Yesterday we had a mother and her 11 year old daughter visit us. I took her out to the shop to teach her to make something. She wanted to make a sawn out rabbit mounted on a wooden base.
O.K.,I thought I'd have to draw the rabbit,but no,she did a fine job of making the drawing. Then,to the bandsaw. Another youngster I tried to teach(older than she) was totally frightened by the noise the blade made cutting the wood. Not this one! After safety instructions,I thought I'd have to saw it out for her. Not so! I have tried to teach adults to saw curves,and they went all over the place!! This one sawed quite accurately,with just a few corrections,and instructions of "nibbling" in tight places,and how to correct smallish problems by carefully using the set of the blade's teeth to smooth out a lump or 2.
Then,I showed her how to pick out drills to install screws to attach it to the base.
I need an apprentice and hope her mother and she visit frequently. Both are very "turned on",and got very excited when shown something nice. Most just glaze over it and "don't get it".Her mother knew the botanical names of most of my woods!! She is not a wood worker,either. Just 2 very smart people!!
I taught shop for 6 years in the beginning of my working career,and have much experience teaching young people. This one is VERY exceptional. She's quickly learning piano,too.