Bigger Hammer (07-14-08)

This week I have spent some time considering how working with wood is a lot like working with kids..

While building a set of shelves this week, the custodians and myself found ourselves at a point where several boards, one vertical and three horizontal, had to be pounded together via slots cut into the vertical support board.

Now, I realize that sounds simple enough. I should know, as I designed the piece with the slots. However, I am quickly learning that nothing is EVER simple when it comes to working with wood. No matter how many times you measure, no matter how carefully you plan and execute your cuts - the pliable and unpredictable nature of wood is bound to make final assembly of even the simplest project become an interesting experience.

And thus, we found ourselves pushing and pounding, trying to get three pieces of wood to slide into three slots that I oh-so-carefully cut.

The boards should have slid together easily, but what fun would that have been?

Anyway, after few minutes of hammering, Duane Patterson had an idea, and in the process gave me a very profound piece of advice. “What we need,” he announced sagely, “is a bigger hammer.”

“A bigger hammer?” I asked.

“Yep. My father-in-law once told me that when you find yourself unable to join something together, don’t just keep pounding. Get a bigger hammer.”

On the surface, this advice may seem a bit obvious. However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like wisdom. For one thing, the “get a bigger hammer” mantra could be applied to just about any situation in life. It boils down to matching the right tool with the right job, and not wasting time, energy, and mental anguish trying to use the wrong tool for the wrong job.

I have been thinking a lot about how “get a bigger hammer” applies to teaching and learning. You know, a kid and a piece of wood have a lot in common. Neither is perfect, neither is completely straight and true. Both kids and woods seem like they’d be easy to work with, but both have the capacity to turn even a simply task into a complicated operation.

Both require patience. Lots and lots of patience. And anyone brave enough to tackle carpentry or teaching needs tools. Lots and lots of tools.

Because in both carpentry and teaching, sometimes you can only get the job done with just the right tool. There was no way we could force those four boards together with a measly little claw hammer. Likewise, there is no way you can force some kids to learn with certain teaching methods.

However, I believe that every carpentry problem, and every kid problem has a solution. You can keep pounding away, working yourself into a lather of frustration and regret, or you just stop what your doing, take a breather, and get a better tool for the challenge at hand.

In the case of the bookshelves, I am happy to report the ten-pound sledge hammer did the trick beautifully. If you’re ever in Mrs. Elliot’s new room, check out how well the boards of her new shelves fit in their respective slots.

In the case of our students, well I for one will do all I can to provide our wonderful staff with all the tools they need to get the job done. While often success depends upon patience and perseverance, sometimes you just need to get a bigger hammer.