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Interesting. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher . . . maybe I’ll start with woodworking.

-- Making sawdust is what I do best

I would love to give teaching a go and have considered it many times. Problem is, my shop is a little far from “civilization”.

-- Div @ the bottom end of Africa. "A woodworker's sharpest tool should be his mind."

Div- “If you build it they will come.” I have had some requests from women- to help them build a rustic stool or sign or whatever- and I will probably do that once spring arrives. I do know that paying/charging fees for classes can be a necessary evil, but at this juncture, for me personally, teaching for money is really a sure way to kill my joy. I am (was?) a teacher by profession and I do all that I can to avoid falling into the “teacher trap” again. I don’t mind sharing the joy of woodworking with someone once in a while, but hey- I don’t want to be married to it. LOL Like I said,,, it could become a real kill joy in a big hurry. (I am speaking only for myself here. )

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

First let me say thanks for unblocking me. I have read many of your blogs and believe you make many valid points. I’ve been teaching a couple of Lumberjocks how to use the lathe and know exactly what you are saying. Not only have I re-honed my skills, but they have enlightened me with a new appreciation of the craft and have opened up my imagination and encouraged me to try new and different things. I have also garnered a new perspective on my work, and things I am capable of doing. I was even asked recently to display some of my work in a craft shop in Leelanau, MI. Thanks for the insight. It has been very rewarding, and one of them (the students) has gotten himself a lathe (David Craig) and shows much promise, so much so that there is little more that I can teach him and he is growing in leaps and bounds on his own. As he puts it, “there comes a time when the only way to learn is by doing.” I agree also…

-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -