Hope at Every Turn with Scott Harrington
[Episode 11] Scott Harrington has found a way to make his passion do some good in his community. He is truly doing what he’s been put on this earth to do.
In this episode, Scott talks about his time as an educator and about his passion for woodworking particularly woodturning. There is a moment in the discussion where, in speaking about woodturning, Scott says he likes to bring out the beauty in wood. In this we realized that that simple statement sums up Scott’s purpose in life. As an educator, he strived to bring out the beauty in his students, giving them the skills and inspiring them to be the best people they could be. It’s that same sentiment that he applies to his passion for woodworking. Scott ultimately combines the two by bringing out the best in children through teaching them about woodworking.
What a great thing it is to bring out the beauty in everything you do. We hope you enjoy this episode and are able to find some beauty in the things you do every day.
Episode Book Pairing
Each episode the The Gray Matters podcast is paired with a book that complements the episode’s subject matter. Here is Scott’s suggestion, we hope you enjoy it.
Shop Class as Soul Craft, An Inquiry into the Value of Work
by Mathew Crawford
A philosopher/mechanic’s wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one’s hands.
This is a deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real, hands-on knowledge. The book is also quirky, surprising, and sometimes quite moving. –Richard Sennett, author of The Craftsman
Called the sleeper hit of the publishing season by The Boston Globe, Shop Class as Soulcraft became an instant bestseller, attracting readers with its radical (and timely) reappraisal of the merits of skilled manual labor. On both economic and psychological grounds, author Matthew B. Crawford questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a knowledge worker, based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing. Using his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford presents a wonderfully articulated call for self-reliance and a moving reflection on how we can live concretely in an ever more abstract world.
Get your copy of Shop Class as Soul Craft, An Inquiry into the Value of Work from Bookshop.org.
About Scott Harrington
As an educator, administrator, and counselor for 35 years, Scott knows the joys and challenges of nurturing in children a sense of self confidence and the skills and habits that will make them successful as a student and in life. As a middle school principal for 22 years, he understands how critical it is to develop a culture that promotes cooperation, commitment, and compassion for and from all constituencies: students, parents, and teachers.
Scott has taken his extensive experience in schools and his passion for woodworking in a new direction through the program Woodworker On Wheels. This program is designed to develop in children manual competence, academic skills, and life habits that will help them be both productive students and valuable members of their communities.
