My First Student?

Anthony, please do not take anything I said or asked to mean I think you did something wrong. I fully agree that some are in desperate need of guidance and if the world were a little different I would teach even younger students who were interested, but in this overly litigious society many people are looking to retire by suing over an honest mistake or accident. I am simply torn between the desire to teach others something I love and protecting my family from the aforementioned people. Plus, there is a huge difference in a high school graduate already set to ship off to the Marine Corps and the average kid of today. I think I would have taken the same chance you did...
 
Anthony, good for you. Not sure how I would feel about teaching. While the one part of me would do it in a heart beat the, "Oh crap, am I gonna get sued" would be sitting on the other shoulder!!
 
I guess if you were having an organized class that someone was paying for I could see a problem. If you have a visitor to your shop and you are letting them learn a little or make something, I think you'd be covered by your home owners policy if an accident occurred. I'm guessing the money exchange is probably the real trouble spot. I really don't see myself ever giving classes, but the occasional shop hangout or just showing someone the basics might happen. Just sharing the pics on FB of this one time has already generated several people asking if they can come now, but the answer has been no, I just don't have the time.
 
Self Made Knives said:
A lot of 18 year old boys probably really need our influence. Kids today just haven't learned the basic skills we all grew up with and thought were common sense. I used to be a Cub Scout leader with my oldest son and we had a couple kids that were being raised without fathers. I really tried to focus on getting them to work with their hands and make things.

Funniest thing to me with this boy, Matt, was that he had never seen a drill press chuck key. He's only used modern cordless drills with keyless chucks. Completely stumped him at first. Of course I had to rib him a little while he tried to figure it out. I have been asked many times to show someone how to make a knife, but this was the first time I gave in. He's a good kid and about to be a fellow Marine, so how could I say no.
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I agree to a point. There are good kids that need help and there are kids that are just JERKS!! And that is usually due to the parent!! If the parent is as bad or worse than the kid how do you teach them??
 
Anthony, not saying I wouldn't do it because I probably would! I am just saying in this sue happy world we live, someone can be trespassing on your property and breaking into your home or sheds. Something can happen and the next thing you know some lawyer is trying to put a lawsuit on your for not properly securing the axe they fell on and cut themselves!!

But hey this is another subject!

I am proud to see you take a fledgling under your wing and teach them all about the craft! What most don't understand that even breathing can be dangerous, (OK so that is an over top example). However knives and knife making are inherently dangerous!! Sometimes the kids got better instincts than the parent.

When my son was little he was in BSA. I still remember and standing at the first of the year when we took in a new group and making a speech the BSA did not stand for Baby Sitters of America. I went on to tell them this was and investment in their child's life and if they were not willing to put in some time for their child, then this probably wasn't the activity for them. At the end of the night half of them walked out without even signing the kid up because, they did want to be a part of the organization!

I know that sounds crappy but there was four of us that were running that chapter of BSA and we has 35 kids the year before and it was becoming more than we could handle. It was turning into a full time investment for the four of us and we were beginning to burn out! The parents that brought there kids wanted nothing to do with making the organization and themselves a part of the child's life.
That was our last year. My son lost interest. I began to feel I did not have the time to take up with him when we were at the meetings and organized events, too busy trying to make that day happen. It is a shame more parents don't care to take the time to raise their children!!
 
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