I actually saw scaffolding as a crutch when I started learning Rails and therefore made the conscience decision to learn the framework without using it. I think

I actually saw scaffolding as a crutch when I started learning Rails and therefore made the conscience decision to learn the framework without using it. I think the time investment paid back dividends, and I don't usually recommend that beginners (or anyone) use scaffolding. Instead, I recommend studying a simple, open source example app.