I taught two women’s classes in January: Women: Get to Know Your Toolbox and Women and Power Tools: Make a Toolbox. In these classes, there were a few student stories that really stood out, and I’d like to share them with you. I have omitted their names to protect their privacy.

In the Women: Get to Know Your Toolbox class, one woman was so nervous when she came in, her hands were shaking. She explained, when she was young she watched her dad cut off his fingers with a saw. She had taken one other class with her husband at the SBWI, the Farm House Table class. In that class, she attempted to use the miter saw but when it kicked a little bit at start up it frightened her. Her husband ended up operating all of the power tools. We didn’t use saws in this class, we used drills and hand tools. Once I had reassured her that we wouldn’t use the saws, she relaxed. By the time the class was done, she was smiling and handling the tools like a pro.

Another student was so nervous she didn’t sleep the night before. She was tired, and when she read in the safety manual that accidents happen when you are tired, she became ever more nervous. I told her “If you don’t want to use the power tools, you don’t have to.” She said “I don’t know if I can do it.”

She tried the miter saw and did very well, but when it came to the table saw she said “I don’t think I can do it, I’m going to let you do it for me.”

The other women rallied around her. Someone said “I would just encourage you to put the board on the table saw.”

She said “I can do that.”

Another student came over and said “You should try it because this is the safest place you will ever be.” She reached down and set the board up on the table saw like she was getting ready to make the cut.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, she reached down and turned on the saw. I told her “You don’t have to push it through,” but she fed the board through and made the cut. Everyone was watching and holding their breath. When she completed the cut, everyone cheered and gave each other high fives. Women’s classes are just unique in that way.

She just couldn’t do it, and then she did. It gave me goosebumps, corny, but true! It was a true teaching moment, and one I’ll always remember.

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