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Watch/Clock Repairer

Real-Life Activities

Real-Life Decision Making

Thank goodness! You finally have some time to yourself to restore a beautiful grandfather clock. You've cleared away all your pressing repairs and can work on your pet project. If you ever find the time to get this clock running, you may have a real gem on your hands.

Bing! Bong! The alarm on your front door sounds to let you know you have another customer. You set down your tools and greet the customer. She shows you an old wall clock.

"This was my great-grandfather's clock," she says. "I love this clock. It's been in the attic at my brother's house for years, and now I want to get it running."

You inspect the clock and find that it is poorly built, has poor and rusted mechanisms, and is completely worthless. "People think that just because something is old, that it's worth something," says John Hiew, a watchmaker. "Some of the things people bring in are just junk."

You tell the customer that the clock would need a vast amount of repair and rebuilding, which may not be worth it because it isn't a valuable clock to begin with. In addition, there is a chance that the clock just may never work again.

She is disappointed and asks you to try and get the clock working again.

Is this the best way to spend your time? Should you take on a project that may take months, cost a lot, and in the end may not even work properly?

You have a decision to make.