b'O ld -S chOOlT OOlS ,N ew -S chOOlP urPOSeMaplewoodshop is making hands-on learning cool againBY AMY LYNN-CRAMER Left: A tent card reinforces class lessons on how to use a hammer. Center: Mike Schloff demonstrates how to properly hammer a nail into wood. Right: A Maplewoodshop trainer gives hands-on instruction. Photos by Carlos Sanchez.M wood at aresidentTo date, more than 20,000 students have ex- the kids already were. I had to reach them in their aplewood Mike Schloff is carvingperienced the program, which has even made itscurrent schools and camps, where the kids already out a different kind ofway to Australia. And thanks to a new partnershiprespected their instructors and felt comfortable.classroom,oneplankwith the Carpenters Union, high school studentsHis philosophy is simple and deeply personal: oftime. Ascan earn up to 16 college credits through a pre- You can be smart in more than one way. Intelli-the founder of Maple- apprenticeship pathway. gence in your hands is still intelligence. Working woodshop,SchloffHandy around the house and thriving in a suc- with tools is math, and its also mindfulness, com-isbringingwoodworkingbackintoschoolsandcessful career in digital media product manage-reaching students by feeding their need to create. ment, Schloff experienced what he calls his mak-I was that kid who couldnt sit still, Schloffer moment at Columbia High Schools Maker says. I have ADHD, and I know what its like toMadness event in 2015. As he watched a young feel like you dont fit in. The restless energy he feltboy beam with pride over a small woodworking in the classroom, paired with the calm he foundproject, something clicked.fixingbikesalongsidehisdadafterschool,laidI realized that this is what Im meant to do, the foundation for what would eventually spark aSchloff says. I wanted to build something real by hands-on education movement. helping kids discover who they are through their At its core, Maplewoodshop thrives on some- hands. And so I did a complete 180 and left cor-thing deeply human: the need to create.Whatporate America.began in a single classroom now reaches more thanI knew I wanted to bring the lifelong benefitsThrough a partnership with Maplewoodshop, the 200 camps, homeschoolers, charter schools andof woodworking to as many kids as possible, butNewark Workforce Development Boards Pre-Appren-public schools in New Jersey, New York, Maine,I was only one person, says Schloff. The bestticeship program utilizes union carpenters to teach Barringer High School students and 18- to 24-year-olds Florida, California and Washington, says Schloff.way to have the biggest impact was to go wherein Newark who are exploring careers in construction.12/ matters magazine / school 2025'