” relates to the grain of the wood, which dictates why you need two types of teeth. They learn why a brace generates more torque than a bit drill, and also sample a vintage egg-beater drill.
“They gain appreciation for wood as a material and the ability to build beautiful and useful things.” — Scott Carro Woodworking offers a context for helping students take notice of how things around them are constructed. “I ask them to look at joinery around their houses. Where do they see dovetail? Where do they see mortise and tenon?” He also teaches students about wood itself, and connects different types to different trees. When a black cherry tree fell on campus, Carro was quick to take students outside to observe him cutting sections with a chainsaw and compare the interior to the soft pine used in most classroom projects. Some older students practiced wood splitting. By year end, they will be able to work with boards crafted from the campus tree, proving that “wood does not just come from Home Depot,” quips Carro.
