Drillin’ Slow, Learnin’ Right.
A Ritual Guide for Safety, Spirit, and Skill.
Help Me Keep Teachin' One Story at a Time.
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Books to Read after this…
Fathering from the Margins by Aasha M. Abdill
Aasha breaks down how Black daddies teach love, tools, and legacy—even when the system tries to block 'em.
Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen (Black co-author in later editions)
This one demonstrates how kids learn best when hands-on work is combined with rhythm, rest, and repetition.
We Want to Do More Than Survive by Bettina L. Love
Bettina says we ain’t just teachin’ skills—we teachin’ freedom. She calls out how white schools skip our rhythm, our rituals, our repair.
Tools of the Spirit (Anthology, various Black authors)
Every chapter got a tool—hammer, broom, skillet, and a story. It’s Hoodoo meets home training, passed down with pride.
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Ain’t about drills, but it teaches how trauma lives in the body—and how Black folks use ritual, touch, and rhythm to heal and teach.
In my dream, I saw lil Frankie standin’ in the garage, eyes wide like he just seen a magic trick.
His daddy says, “Come on, son. Time to learn the drill.”
Now, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout no metaphor.
I mean a real power drill—battery-powered, cordless, hummin’ like a bee with purpose.
I remember how Frankie lit up.
“Can I make holes in everything?” he asked, all teeth and wonder.
But his daddy, he ain’t playin’.
“Not so fast,” he said.
“This tool has power. You gotta respect it.”
Tools ain’t just tools.
They hold spirit.
They hold memory.
That drill?
That’s a modern-day iron—iron bein’ sacred in our tradition, a protector, a boundary-setter.
You don’t just grab it and go.
You learn its weight.
You learn its purpose.
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They talk safety, and that’s fine.
They have statistics saying that cordless drills lower accident rates because kids don’t trip over cords.
The data show that 25% of drill injuries hit the eyes, and most could be prevented with safety glasses.
That’s real.
But what they don’t say is how we, Black folks, have been teaching safety through ritual long before OSHA had a name.
We've been passin’ down tool wisdom through porch talk, through Sunday fix-it sessions, through “watch me, then you try.”
Frankie’s daddy showed him how to hold the drill, as if it mattered.
“Don’t force it,” he said.
“Let the drill do the work.”
Steady pressure keeps the bit from breakin’ and the wood from splittin’.
Don’t rush the work.
Let the spirit guide your hand.
And when Frankie finally pressed that trigger, slow and sure, the bit slid in like it belonged there.
That’s what practice does.
That’s what patience does.
That’s what legacy does.
Now here’s what I teach my babies from that dream:
Don’t touch any tool ‘til you’ve been taught.
Grown folks carry the knowing.
Safety gear ain’t optional.
Glasses protect more than just eyes—they protect vision, the future, and clarity.
Slow is sacred.
Rushing breaks things. Rushing breaks people.
Practice is prayer.
Every try is a step toward mastery.
Respect the tool, respect yourself.
That’s survival.
So when I hand my child a drill—or a broom, or a pen—I’m handin’ ‘em more than a task.
I’m handin’ ‘em a ritual.
A way to move through this world with care, with clarity, with power that doesn’t need to shout.
Becoming a Helper
After lots of practice, Frankie became good at using the drill safely.He helped his dad fix things around the house. Frankie always remembered to wear his safety glasses and work carefully.The Important LessonLearning to use tools safely takes time and practice.When kids learn the correct way from adults, they can help with projects and stay safe.Just like Frankie did, the most important thing is always putting safety first.What This Story Teaches Us:
- Always learn from an adult before using power tools
- Safety gear like glasses protects us from getting hurt
- Going slow and being careful works better than rushing
- Practice helps us get better at new skills
- Following safety rules keeps everyone safe
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