Be Our Guest
It was my second year teaching in a Bronx classroom, and Timothy was one of my toughest fourth-graders. Prone to tantrums and showing dismal academic skills, he had already been in trouble with the police. I waited with dread for Timothy's reaction to our bridge-building activity.
Our lesson involved simple ingredients: marshmallows and toothpicks. After a quick overview of engineering principles, I split the class into groups, each of which was responsible for building a bridge. I would judge the bridges based on how long they could stretch when the desks beneath them were pulled apart.
I paced the classroom nervously for a while. Then I glanced at Timothy. Hunched over a table with his group members, he was entranced. He and his teammates were on their way to building a long, unwieldy looking, but surprisingly strong frame. The boy was a natural; I was stunned - and delighted. Timothy's bridge would be one of our competition's highlights.
That was seven years ago. I now teach fifth grade at an elite private boys' school in Manhattan. My students learn in a laid-back atmosphere. Our budget is generous, and I recently obtained permission to buy old-fashioned Erector Sets - giant boxes full ofthousands of metal and plastic pieces. After scouring the city forthese outdated kits, I managed to find some online. My homeroom quickly became enamored of them.
The fact that students in a poor public school and those in a wealthy private school both found themselves entranced by simple building exercises ought to tell us something: The powerful desire to engineer with one's own hands is a dying science and art among today's young people.
That's a sad state of affairs, particularly for young boys.
Imagine you are a boy in an inner-city neighborhood. You're interested in motors, buildings and cars as most boys are, but there's almost no focus on these kinds of things. Instead, you are subjected to long reading periods that focus on mundane texts. You see virtually no reason to stay in school a minute longer than necessary.
That picture is all too real. My large Bronx school offered few opportunities for kids to run around; during my first year, there was just one gym period a week. The idleness was particularly hard on the boys, who seem to need to blow off steam more than girls do. No wonder maintaining classroom order was a constant struggle.
Many at-risk kids are naturally handy and love to do what they're good at. But because we devote so little time and attention to manual and construction-related interests, we leave them adrift, antsy and hungry for something more.
Much is made nowadays of the economic demands of the new century - as though the only growth industries are software and microchips. But last I checked, the U.S. is going to need far more architects and builders as well. Look around: New York is in the midst of an unprecedented building boom. The U.S. auto industry needs help, too.
Weekly exercises with screwdrivers and Erector Sets would also strengthen teamwork. And kids would be encouraged to find solutions to problems on their own. In affluent communities today, the excessive presence of tutors has discouraged kids from thinking for themselves - and in low-income neighborhoods, too many kids fall behind and just give up.
Stuck with the mind-set that college is for everyone - and apparently oblivious to the fact that boys will be boys - we neglect vocational programs. As a result, not only will plenty of potentially excellent (and happy, and well-paid) plumbers, electricians, carpenters and auto mechanics never discover their calling - but millions of kids will grow up utterly unable to do or appreciate even the most basic manual labor.
I have not kept in touch with Timothy, but I hope he has succeeded. He would make a great carpenter.
Clavel, who was a Teach for America corps member for two years in the Bronx, now teaches in Manhattan. This is adapted from the forthcoming issue of City Journal.
Last week, I solidified my plans for the next few years. I accepted the position of Development Manager for TFA in Las Vegas!
