1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?"

Interesting Things with JC #1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?" – Some tools are built for precision. Others are built for the person holding them. But one? It’s built for something else entirely.

• Curriculum

  Episode Anchor

  Episode Title: Where do you find a Left handed ScrewDriver?
  
  Episode Number: #1286
  Host: JC
  Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
  Subject Area: Career & Technical Education (CTE), Critical Thinking, Psychology, Sociology, Trade Education

  Lesson Overview

  Students will:

  • Define the role of initiation rituals in skilled trades and their cultural significance.

  • Compare real and fictional tools used in workplace pranks or tests.

  • Analyze the implications of obedience and critical thinking in high-risk professions.

  • Explain how humor and storytelling reinforce workplace safety culture.

  Key Vocabulary

  • Initiation (ih-NISH-ee-ay-shun) — A rite of passage or introduction into a group or profession. For example, being sent to find a left-handed screwdriver is an electrician's initiation prank.

  • Critical Thinking (KRIT-i-kuhl THINGK-ing) — The ability to evaluate claims and make reasoned judgments. In the trades, it can prevent dangerous mistakes.

  • Obedience (oh-BEE-dee-ens) — Complying with commands or requests. Blind obedience in electrical work can lead to serious harm.

  • Myth (mith) — A widely believed but false idea. The left-handed screwdriver is a myth used to teach new electricians.

  • Tool Crib (tool krib) — A storage area for tools on a job site. It’s often the last stop in the prank chain for a non-existent tool.

  Narrative Core

  • Open – Begins by comparing humorous initiation rituals across trades, setting up a playful but revealing story.

  • Info – Introduces examples of real left-handed tools, creating plausible buy-in for the fictional screwdriver.

  • Details – Describes the prank in detail, emphasizing how the entire team plays along and the moment of realization.

  • Reflection – Explores the deeper lesson: safety depends on questioning, not just following orders.

  • Closing – "These are interesting things, with JC."

  Transcript

  Full Transcript below

  Student Worksheet

  1. What is the purpose of the "left-handed screwdriver" prank in the electrical trade?

  2. How does the story illustrate the importance of critical thinking?

  3. Describe a real tool that is made specifically for left-handed users.

  4. What might happen if someone blindly follows an unsafe order in a technical field?

  5. Write your own fictional "initiation tool" for a modern profession, and explain its purpose.

  Teacher Guide

  Estimated Time:
  45–60 minutes

  Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:
  Use images and brief descriptions of real left-handed tools to clarify context. Compare with fictional examples.

  Anticipated Misconceptions:

  • Students may think the prank is hazing; clarify it's a cultural teaching moment, not harassment.

  • Some may believe there truly are left-handed screwdrivers—clarify that screwdriver function is hand-neutral.

  Discussion Prompts:

  • Why might tradespeople use humor to teach important lessons?

  • Can critical thinking be taught through storytelling?

  • What risks come from unquestioned obedience in other fields (e.g., medicine, aviation, engineering)?

  Differentiation Strategies:

  • ESL: Provide vocabulary in native language equivalents and use labeled visuals.

  • IEP: Offer sentence starters and simplified worksheet alternatives.

  • Gifted: Have students research and compare other workplace rituals across cultures or industries.

  Extension Activities:

  • Interview a tradesperson about their first day on the job.

  • Create a skit reenacting a workplace prank with a safety lesson.

  • Research safety protocols in electrical work and present findings.

  Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Physics: Study electrical current and grounding.

  • Psychology: Explore obedience (e.g., Milgram experiment).

  • Sociology: Discuss rites of passage in group culture.

  Quiz

  Q1. What is the "left-handed screwdriver" an example of?
  A. A real tool used by electricians
  B. A workplace safety device
  C. A prank used to test new workers
  D. A type of wiring technique
  Answer: C

  Q2. Which of the following tools is actually made for left-handed users?
  A. Board stretcher
  B. Left-handed scissors
  C. Brass magnet
  D. Left-handed screwdriver
  Answer: B

  Q3. What does the story teach about following orders?
  A. Always trust your supervisors.
  B. Never question authority.
  C. Question things that don’t make sense.
  D. Go to the tool crib for answers.
  Answer: C

  Q4. What happens when the new electrician returns from searching?
  A. He’s given the tool.
  B. He fixes the circuit.
  C. He gets laughed at and learns a lesson.
  D. He’s promoted.
  Answer: C

  Q5. Why is critical thinking important in trades?
  A. To improve tool speed
  B. To decorate the van
  C. To avoid physical and professional harm
  D. To replace tools
  Answer: C

  Assessment

  1. Explain how the "left-handed screwdriver" prank acts as a safety lesson in the trades.

  2. Describe a real-world situation (outside of electrical work) where critical thinking could prevent a mistake.

  3–2–1 Rubric:

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful

  • 2 = Partial or missing detail

  • 1 = Inaccurate or vague

  Standards Alignment

  U.S. Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3 – Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events.

  • CTE.ANR.KPAS.5.2 – Demonstrate critical thinking and logical reasoning in technical tasks.

  • ISTE 4.5c – Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop strategies for solving them.

  • NGSS Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems – Students ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena or unexpected results.

  UK & International Equivalents

  • Cambridge IGCSE Design & Technology (0445) 2.3 – Demonstrate knowledge of practical applications and safe working procedures.

  • IB MYP Individuals & Societies – Criterion B: Investigating – Students formulate questions, collect and record information from a range of sources, and analyze them.

  • OCR GCSE Psychology J203/01 – Psychological problems: Understanding human behavior, including obedience and decision-making.

• Transcript

  Interesting Things with JC #1286: "The Left-Handed Screwdriver"

  Every trade has its initiation rituals. For plumbers, it's the brass magnet. For carpenters, it’s the board stretcher. And for electricians?

  It’s the left-handed screwdriver.

  At first, it sounds legit. I mean, we’ve got left-handed scissors, left-handed golf clubs, left-handed guitars—even left-handed can openers that confuse righties into giving up and eating something else. So when a veteran electrician sends the new guy off to grab a left-handed screwdriver, he usually doesn’t blink.

  He just goes.

  He’ll tear through the van, dig through the gang box, maybe even ask the foreman—who will, of course, send him to supply. And supply will absolutely play along. “Oh yeah, we just sold out. Try the tool crib.”

  By the time he gets back, everyone’s smiling. And he’s holding a regular screwdriver. Because here's the gag: screwdrivers don’t care what hand you use. The business end doesn’t change. Clockwise tightens. Counterclockwise loosens. Same rules, same tool, both hands.

  It’s not meant to be cruel. It’s a test. A quiet lesson in how not to blindly follow orders. In electrical work, that kind of obedience can fry more than your pride. Misread a panel, skip a ground wire, or grab the wrong breaker, and you’re not just embarrassed—you’re in danger.

  So they send you after a myth. And watch to see if you pause. If you question it. If you laugh.

  Because one day, when someone tells you to “just flip that switch,” you’ll need to know better.

  In the trades, knowledge is survival. And critical thinking?

  That’s your real screwdriver.

  These are interesting things, with JC

• Show Notes

  In this episode of Interesting Things with JC, listeners explore a harmless prank with a powerful lesson—sending a new tradesperson to find a fictional "left-handed screwdriver" teaches the value of questioning absurd orders. This lighthearted ritual is part of a broader culture of safety and critical thinking in skilled trades. By turning confusion into curiosity, the episode becomes a meaningful entry point into discussions of workplace responsibility, initiation traditions, and the human psychology behind obedience. It's an ideal topic for both career education and life skills development.