At the small-town middle school I attended, all students were required to take woodshop and home economics in 4th grade. I didn’t really take to sewing, but working with wood and learning to use saws and sanders became a highlight of my school week. That was in large part due to our woodworking teacher, Mr. Proulx, who showed a lot of kindness toward my shy 9-year-old self. I think he had a knack for making everyone feel special, but I took it to heart that he paid attention to me in class. He trusted me as my small hands used a jigsaw to carefully cut out the letter C, twice, to bookend a small shelf I made out of white pine.
Good teaching can have a ripple effect across many years – or a lifetime. This is clear in Karen Irvine’s piece (page 20) on master woodworker Hank Gilpin, who mentions taking an elective woodworking course in college that led to an ongoing mentorship from his teacher, master furniture maker and designer Tage Frid. The class changed Gilpin’s career aspirations and connected him to the woods in surprising ways.
Of course, teaching isn’t limited to the classroom. In Community Voices (page 46), horse logger Brad Johnson credits an apprenticeship at a horse-powered farm in Maine for a pivot to outdoors work and establishment of a full-time commercial horse logging operation in Vermont; one of his mentors is now a full partner in the business. Jack Beaudoin’s article on page 50 describes how three summer camps – and their counselors – build confidence and inspire personal growth in children who otherwise would have lacked access to the life lessons afforded by outdoor activities in the woods. My own experiences at a town recreation department day camp strengthened my love for the outdoors and contributed to my career interests in conservation and nature education.
Good teaching can happen in a moment, an afternoon, or a day – and instill a spark in someone to try something new or to see the world from a different perspective. I found moments like this for years at the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show, which is one of those welcome harbingers of spring, no matter how much snow and mud may be on the ground in March. From hunting to fishing to tracking to wood carving to wilderness first aid – the list of topics and educational opportunities seemed endless when I walked through those doors.
Elsewhere, free fishing days, guided hikes, birdwatching walks, and evening wildlife talks encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to acquire a love of forests and the benefits sustained by them, while building skills, awareness, and a relationship with the natural world. Whatever the venue, I see common elements to the good teaching that occurs: a generosity of spirit, a mutual curiosity exhibited by teachers and students, patience, and joy in the learning experience. It’s worth taking a look around your area to try something new, or perhaps create an opportunity to share your own knowledge. Offering other people time and a little attention to help them learn a new skill, or simply to become more comfortable being out in the woods, just may change a life.