Most changes a child goes through are of the infinitesimal sort that you might only notice if you're the relative from out of town paying a visit. Once in a while there are days when a momentous transition occurs (it may have been building up slowly out of sight for years) and a child enters into a complete new phase of metamorphosis! Such was the case today. Furthermore, a parent's dream come true, my son has a new mentor!
Let me back up a few years. When John was six he saw a metalsmithing exhibit at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan where we were visiting his sister. High school students used torches to melt smelting compound then poured molten globs of it into pails of water where it hardened into "gold nuggets." John was invited to keep one. The dream was born.
Last year when he was ten I took him to a glassblowing and metal-smithing demo which showcased local artisans. He was entranced. I began to think along the lines of someday finding him a mentor whom he could work under and learn from in the tradition of a Medieval Guild. Perhaps when he was in high school, or college-aged, he could work with a local blacksmith and learn a useful trade.
Then John's dad found a local jeweler and teacher who was willing to work with children. She even remembered John from the demo a year ago, and was eager to meet with him, right away, this week. When he came home he was ebullient with enthusiasm and sporting the beautiful band pictured above.
"I came in expecting to see how it was done, look at the tools, and basically walk around and see stuff. Instead, I got to make a bracelet! I now have a talent for something exciting and useful! It's like one of those cheesy movies where someone discovers their talent!"
So now something he dreamed of doing in the distance future has suddenly become a reality. "When I started, I was a bit nervous, and I thought I might think it was boring after a while. But it turns out that the parts that are the funnest are the parts that take the longest, and call for more concentration!" He is now keeping a notebook of design ideas, eagerly anticipating the next weekly lesson.
As a parent, especially a homeschooling parent, I am thrilled that there is a new adult in my child's life who can teach him something I know nothing about, and who can honor and model the process, recognizing and bringing out his talents, while providing the experience and perspective to scaffold him through the many subtle processes involved in bringing his visions into form. The alchemy of an eager student and a talented mentor working together is the real gold.
