While the recipes and textiles projects
change somewhat, from year to year, the foundation lessons stay pretty much the
same. We start with a course overview and room orientation. We review emergency
procedures (first aid, fire, earthquake, lockdowns, dealing with rats and the
inevitable zombie apocalypse).
Knife Safety Day takes a certain amount of
teacher energy (moderate) and patience (overload). The lesson involves
identifying the knives we use in class (chef and paring). Knives are placed on
student tables for observation. Misused knives are removed immediately.
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KNIFE SAFETY DAY! |
We learn how to hand a knife to another
person (You don’t. You put it DOWN and the other person picks it up). We learn
how to walk with a knife (You hold the point down).
What if you trip? What if someone runs into
you and you fall? What if someone with a knife runs into you and you fall and
your knives hit each other? What if it’s a lockdown and the bear is in the
hallway and he opens the door and you stab him?
Occasionally, another teacher will drop by
the room for one reason or another on Knife Safety Day. Typically, they freeze
upon entering the room and seeing the knife wielding preteens. Or they enter
the room and I stop them – “the children are armed and dangerous!”
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| One of my favourite well-armed children |
Today we scored a trifecta – three
different staff members during one class.
The “knife walk” looks rather alarming.
Each group has a chef’s knife and they take turns walking in a designated area
of the room, before “passing” the knife to the next person. We do this so that
every student has a chance to handle the knife before a knife skills cooking
class.
I’d noticed that the nervous kids were more
likely to fumble and get hurt than the kids who were confident and respectful.
So everyone tries. And I use fewer bandages.
I’ll admit, it looks like a high-risk
activity. It’s really a calculated-risk activity, and it’s easy to hand
offenders a plastic fast food knife if they can’t handle the real thing. No one
wants that. So far, they’re willing to follow the rules, but not without some
testing.
