mentoring

so part of my job is working with at-risk youth. they get jobs as interns at our shop, learn how to work on bikes, job skills, responsibility, etc.

here are some excerpts from today:

INTERN: "See, I knew something was wrong with this. Haha! See, we interns do know some stuff! He told me just do it this way but I WAS RIGHT!"
KEN: "Do not question anything we tell you. EVER. We are never wrong."
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KEN: "Have you ever removed a freewheel before?"
INTERN: "Nope. So how do you take off this freewheel? Do you do it like this?"
KEN: "No."
INTERN: "Do you use this tool, like this? Or how about using this??"
KEN: "Nope."
INTERN: "Aren't you supposed to do it like this? Someone told me that you do it by. . . . ."
KEN: "When someone is teaching you something, they should be doing the talking, and you should be listening. OK?"
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A little old lady came in to have us help her put air in her old mountain bike tires. . .

LITTLE OLD LADY: "I couldn't get them to fill up!" (following P.T. into the workshop area)
P.T.: "Sorry ma'am, you aren't allowed to come back into the mechanic shop. Its not safe."
L.O.L. : "Oops, OK."
P.T.: "One of these kids could whack you on the head with a tool. . . that wouldn't be good."
L.O.L. : "It probably wouldn't make any difference!"

i laughed.