Early on in my teaching career I thought I might like to leave teaching to pursue work that was more tangible. By tangible, I mean work that involved a definite beginning and end with a visible product at the end. Say, being a carpenter – start with a pile of lumber – end up with a house – step back and say, “It is good.” I persisted in education however and as I matured as a teacher I began to see the results of my vocation and would not have traded my work for anything else.
This past Sunday’s New York Times Magazine (May 24, 2009) featured an interesting piece by Matthew Crawford titled “The Case for Working with Your Hands.” It explores the concept of the value of the trades:
“…life as an independent tradesman gave me an image that I kept coming back to: someone who really knows what he is doing, losing himself in work that is genuinely useful and has a certain integrity to it. He also seemed to be having a lot of fun.”
Crawford gives up a career in a Washington policy organization to run his own motorcycle repair shop in Virginia and the article provides an interesting perspective on the nature of practical work.
Crawford makes an important observation for today’s parents when he states:
“A gifted young person who chooses to become a mechanic rather than to accumulate academic credentials is viewed as eccentric, if not self-destructive. There is a pervasive anxiety among parents that there is only one track to success for their children. It runs through a series of gates controlled by prestigious institutions. Further, there is wide use of drugs to medicate boys, especially, against their natural tendency toward action, the better to “keep things on track.”
I have seen the pressure parents place upon their kids to pursue “prestigious” careers, often disregarding the natural talents and interests of their children. I believe that people who are engaged in work that they love lead happier and more productive lives than people who are pursuing prestige or money. I encourage parents to support their kids in finding that career that resonates with them, even if it means looking to “real” work.
