Ellis Walentine
I was talking to a friend yesterday and he mentioned ruefully that yet another woodworking program in a local middle school was being phased out. This is a decline that's been going on probably since I took seventh-grade woodshop fifty years ago, but it still resonates with a lot of us. This month, I'd like to hear about your recollections of your high-school or junior-high woodshop days. How did shop class impact your life, if at all? Did it set you on a course for a lifetime interest in woodworking? Do you have any anecdotes about those days that you'd like to share with us? Do you think that the demise of woodshop education bodes ill for our society?

As usual, we'll slice, dice and pureé your replies and serve them up in our next column in Woodworker West magazine. Thanks for participating!

Ellis Walentine, Host