Shop Class

[RONALD]

I just finished reading a book whose title is “Shop Class As Soulcraft”, (An Inquiry Into The Value Of Work). It was published this year. When I saw the book at my local library, I thought, Wow, a book that advocates, and details, how to return shop classes into the education process; I was wrong about the detailing.

All the author has done is to tell us how great it is to be Tradesman as opposed to sitting in an “office cubicle”. He spends an inordinate number of pages quoting the ancient Greeks, and other philosophers. He rallies against the mind dulling effect of the shuffling of paper, and extols on the joy and meaning of manual work: being a craftsman/tradesman. He advocates against most students being “college bound”, but really offers no concrete suggestions to promote alternative schooling for such individuals.

The author owns/runs a motorcycle shop, so he speaks as a tradesman/mechanic, but he also has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and holds a position at an Institute for Cultural Studies; no wonder he quoted so many Greeks.

I’m a strong advocate of shop classes in our schools, not because it will turn out tradesmen, but because such classes fire the imagination, and increase hand-mind coordination in a way that other classes cannot. I believe even the “college bound” could and did benefit from such training. I witnessed, as a science teacher, the destruction of the shops, and am amazed at the ignorance and arrogance of those who authorized such destruction.

Anybody else read this book? You motorcycle “buffs” may find it interesting because of all the antique motorcycles he references.

ISBN # 978-1-59420-223-0

[spro]

I appreciate your review of this book and there is a piece missing. There is a piece missing in the timing. I think we see a shadow of it. I'm all for trade schools, metal shop class but I'm thinking this is a different class at the bottom of the thinking.
First off, I wouldn't believe anything he said if he's a leftie. It's like( I got mine now everybody else can deal with socialism) garbage. Possibly. It is true that more young need get with the technology of newer autos, machines and compete with the outside. It is true that as the current administration is systematically dismantling capitalism the alternative is that we compete with the Chinese and Indians allofasudden.
I don't believe even that is the ultimate goal. The Ultimate is the dismantle and no clue how to put it back. The goal is power over the individual.
By getting one's healthcare data and IRS and voting record all put together to intimidate. To gather personal data and spill it across the world in their fashion. Further to intimidate the physicians and target certain groups. Very confusing but interesting.

[rudd]

I'll have to look that one up.. I do some of my best thinking while working on things in the shop.. (and none of this thinking is about politics thankfully.)

I have studied a few things over the years, in the Hindu religion, there is a value to work as a form of worship - if you've seen some of the decorative carving, you can believe it.

Another interesting tidbit.. he may have mentioned this,, the root for "Architect" is greek... Architekton - it means chief worker. My field has gotten so far away from this it's scary, we have kids who have never picked up a hammer trying to draw details of how to assemble a building. It's cost alot of respect out in the field. I am thankful I had an "industrial upbringing" before I went to school, I wish they would require that these kids work at least a summer of construction before they can get a degree.

[GeneT]

I believe we should have shop classes back in schools and for completely different reasons. It is my anecdotal observation that the average high-school grad today lacks the ability to build a birdhouse from a kit. How are these kids ever going to make simple home repairs, or get by in life without one iota of hands-on ability? There's a lot of value to trade work even for non-tradesman.

When I was in school I was denied the opportunity to take shop classes (and I did try) because I was supposed to be "college bound". I regret not having escalated the issue, but I yielded to the "wisdom" of my counselors at the time. Fortunately my father has always been a woodworker, and his father was a millwright, so I had some exposure to tradecraft. I didn't take up metalworking until after college and my only regret is that I didn't start sooner.

GsT

[Flybynight]

Yes there is a lot of people that have NO skills.
(I sometines wonder if they think it is below them)
I pick up some local work doing "handy Man type work". Fixing door knobs, installling faucts, etc.
I go into these homes and some on them don't even own a hammer!
Make me wonder.
Jim

[jerryc]

OMG! I just started a thread on this same subject! My older brother sold insurance. I decided I liked working in machine shops better and went against the advice of, well, everybody. "You're smarter than that"
I routinely work trig problems that these guys couldn't do with the book in front of them.
Somehow there is an attitude that those who make things are not as smart or as worthy as those who sit behind a desk.

[deltaenterprizes]

It just goes to show you he couldn't get a job with that Ph D!

[jim rozen]

"First off, I wouldn't believe anything he said if he's a leftie."

Well then sir don't bother reading
anything I write here because you
won't believe it either. Just
keep those blinders right in place.

Now I did read this book, or did
try to read it. It looked like it
would be of considerable interest
as he has a photo of a bmw /2 on
the cover, and the promise of a
good techinical discussion was
there.

But in the end he seemed to suffer
from the same thing that robert
pirsig suffered from, which was an
inability to talk about technical
issues. There was a lot of
philosophical discourse but this
went on for so darn long I gave
up about halfway through and
skimmed the rest, hoping to find
"where he got to it." He never
did.

And honestly there wasn't much of
a hint about what his political
leanings really were.

Jim

[spro]

I apoligize Jim. You were making a good point. I didn't mean to derail you from that. I'll be quiet or perhaps already "broke the mood". No. I believe the topic is alive and it is required I be more respectful of what you are saying before I interrupt. I always read your posts and they are good.

[spro]

Imagine a meeting of representatives of the major auto manufactures sitting down with administration reps. They are going to hammer out why the American autos aren't competitive, why they aren't more economical. You probably heard this. The deal is there is pressure to get an explanation why an auto can't get X m @ X cfc @cruise range 500m. The engineers point out the various reasons and weight requirements imposed. They say it's not possible. It's not possible due to the laws of physics and dynamics. "Where are these laws written?", says the rep. - "This is standard textbook knowledge" replies the engineer. "What textbooks?" asks the rep. The engineers and scientists look at each other. (This is thermodynamic principles and basic physics elements).
Because if it's goverment material we can change that. We're the government. says the rep.

[PeteH]

'Twasn't just the adherents of Eastern religions who regarded work as worship. The Irish monks who made manuscripts like the Book of Kells did the same sort of thing: They regarded their efforts as a form of religious practise.

Happy New Year, all... may we enjoy health, peace, and prosperity !

[jdstuf]

Howdy all,

New guy here.....this topic hits close to home, so I thought I'd share my $.02.

I grew up in an upper-middle class school district, although my family was not part of that social demographic. At the high school I went to, it was practically a crime to consider anything BUT being college bound. My dad is an industrial pipe fitter, my grandpa was a telephone lineman, and both taught me the love of working with your hands. Growing up, we never had a repairman in our house, and our cars never went to a mechanic. When I was a kid, I worked on a local dairy farm. The "old" farmer there taught me to fix all sorts of things, and the satisfaction that comes from a long day of work.

There was the remnants of a shop class offered my sophomore year of high school, which I jumped at. The school district then dismantled the class the next year. Not worth their money, I guess. There were still 2-3 vocational programs offered after that, so I decided to learn drafting and model making my junior and senior year.......on top of my regular college prep classes. I loved it. After graduation, I seriously looked into joining the Navy. But I got talked out of it, because anything less than getting a 4-year degree was pounded into your head as being disgraceful.

I put myself through the university, which took 6 years of working, saving, and taking classes. I was the first in my family to do so. I found the machine shop in the basement of the engineering building, and spent every waking moment of my free time there. I learned to machine, weld, fabricate, from the "old" guys there....and helped build 4 race cars before I graduated. I came out of the university with a mechanical engineering degree, and then got a job on a racing team as a crewman and fabricator. I was making half the money of my friends with 'real' jobs, and loving every minute of it.

After getting married, it was time to move so I left the race team. I found a job with a company that produced aircraft interiors. While most of the engineers seemed content to zone out in front of their computers all day, I spent as much time as I could on the production floor and in the tooling shop. I was happy when I could be down there, solving problems and figuring out how to build things. I spent a lot of time explaining to other engineers why it was impossible to build the parts they designed.

Times change, we had to move again, and I found a job at a small R&D facility doing 'real' engineering work. I'm 28 years old, I make more money now than I ever have before, and I hate every day of it. They've found that I am pretty good at sitting in front of a CAD program and coming up with designs (because no other engineer here as actually every BUILT anything before), so I spend most of my days clicking a mouse. They only times I enjoy are when I can get away, and use the busted old drill press, router table, and band saw to make a prototype.

I try to keep my sanity by tinkering with things around the house, and working on my mini-lathe. God bless my wife for her patience. I came home frustrated last week, and told her that I should have been a machinist. She agreed. Perhaps it's time for a change......

Having personally been a product of the system, I think that this country is coming to a sad state. There were so many opportunities for my educators to recognize the skills that I have, and the value of the work I could do. But, as many have said here, it's become the stigma of many that working with you hands is somehow shame.

Sorry for the long post....I'm done with my rant now!

Cheers,
Jason