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!!

Buttonhole, right...

Some pictures of finished juggling balls that the 6th grade will use juggling in the medieval festival next year....


So, 8th grade is sewing, many finishing their PJ bottoms, and while I was checking up on a sewing machine, I noticed someone had scratched--with a pin--out the "on" in buttonhole....and while I thought it was kinda hilarious and wondered how I hadn't thought of that one myself, I also was really mad that one of my students had permanently marred one of the sewing machines (I actually would have appreciated it if they had just put a piece of tape over the letters, and we could have all had a good laugh...). Anyway, no way of know who exactly did it since they won't fess up (would you?)...so, not sure what to do. They know I am really really dissappointed....SO----look at your machines closely....

More October

We had our very first hat finished in 5th grade 4 needle knitting...boy, that was quick!

Also, we (I) decided to make slippers out of felted wool sweaters with the 7th grade, the wet felting thing got a little out of hand, and I have so many students---I am so glad we did a little mini wet felting project to see how it went. My challenge is not having a handwork room, and having to tote everything to each class... Anyhoo, that class is having some self control issues that everyone is working on...maybe we will wet felt next May after some of the behaviour improves, which it will---yup, 7th grade...

October

Aha, finally have a day to update!!

Our school had there first Michaelmas festival, which we call the fall festival. We made a dragon head out of paper maiche in class 6 handwork, very last minute, but I think it turned out so great!! The 6-ers manned the dragon, and the 2nds put on the play, and then everyone went outside for a mini in school festival. We had many game stations, face painting, giant tears (oh, this is wonderful, the kids try to steal the jewal tears the giant is crying...they are those glass thingies you put in vases, etc...) Apple bobbing, but on string (hellooooo, H1N1, everyone is paranoid!! anyway, it is more sanitary to do it this way, but there is nothing like bobbing in cool water for an apple, especially when your front teethe are missing...) and other race-like activities...it was HOT HOT HOT that day, not very Autumnal...the fall arrived that weekend, the temps dropped like 20 plus degrees!

Two weeks in...

Well, it is two weeks in to the school year, and we really have accomplished lots and lots!

5th grade has sanded all four of the needles for 4 needle knitting, we died and wound our wool for our hats, so tomorrow we will do some practice knitting to remember how...I only have two who have never knitted, and the rest I had 3 years ago, so I remember who can knit and who cannot so well....only one student did not like the colour of his yarn, and he sabotaged it by making it all in a tangle...then getting a headache and having to lay down...uh oh, well...he has to untangle that beautiful wool so someone else can use it before he makes another skein of a colour he likes---I wouldn't normally let a student change their colour, but he is the only one who doesn't love love love their wool!!! (we used food colouring, about 15 drops per 1/3 cup, used spoons to drop on wool...I soaked wool overnight in a big bucket with water and vinegar, which I did not measure...but it smelled like vinegar...no rinsing, just dripped until we were ready...then we put the skeins in plastic zip lock baggies and placed in the sun on the black top where they steamed for 2 hours---then we dipped them in clear cool water, no dye came off!!!! Hung up to dry, and voila!!!)

6th grade we are well on our way to finishing our pencil pouches, and some are working on the big dragon head for Michealmas, or for what we are calling our fall festival (in school only...not like a big fest we usually have on the weekends)

7th, well...we felted pouches and made inch worms, and this was all to get ready to make felted slippers...but if I went ahead with that project I would feel that I was rewarding some pretty awfull behaviour, sooooooo...we will be doing something else tomorrow----which I am trusting will come to me in the night???

8th is really coming along with sewing!!!! I have so many students, and really, it is going quite well considering.........

Oh, and I am posting an old pic from 3 years ago of the sign we made for our school in woodworking....they were so darned proud of that sign!!!