More bumps & bruises

In all of the years since our orientation and training center wood shop
became a real working wood shop back around 1975, we have had zero
accidents. Not even that jar full of fingers.
Since 1976 the shop instructor has been the Amazing Bronson Goo, who
declares that he is teaching self confidence. Bronson is a master at his
craft. Both as a shop instructor and more importantly, as a teacher of self
confidence.
The shop equipment is set up just as it comes off the sales floor. No extra
gadgets. Students are thoroughly trained in safety rules before they even
pick up a screwdriver much less a table saw. I know, you don't pick up a
table saw, but you get the idea.
Usually a few of the women students would bang on my office door and demand
to be taken out of shop. They saw no value to it, since they were girls and
never had, nor ever planned to swing a hammer. Mostly they were fearful of
putting on the dreaded sleep shades which were worn by any student with
residual vision(excluding those with severe hearing or balance issues). We
would discuss the value of shop. My spin was that by following Bronson's
training formula, a blind person had a plan they could apply to living the
rest of their life, fully and safely.
A new student enters the shop and first learns the location of every work
bench, every hand tool and every power tool in the room. Next the student
learns the proper use of each tool, moving to the next one only after
demonstrating its use. They learn the safety measures. Once totally
familiar with their surroundings they select a project. Students have made
everything from a bird house to a full sized green house. Bronson declared,
"If we can get it out the loading dock door you can build it".
Projects are made starting with raw lumber and the student does every bit of
the planning and building and sanding and finishing by themselves.
If we all followed this basic plan, we'd have fewer bumps in life.
Rather than charging into life like a bull in a China Shop, stop, survey
your surroundings, review the tools at your disposal, lay out a plan and
follow it to completion.

Carl Jarvis