Some of the equipment has been rebuilt, says Thombs, indicating a pair of wood lathes, but some has gotten to the point where it should be replaced. Still and all, the program continues. While students arent allowed to turn a machine on until theyve taken and passed a safety test, once the switches are thrown, its a nearly independent learning environment with Thombs acting as a guiding hand. Its a different type of structure. Its not a classroom.
Some kids have trouble with that.
Those are the ones that have to be kept on task. To that end, Thombs says that students are graded each day, and the end result is 50 percent of the final grade, the other half encompassing project results. He notes that such grading is often incentive enough for students to stay focused. Asked if he had any funny stories or disasters that stood out in his mind, Thombs answered that he didnt, although one student had a sweater unraveled to the shoulder when it was caught in a metal lathe. His mother was not too pleased, he recalled.