As part of the school's commitment to life-long learning and advocating the value of hand-skills training, a middle-school program was established in partnership with a Boston Public School.

Education in the crafts has been part of North Bennet Street School's (NBSS) mission since the 1880s when the school was founded and began teaching Boston’s North End children and adults woodworking and other manual arts. Woodworking programs were developed for Boston public school children and were so successful they became regular Boston public school programs based on the NBSS model.

The goal – PROVIDE ACCESS TO WOODWORKING FOR  Boston public school studentS

An important 2012 objective toward reaching the goal of reintroducing woodworking in Boston’s public schools is to build on the successful, grant-funded pilot program with the John Eliot K-8 School, now in its third and final year.  The Eliot School pilot program focuses on middle-school students and we are currently seeking additional partners among Boston’s middle schools. Our goal is to increase the number of students who benefit from the program, both by enriching the school’s core curriculum and widening students’ career and educational options in their high school years and beyond.  

Read more about the John Eliot School partnership here.

"Woodworking in schools provides a cutting edge for the engagement of the mind in learning. Students who may be disinterested in academic learning are more deeply engaged in schooling when they get the opportunity to find success working with their hands. On the other hand, students who are already successful in formal education acquire qualities of character in wood shop that make them better citizens, and more appreciative of the contributions made by others."

Doug Stowe
Woodworker, teacher and author. Read more on Stowe’s blog Wisdom of the Hands.  

The partnership model

NBSS provides Sloyd-based woodworking instruction to students, preferably during their school day when we can most effectively make connections between the manual arts and course work in the arts, science, technology, social studies and mathematics. In addition to woodworking skills, students increase teamwork and collaborative experiences, learn time management, patience, persistence and accountability. They receive prevocational training that gives them the experience of hand work should they decide to pursue additional training or career in the trades.

In addition to middle schools, we are interested in exploring partnerships that provide woodworking training to students in high schools. And, the master teacher has experience teaching younger students making partnerships with K-5 schools possible.

Contact us

Write or call to learn more about the pilot program, explore  partnership opportunities or to share your love of woodworking. 

Andy Glenn, lead teacher and program manager
write to Andy or call 617-227-0155.