---
title: The Enduring Promise of Honoring Childhood
description: Woodshop teacher Mark Mortensen teaches us how woodshop creates an environment that fosters, fun, exploration, and lets our kids be kids longer.
image: https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/Gr4WW100421-6.jpg
---

- [Default HubSpot Blog](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog)

[![Peckschool](https://blog.peckschool.org/hs-fs/hubfs/master-logo-2017-3.png?width=360&height=211&name=master-logo-2017-3.png "Peckschool")](https://www.peckschool.org/)

- [![Parents](https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/PeckSchool_July2018/Images/large_link870509_61290.png)](https://peckschool.myschoolapp.com/app#login)
- [![News](https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/PeckSchool_July2018/Images/large_link870508_61289.png)](https://www.peckschool.org/page/news-and-photos)
- [![Social](https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/PeckSchool_July2018/Images/large_link870505_61287.png)](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/news--social-media-mashup)
- [![PowerSchool](https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/PeckSchool_July2018/Images/large_link1155174_74520.png)](https://peckschool.learning.powerschool.com/do/account/login)

Search

- [About Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck) 
    - [Head's Welcome](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck/heads-welcome)
    - [Leadership](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck/leadership)
    - [Mission and Philosophy](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck/mission-and-philosophy)
    - [School Blog](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog)
    - [Careers at Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck/careers-at-peck)
    - [Traditions](https://www.peckschool.org/about-peck/traditions-at-peck)
    - [Directions to Our Campus](https://www.peckschool.org/page/about-peck/directions-to-our-campus)
- [Admissions](https://www.peckschool.org/page/admissions) 
    - [Why Peck?](https://www.peckschool.org/admissions/why-peck)
    - [Visit Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/admissions/visit-us-at-peck)
    - [Request Information](https://info.peckschool.org/request-information)
    - [Applying to Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/admissions/applying-to-peck)
    - [FAQs](https://www.peckschool.org/admissions/faqs)
    - [Tuition](https://www.peckschool.org/page/admissions/tuition)
    - [Financial Aid](https://www.peckschool.org/page/admissions/financial-aid)
- [Academics](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics) 
    - [Academics at Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/academics-at-peck)
    - [Academic Leadership Team](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/academic-leadership-team)
    - [Kindergarten](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/kindergarten)
    - [Lower School](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/lower-school)
    - [Upper School](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/upper-school)
    - [Secondary School Counseling](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/secondary-school-counseling)
    - [Library and Technology](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/library-and-technology)
    - [After School Enrichment](https://www.peckschool.org/page/academics/after-school-enrichment)
- [Arts](https://www.peckschool.org/arts) 
    - [Drama & Public Speaking](https://www.peckschool.org/arts/drama--public-speaking)
    - [Music](https://www.peckschool.org/arts/music)
    - [Visual Arts](https://www.peckschool.org/arts/visual-arts)
    - [Woodworking](https://www.peckschool.org/arts/woodworking)
- [Athletics](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics) 
    - [Our Program](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics/our-program)
    - [Lower School Physical Education and Athletics](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics/lower-school-physical-education-and-athletics)
    - [Upper School Athletics](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics/upper-school-athletics)
    - [Teams and Schedules](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics/teams-and-schedules)
    - [Meet the Athletics Team](https://www.peckschool.org/page/athletics/meet-the-athletics-team)
- [Community](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community) 
    - [A Diverse Community](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/a-diverse-community)
    - [Character & Service](https://www.peckschool.org/community/character--service)
    - [Student Leadership](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/student-leadership)
    - [Advisory Program](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/advisory-program)
    - [Service Learning](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/service-learning)
    - [Family Dining](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/family-dining)
    - [Our Parent Partnership](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/our-parent-partnership)
    - [News & Social Media Mashup](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/news--social-media-mashup)
    - [Alumni](https://www.peckschool.org/page/community/alumni)
    - [Community Events](https://www.peckschool.org/admissions/visit-peck)
- [Support](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support) 
    - [Giving at Peck](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/giving-at-peck)
    - [The Peck Fund](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/the-peck-fund)
    - [Ways to Give](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/ways-to-give)
    - [Planned Giving](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/planned-giving)
    - [Meet the Advancement Team](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/meet-the-advancement-team)
    - [Endowment and Special Funds](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/endowment-and-special-funds)
    - [Make a Gift](https://www.peckschool.org/page/support/make-a-gift)

# Peck School Blog

# The Enduring Promise of Honoring Childhood

Posted by [Brielle Runyon](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/author/brielle-runyon) on Oct 15, 2021, 12:26:03 PM

- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)

![Gr4WW100421-6](https://blog.peckschool.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Gr4WW100421-6.jpg?width=274&name=Gr4WW100421-6.jpg)

In order for a child to be successful later on in life, there are several things we as educators need to think about: the child's growth and development, their disposition, and the building blocks of education such as literacy and math.  But how do we allow children *to be children* for a little while longer? I had the honor and privilege of speaking with Mark Mortensen, a cross-divisional woodshop teacher armed with a rubber thumb (yes, a rubber thumb) and a heart of gold.

##### Meeting Mark Mortensen

For nearly 30 years, Mortensen has been teaching third- through eighth-grade students the fine art of woodworking—an academic pursuit that has gone by the wayside in most schools—and has a unique perspective on how *childhood honored* is experienced by Peck students across divisions over the last three decades.

As a new staff member, I was introduced to Mark this year via a story involving a prop thumb and a hammer—he was teaching his students how to be safe in a woodshop environment, and his classroom was erupting with laughter! 

“That's another thing I endeavor to do—to be an entertainer—and the kids tell me 'You know, you should be an actor!' and I just say, 'Well, I'm a teacher.'"

And entertaining he is! One of the ways Mortensen and his fellow Peck faculty honor childhood in the classroom, and how we honor childhood at Peck, is through joy. One place that’s filled with joy is always the woodworking studio merely by the fact that students transition from the classroom rigor of worksheets and textbooks to getting their hands dirty and collecting sawdust to create something with their hands. 

"Kids love exploring,” Mortensen said. “The woodshop provides an opportunity to let go of some of the structure that might be present in other subject areas. \[They\] exercise different muscles, and really express themselves in new ways."

##### Honoring Childhood in the Upper School

While creative play and time for open-ended exploration seem like obvious methodologies in Lower School (Gr. K-4) environment, how is childhood honored in the Upper School? 

"At Peck, we give permission for the kids to be *kids*. We provide an environment for discovery and they are allowed some latitude to explore in a way that is still kid-like."  For example, fifth-graders imaginatively transformed sawdust in cheese and turned a cleaning activity into a game.

While games and having fun are an integral part of childhood (and adulthood in my opinion), childhood is also about experimentation, self-discovery, and learning the resilience and grit that comes from failure in a safe environment. In the Upper School, the eighth-grade capstones provide just that. 

The Capstone Project is a culminating experience for a Peck eighth-grader in which they design and execute an independent study project of their choosing. This year-long endeavor provided an opportunity for students to stretch their creativity, problem-solve, and explore areas of personal interest and passion. Given their strong foundation, many students design woodworking projects for their Capstone.

“I had a student who was a huge baseball fan and wanted to test if different species of wood in a baseball bat would affect the delivery of a ball,” Mortensen said.  “He made a bat out of ash and acquired a maple and aluminum bat. He tested all three of them by tying a ball on a string and bouncing the ball with each type of bat.”

##### Conclusion

Mortensen is just one of the wonderful educators at Peck, and his woodshop classes are an avenue for children to be expressive and be kids for a little while longer. But woodshop classes are just one example of the ways we intentionally provide the time and space for children to grow and learn. Growth begins on the playground during daily recesses through eighth grade, to our family-style dining where we sit and learn from our peers, our electives and activities blocks, and through our Peck Enrichment Program. We know that the door to exploration and discovery is unlocked with play and childhood curiosity. By learning through imagination and growing with their friends and Peck family, we intentionally nurture their childlike nature, which will carry them well into adulthood. 

“Peck does a really good job of allowing kids to be kids,” Mortensen said “Our students know that they are valued, and they know that the teachers, staff members, and friends surrounding them care.”

### Subscribe Here!

### Recent Posts

### Posts by Tag

- [Uncategorized (8)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/uncategorized)
- [Director of Marketing and Community Outreach (5)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-marketing-and-community-outreach)
- [School Psychologist (5)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/school-psychologist)
- [Academic Technology Integrator (3)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/academic-technology-integrator)
- [Head of Upper School (3)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/head-of-upper-school)
- [Director of Curriculum & Faculty Development (2)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-curriculum-faculty-development)
- [Director of Finance and Operations (2)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-finance-and-operations)
- [Grade 2 Teacher (2)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/grade-2-teacher)
- [admissions (2)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/admissions)
- [Art Department Chair (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/art-department-chair)
- [Character Education (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/character-education)
- [DEIB (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/deib)
- [Director of Athletics (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-athletics)
- [Director of Secondary School Counseling (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-secondary-school-counseling)
- [Director of the Idea and Design Lab (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/director-of-the-idea-and-design-lab)
- [Head of Lower School (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/head-of-lower-school)
- [Head of School (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/head-of-school)
- [Kindergarten Teacher (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/kindergarten-teacher)
- [Leadership (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/leadership)
- [Spanish Teacher (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/spanish-teacher)
- [Upper School English Teacher (1)](https://blog.peckschool.org/blog/tag/upper-school-english-teacher)

See all

[![Peckschool](https://blog.peckschool.org/hubfs/PeckSchool_July2018/Images/master-logo.png)](https://www.peckschool.org/)

 timeless traditions

 timely transformation

### List of 3 items.

- #### 247 South Street
- #### Morristown, New Jersey 07960
- #### 973.539.8660

 Northern New Jersey's timeless and transformative independent education for grades K-8