And this is where the Professor murders me.

[xp_cyclops]

Even so, I think I've selected a good term project for the shop class. We are going to make a cannon - specifically, an 1844 howitzer. We will be taking a short field trip (don't anybody faint) to Fort Hamilton within the next few weeks to take a look at that particular gun there. Then we're going to research, design, and build a replica here.

It'll be fun.

Comments

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

I'm going to side with Lorna on this. There's a million wonderful examples of engineering to have the students make - why have them use their skills on a weapon? Might be sending the wrong message there, boss.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned how much I like you, Forge? Would you like some cookies?

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Cookies would be perfection.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

The Cooking class is making cookies today. I'll make sure you get some.

[x-aerial.livejournal.com]

If a field trip involving looking at cannons does not result in any physical or mental harm to anyone taking part in the trip, will more field trips be taken?

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Contrary to popular belief, not every field trip or excursion this school has taken results in shenanigans. Washington DC went fine, for example.

[x-siryn.livejournal.com]

Losing one of the chaperones isn't fine.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Well, nothing happened to the students.

[x-siryn.livejournal.com]

That's true.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

And with the notable exception of Guy Fawkes up there wanting to build a howitzer, none of our staff are liable to go insane any time soon.

(I swear, when I woke up this morning, I did not expect to have to be the voice of reason to my boss's insanity. Welcome to Bizarro Westchester...)

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're not the only voice of reason.

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

From certain perspectives.

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

See my above comment to Lorna. If you can think of something that satisfies both requirements as effectively, I'm more than willing to entertain the idea. The cannon was just particularly high on the list of suggestions in the resource materials I was looking at, and was particularly simple to implement.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Just the thing (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/bridges.html#brooklyn).

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

I looked at bridges. But a) it's an individual or at best a small group exercise to create a scale model, and b) the model is just that.

I'll go back to the drawing board with the list of suggested activities, but as I said, there was a reason I settled on the cannon, and Nate making fun of it or not, it wasn't because it was "cool". I want something full-sized, something interactive that's going to require the full class, with the tie to local history.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

1913. Glenn Curtiss. The beginnings of the aviation industry.

And look, you already have a plane...

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

For engineering, yes - I was actually already planning an aviation project.

Shop is clearly going to be more challenging than I thought.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid if you're looking for specific project ideas, I literally have no concept of what is an appropriate difficulty level for the students.

Find whoever's been playing that saxophone at odd hours, mug them and steal it, and have your class redesign it to NOT sound like a flock of angry geese?

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Entirely fair, because that would be my job - to continue researching and come up with a new idea for a workable project that satisfies both the curriculum's criteria and the timeframe.