I only left school a year or so ago and I live in wales and we weren't allowed near stuff like bandsaws, circular saw table saw. However we could use a metal lathe, wood lathe and a scroll saw. My argument was always why cant I use a band saw but I can use a scroll saw if I wanted to cut my finger off with a scroll saw it would do it it would just take much longer. However, I can see why they're so strict I already knew lots about woodworking machinery because my dad had his own bespoke kitchen company for 27 years and showed me the dos and don'ts. But you wouldn't believe some of the things people would do in a class room.
It's great to hear that you are interested in working with your hands and are treating machines/equipment with caution and respect, I don't really understand why all youngsters aren't like you nowadays, from what I remember of my school days, 99% of my classmates listened/took instructions seriously.
If things continue on this path, it does make me wonder who's going to be capable of making or fixing anything when I'm an OAP and no longer able to for example.