My 16-year-old son is taking shop class in high school and I'm very worried. The shop teacher insists on safety measures but he is one adult to the 20 kids in there. How can he possibly keep them all safe?

Your concern is very real and justified. Accidents do happen in shop, industrial arts, or automotive classes. Teachers and school administrators don't want this to happen and work hard to prevent it.

Your son will probably complain about how slow the class is moving. This is a good sign. You'll be relieved to hear him say the teacher is going over and over the safety rules when all he wants to do is get to work on a project. Most of the time they work in pairs or teams. The job of the other students is always safety first. They watch their partner and stand ready to turn off a machine in a moment's notice.

If it hasn't already taken place, go to the school's open house or parent-teacher conference. If the shop teacher doesn't talk about safety, talk to him about your concerns.