I love working with young people. Some on my crew are at their very first job. Each one is eager to please and hard working. The only thing they lack is experience. I have found that if I truly believe in them and expect the best of them they will rarely disappoint.
Our job is to teach them the skills they need to do the job and to work safely. We do this by pairing them with others who have been working for us for a while. These seasoned employees know what is expected and understand it is part of their job to take care of the newbies. As the 'older' hires get more responsibility they too do their best to do the job better and faster. It is the quickest way to bring everyone up to speed and in the process we accomplish a great deal every day.
Each day Peter and I apply as much fiberglass reinforced concrete as humanly possible. As the day progresses and the concrete begins to harden, more and more crew join in the sculpting process. As quitting time approaches they are inevitably shoulder to shoulder trying their best to get it all done before the clock runs out and before the concrete gets rock hard. The pace always quickens as they work, each trying to out do the others. It is also a time of laughs and silliness as they chat while they work. It is a great deal of fun to watch.
As the crew worked this evening I stepped back to take a broader look at the job and to make sure nothing got missed. What I saw made me laugh out loud.
Cole, one of the newest members of the crew was slowly working his way across the scaffold. He was tethered to the scaffold as he was instructed but as he worked he slowly ran out of rope - without taking notice. The lanyard got tighter and tighter until he simply couldn't reach his work any longer. I snapped the picture just as he finally realized what was happening. Then as I looked up I noticed another member of the crew above him. They had lain on their stomach high on the scaffold to reach down to carve, rather than climbing down a level and working at a more comfortable position. Each was intent on simply doing the job as fast as they were able.
I appreciate each and every member of my hard working crew. Together we are building a fabulous project!
-grampa dan