Focused schooling?

[Mock Turtle]

Apart from the academic subjects that mostly enhanced your own lives - how many of you produced anything material, such as in woodwork, metalwork, or perhaps in art or wherever, that one could give as a present to another, such as a parent?

The school I was at as a teenager seemed quite aware of the more practical applications of one's newfound abilities (haha) - I made a tripod for one of the three telescopes I owned then; a set of scales, for what purpose I can't remember; but I also made some wooden fruit bowls, a small bookcase, and a wicker stool, all given as presents to my mother. I probably enjoyed making then more than she enjoyed receiving them but perhaps not. One boy managed to send something being turned on a lathe into a projectile that disappeared through one of the (now broken) class windows.

Tell us what you made at school.

 

[ChristineM]

I went to school at an unfortunate time of cutbacks and limitations, adhering strictly to the curriculum with no 'superfluous' creative stuff. They even stopped the 1/3

Which, because i was an awkward and sullen pupil perhaps helped me to become an artist ;-)

Very different from what our children experience today,

I see the local infants school art projects displayed around the village. The children being lead on nature expeditions. Even lunch time is treated as a creative lesson in how to dine with 5 course meals which are in part reproduced to bring home in cookery lessons

 

[PureX]

I didn't do any of those things in school because very few were available. I did take some art classes, though. And I did make a few things in my dad's home workshop, for girlfriends. I was really more interested in music as a kid and took lessons and played guitar from the age of nine, on, even into college. But when I went to art school they put us in a kind of 'boot camp' the first year where we were exposed to many different genres, and in the end I chose to major in sculpture because by then I knew I also really liked making objects.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I didn't do any of those things in school because very few were available. I did take some art classes, though. And I did make a few things in my dad's home workshop, for girlfriends. I was really more interested in music as a kid and took lessons and played guitar from the age of nine, on, even into college. But when I went to art school they put us in a kind of 'boot camp' the first year where we were exposed to many different genres, and in the end I chose to major in sculpture because by then I knew I also really liked making objects.

I believe you only tend to get these more practical subjects at the more up-market schools - as a bonus for mastering all the theoretical stuff.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Apart from the academic subjects that mostly enhanced your own lives - how many of you produced anything material, such as in woodwork, metalwork, or perhaps in art or wherever, that one could give as a present to another, such as a parent?

The school I was at as a teenager seemed quite aware of the more practical applications of one's newfound abilities (haha) - I made a tripod for one of the three telescopes I owned then; a set of scales, for what purpose I can't remember; but I also made some wooden fruit bowls, a small bookcase, and a wicker stool, all given as presents to my mother. I probably enjoyed making then more than she enjoyed receiving them but perhaps not. One boy managed to send something being turned on a lathe into a projectile that disappeared through one of the (now broken) class windows.

Tell us what you made at school.

Shop in my school is considered the class for 'losers'. And yep I was enrolled in shop. Believe it or not I actually made one of those squishy coin holders that were popular in the 70s. I also rebuilt a small engine for a yard tractor and got the thing running back to life.

I didn't care about the stigmas at the time because I got to tell you shop was fun and had a great learning experience from the Hands-On activities there.

 

[BSM1]

Apart from the academic subjects that mostly enhanced your own lives - how many of you produced anything material, such as in woodwork, metalwork, or perhaps in art or wherever, that one could give as a present to another, such as a parent?

How do you produce a parent?

 

[Mock Turtle]

How do you produce a parent?

Time machine?

 

[Flame]

We had a woodworking class when I was going through HS. Several tables, chairs and shelves were made and given out to family and neighbors.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Shop in my school is considered the class for 'losers'. And yep I was enrolled in shop. Believe it or not I actually made one of those squishy coin holders that were popular in the 70s. I also rebuilt a small engine for a yard tractor and got the thing running back to life.

I didn't care about the stigmas at the time because I got to tell you shop was fun and had a great learning experience from the Hands-On activities there.

Quite - and no doubt comes in useful rather than spending money having to get someone else to do stuff for one. I'm afraid my telescope was used to spy on the girl undressing not so far away rather than looking at the stars. Something she was probably aware of too.