Mr. Toot was my eighth grade shop teacher.
He was a gentle man of small statue, soft spoken and always with a thoughtful message. Even as a fourteen year old I sensed he went into teaching because he felt the “calling” to share his knowledge and to make the world a better place.
I remember observing him as he was challenged by some of my classmates. How he would start off with a kind request to change their behavior, then proceed to a more hard line approach, which his demeanor was not designed for.
Mr. Toot approach to teaching wood working was to select a project that would require one to learn the skills of how to operate certain machines. Our first project was a tie rack. The second one was a nutcracker.
Over the last 61 years, I have often wondered why he chose a tie rack and a nut cracker. Were they metaphors for young teenagers about life? Was he more of a philosopher than a shop teacher? Was he trying to teach us the connection between our minds, our hands and our hearts?
My tie rack disappeared many years ago, but I still have my nutcracker. But that’s another story.