3rd grade dwellings

I just had to put up some pictures of our 3rd grade dwellings project...they are the best I have seen yet, you can see how much time and effort they put in...I do not teach this, but I was so impressed and delighted!

First pair of 5th grade socks!

Well, one student has finished her 4 needle socks!  This is always a very exciting project for them to finish, and rarely do I have more than 5 that get that far!  She is knitting a dress for herself now...when they finish this, I give them an option of bringing a project from home in, or I can give them another project (eg, a gnome or animal or leggings etc...).

One more hat !

One more hat done in 5th grade!  This student had some allergy type issues with wool, so she bought some cotton yarn, and it turned out great!  I forgot to compensate for the different yarn, so with the same pattern (it is cast on 60, divided onto 3 needles, knit in the round) it ended up a little baggy, but really was great like that!  We might weave in a little ribbon if she wants to cinch it up a bit, which would be cute too!  This is my class of 32, no helpers or volunteers, so I am pretty amazed that anyone gets anything done!  I have one student who will finish her second sock on Friday!

We are beginning a mosaic project for the 8th graders gift to the school...a huge undertaking, but do-able, right?  I wish I could do woodworking with that class, but it is too big and there are not enough supplies and I have exhausted my handwork funds for the year!

PJ pants and Renaisance shirts !

Well, here it is February!  Rain has made the last couple of weeks crazy at school, the kids were getting cabin fever, not to mention the mud from shoes on the floor, something that drives me mad!!  Anyhoo, sun was here for the weekend and today, but looks like cloudy skies are back tomorrow.  One day last week I went out during a sunny break and had handwork out on the blacktop playground!

Here are a couple of finished PJ pants made by some proud 8th graders!

Also, the first finished hand stitched Renaissance shirt from 7th grade!  Next for this student will be a hand stitched corsette to go overtop, made from an old T shirt.

Anyone need a handwork teacher?  I feel the budget might cut me right out of a job!

Rainy windy Wednesday

Well, I have been very frustrated with my 8th grade class, getting to the point of canceling handwork for the rest of the year... So, after a concerned parent contacted me, I decided to brainstorm with the main lesson teacher for a solution. Temporarily, I have split the class, so I am working with a maximum of 15 at a time, instead of 25. SO, yesterday was the first day, I had about 12 students, and it worked like magic!! I actually felt that I was teaching instead of putting out fires and taking care of behaviour problems, which in retrospect were probably a result of too many students (do ya think??) for a handwork teacher to handle, at least for 8th grade. They only will get handwork once a week this way, but really, that is what they were getting before. The students loved it, and I think they felt more respected....I know they felt more respected. Even the "difficult" students that worked with me yesterday were completely different in that atmosphere.

SOOOO, I have given our administrator my intentions for next year, which are to still teach handwork, but with a co-teacher if the classes cannot be reduced for me. It is so hard, we need the money each student brings, but the class sizes have doubled since I have started, and I was a little unprepared for the result of that.....live and leare....oh, and if I cannot co-teach or have smaller classes, I will be on to a different adventure. Needless to say, I am getting my resume up to date!!!!

8th grade pj's

Miracles do happen, and a few 8th graders are finished or nearly finished the PJ project. This class is a challenge for me, as there are so many of them, so few working machines, and only one of me...I love the Zebra print !

By some

December

Yesterday I learned that our school is, as always, in a financial crisis (next year we have an additional 75 grand cut to our school)...programs will need to be cut, funding severed, etc... I am so sad that our Foundation cannot afford to send all of us to the January and February conferences at Rudolf Steiner College. I am mostly sad because I get so much inspiration from these conferences, at a time when my own inspiration is waning. Sometimes I just need a little reminder of why I am doing what I am doing and why I like it... Being the handwork teacher is a little lonely at times, and I sure love the companionship that these conferences offer. I suppose I will have to find inspiration somewhere and somehow else !

So....on with handwork. In 7th grade we have decided to make Renaissance costumes, or at least shirts and corsettes to begin... I am using some of the ideas in these sites :

http://www.garbmonger.com/Jerkins/Jerkins.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-T-Tunic-for-a-Renaissance-Fair
http://www.threadbanger.com/post/5655/how-to-make-a-corset
http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_rectangles.htm

We are using just muslin...I have to watch my funds, they are running low and we still have a half year left!!!

Given the financial crisis, I have to be honest and realize my program may be cut...also, I am not sure anyway whether I will continue or not as any perk for the job seems to be taken away (conferences, smaller class size, assistants...) Oh, well, I have a little time to think on all this. I think we might make felted candle ornaments just to put some light in the day!!