Knife Skills = Life Skills?

[19-3ben]

Well, I don't agree that knife skills are as important as math skills, critical thinking, organization, or relationship skills. None of the people I know who I consider successful in various modes of life have knife skills except me.

And actually, that includes the people who cook regularly and/or well.

This. Exactly this. My mother has made it to her mid-60's with a very successful career as a dentist, owns her house outright, and has lived the American dream and yet, she will chop a dozen carrots one piece at a time with a steak knife, and has no idea about a knife used for slicing vs. cutting.

It's vexing to watch her in the kitchen. She exerts 2-3x the effort needed to create a dish, just by slow, inefficient knife skills. But she's a damned good cook and the end results are sure to please.

It's good to have knife skills. They are helpful. but they are not equivalent to "life skills." Plenty of people get by just fine opening packages with their teeth, holding open a pair of scissors and using one side, or sawing at them with a house key. Is it optimal? no. It's inefficient. But remember that the world population has ballooned to 7 BILLION people. I'd bet the vast majority of them have poor knife skills, and yet the population continues to grow, which means they're getting by alright...

That said, knowing how to use a certain tool is very important. I do believe I am the better for having the understanding to pick a proper knife for a certain task, and use it correctly, the same way i believe I am better for knowing how to measure a miter angle, saw correctly, and do basic carpentry, or drive a car with a manual transmission.

A well rounded skillset will never let you down. But let's be real here. People do just fine in life having poor knife skills just like people get by without knowing that the black wire connects to the black and white to white, and without knowing to allow a pellicle to form on a piece of salmon before smoking it, and with no concept of what a binary code is... not every has the same skills.

 

[BTGuy]

While I don't disagree that people should have basic understanding of tools like knives, I feel the more important lesson young adults need to learn is this....

I wish they had been taught personal integrity. I wish they had developed a sense of humility. I wish they had learned how to conduct themselves as adults.

 

[Frailer]

I dont think our schools even do a decent job at preparing our children for life with life skills, general education or critical thinking. I take that on myself with my children.
Look at drivers ed for example, driving is a huge responsibility and you take lives in your hand any time you get behind a wheel.
Drivers Ed and drivers training is a joke in the schools.
Im not sure I would want my kids learning knife skills from these same institutions.
just my 2 cents.

Sounds like you’re doing a good job.

But know that not all parents are. I’m a high school teacher, and just yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from a mom who asked me to help her get her son to do what she tells him to do at home.

This isn’t the first (or even the tenth) time this has happened, and over the years I’ve had to teach boys how to shave, how to use jumper cables, how to change a tire, how to tie a tie, etc. etc.

 

[SV-97]

Absolutely disagree with you on this; there are far more important things that should be added as subject before knife skills should be considered.

 

[Kels73]

When I was growing up, I had to take Home Ec class for the first half of my 7th grade year and Shop class for the second half. Both were extremely beneficial. I don't know how many schools still do something like this, but it seems like it would be easy to incorporate basic knife usage and maintenance into these classes. They could teach kitchen knives in Home Ec and pocket/utility knives in Shop class.

In addition to teaching basic skills, this would also have the benefit of reducing the irrational fear of knives by replacing ignorance with knowledge.

Unfortunately, it's that irrational fear which would probably make all of this difficult to implement. Yet in all fairness, I don't doubt that in some schools it's a legitimate concern.

 

[bt93]

Do the Boy Scouts still teach knife skills? Our schools can't get the basics of education down so I wouldn't want to trust them with knife skills. It's even more unfortunate today that a kid can't even carry a small slipjoint in their pocket without getting suspended. If schools get education and common decency and respect in their curriculum, then maybe they'd be able to let kids carry a SAK or a Case knife on their person.

 

[morvlorv]

It also takes a certain degree of common sense to succeed in the areas talked about here.
Unfortunately, common sense is lacking more and more with each generation.
We need to figure out a way to teach common sense, thst would be ideal.
Some of the smartest people i know have zero common sense. Thats frightening.

 

[ShannonSteelLabs]

Do the Boy Scouts still teach knife skills? Our schools can't get the basics of education down so I wouldn't want to trust them with knife skills. It's even more unfortunate today that a kid can't even carry a small slipjoint in their pocket without getting suspended. If schools get education and common decency and respect in their curriculum, then maybe they'd be able to let kids carry a SAK or a Case knife on their person.

Yes the boyscouts still teach knife skills. I was done with it at 18. My troop was on the decline and i got out once i got my eagle rank. I didnt stick around to watch the decline.
The first camping trip i went on in boyscouts we did knife safety the whole weekend. Only after and during that weekend was each scout allowed to handle/carry a knife.
Unfortunately i believe that fixed blades are still prohibited.
I also agree with you on the school education thing. I wish my high school taught me more life skills instead of prepping for standardized testing.

 

[morvlorv]

Do the Boy Scouts still teach knife skills? Our schools can't get the basics of education down so I wouldn't want to trust them with knife skills. It's even more unfortunate today that a kid can't even carry a small slipjoint in their pocket without getting suspended. If schools get education and common decency and respect in their curriculum, then maybe they'd be able to let kids carry a SAK or a Case knife on their person.

You mean the "scouts"?
We cant have just "boy" scouts or "girl" scouts, its not fair to the other gender.

Your post takes me back though. The good old tote and chip card we had to get before we could carry a knife at scout camp.
I would lose all 4 corners of my card as a young scout. Hah

 

[danbot]

Absolutely disagree with you on this; there are far more important things that should be added as subject before knife skills should be considered.

What subjects would you like to see added?

 

[Herlock]

Hi! Though I wouldn’t say that knife skills are comparable, from an importance point of view, to the "life skills", I agree very much on the observation that a number of practical skills are basically gone in the younger generations.

Reasons can be many. Where I live, I can say that the main reason is people don’t need them so much like in old times. Seems to me everything is rather “easy” and very accessible nowadays. I can take the example of opening up consumers packages: today the chances to really need to employ a knife are very limited. Many packages are already designed to be opened just by pulling or tearing them apart with no tools. Changing a tyre by yourself? Why? With the car assurance you get the 365/7/24 service for that, just a phone call away. Today they even install a SOS button in the cars. Just press it, if you’re in trouble and we’ll find you. Also people today mostly live, work and congregate in urban areas where the occasions to make use of a knife are really limited and restricted by laws. Even food comes already portioned! Unless one is involved in very specific professions, any urban dweller with an office type of job, could probably go through years of peaceful living without the real need to reach out for a blade. In rural areas or among farmers and growers it’s very different; having a knife it’s a primary need. But farmers and growers and people living in rural areas are shrinking in numbers years after year.

Then I agree there’s also a kind of "cultural" issue and a notable change of habits and life-style. When I was a kid, the worst punishment I could get was to be confined in house and deprived from the possibility to go play outside with friends. Today, with my kids, I almost have to kick them out to play and they get bored quite soon when taken away from cell phones, videogames, computers, etc. Also, nowadays, everyone seems to freak out for safety and security (in spite of a massive surveillance we are subject to) and knives and tools are basically banned from every school and public place. Here, today kids below 14 yrs. old cannot even go back from school by themselves! Scouts, boys or girls, are not anymore so popular also, I would say they are considered almost nerds among the youngsters here!

When I was a kid, even starting from Elementary School, it was normal for kids to have a SAK or an Opinel of sorts. We were biking all together to school and, many times, there was a screw to tighten, a loose thread to trim, a tree branch to cut and point for our games, something to build or construct or just a meal to share during the recess. Kids were helping each other, the older ones taking care of the little ones. Sure there have been some Band-Aids to apply, a few bad cuts which required stitches at ER in hospital but no one ever got killed and, with these trivial things as well, we all were learning: learning the success and the failure and how to deal with it; learn the action, the reaction and the consequences. This is very much missing today, at least for me.

 

[DocJD]

Cultural Evolution in action . Zombie hunters vs bait . Survivalists / Preppers vs government clients / recipients . Schooling reflects a group's values . People will learn whatever they value and feel motivated toward regardless of formal schooling . Just try to stop 'em !

 

[Velitrius]

I think it would be great if our high-schools offered knife skills classes. This would include knife selection, proper grips, slicing and dicing, knife safety etc. and the all important edge maintenance!! There is nothing that increases the joy of cooking like quick prep work skills with a wicked sharp knife!

I feel that knife skills are just as important as Math skills, critical thinking, organization, relationship skills etc.

What's your take on all this? What are some of your experiences? (Could a school even offer such a class these days without hiring armed security inside that classroom)?

Where to start...

First off, without the Math, critical thinking, organization, relationship skills etc., kids won't succeed at anything. Without the knife skills they just will be inept at selecting, using, and maintaining knives. You can get by without a knife in your pocket. Without the other personal developments, you're in serious trouble.

School administrators are way past offering anything related to "weapons training" in their institutions, and they flat out consider knives as weapons... none allowed on campus, in the buildings, or any extracurricular functions. Convincing a school board that instruction is necessary in proper tool maintenance is easy, unless that tool happens to be a knife, because knives are not tools to them.

Before my school district offers knife skills, I've got an entire list of other skills I'd like them to offer first. I'll teach them the knife stuff myself.

 

[danbot]

Where to start...

First off, without the Math, critical thinking, organization, relationship skills etc., kids won't succeed at anything.

Good points all! But don't get me wrong! I never said these other life skills are not important or should take a back seat to knife skills. I don't believe that at all. I just think that knife skills are also important to quality of life, that's all. In my OP I said "just as important" but I realize now, that was vastly overstated.

Thanks for your input Velitrius!

 

[Velitrius]

Thanks for the clarification.

And don't get me wrong, I do wish that schools were open to what you're thinking. How can you teach cooking without proper knife usage and maintenance... how can you teach shop without teaching how to maintain all of the tools at your disposal. Certainly you can get through the curriculum, but you are correct that we're ending up with graduates that have a few holes in their edge-u-cation.

But in the end, I feel that we as parents can do a way better job in the knife education arena than a school could ever pull off.

It's a cross we have to bear, Brother!

 

[marcinek]

Good points all! But don't get me wrong! I never said these other life skills are not important or should take a back seat to knife skills. I don't believe that at all. I just think that knife skills are also important to quality of life, that's all. In my OP I said "just as important" but I realize now, that was vastly overstated.

Thanks for your input Velitrius!

Not overstated as much as unrealistic.

Without getting into details "education" is overextended now. Back in the day, you got math, science, reading, writing, PLUS what was "shop" and "home ec" and art class and music class and sports in Phys Ed etc.

Its not like that anymore. Things are stretched to the point that, especially in public schools, about all they have the resources to do is STEM. And it is what parents want.

That said, would enough home ec to learn how to use a knife in the kitchen and enough shop to change a tire or fix a leak be a good thing for all students regardless of gender? (or play an instrument or learn a sport or learn to sing or act or paint etc etc etc)

Sure would.

Find money for it.

Its on "home" to teach that kinda stuff.

 

[Velitrius]

That said, would enough home ec to learn how to use a knife in the kitchen and enough shop to change a tire or fix a leak be a good thing for all students regardless of gender? (or play an instrument or learn a sport or learn to sing or act or paint etc etc etc)

Sure would.

Find money for it.

Its on "home" to teach that kinda stuff.

Home is definitely the place to get it right, Marci.

In a way, any of the "maintenance skills" that can be taught in schools can really benefit the students by accentuating more the "why" than the "how".

"Here students, we are maintaining our knives so that they will perform the task they need to perform when we want them to perform it... and so that we can extend the useful life of our investment. This is the thought process you should use when you maintain any of your important assets... your knife, your car, your roof, and your body... so that it performs it's function when called upon to it's best ability."

There, you've all been to Professor Vel's first high school class. There'll be a quiz at the end.

 

[SpySmasher]

When I was growing up, I had to take Home Ec class for the first half of my 7th grade year and Shop class for the second half.

I did something similar. And while I learned WAY more from my dad about "shop" skills than I ever learned in school, to this day the only reason I can thread a needle and sew on a button is because of that Home Ec class. I'm not sure one minor skill was worth all the time and investment that the school district put into me.

 

[danbot]

I did something similar. And while I learned WAY more from my dad about "shop" skills than I ever learned in school, to this day the only reason I can thread a needle and sew on a button is because of that Home Ec class. I'm not sure one minor skill was worth all the time and investment that the school district put into me.

That depends which button it is!

 

[brasileiro]

My advice is:
Learn everything you can, use whatever it takes.