Kristen Haywood, Family Consumer Science Teacher and Sewing Teacher from Southeastern Greene School District, is providing life skills to her students that will help them for years to come. While many school districts have discontinued the opportunity for its students to learn basic home economic skills, Southeastern Greene continues to offer sewing as an elective for students in grades nine through twelve.
In her Family Consumer Science class, Kristen shares basic skills with students grades seven through nine. Those skills may be sewing on a button or repairing a rip. When it comes to learning more advanced skills, like putting in a zipper or even threading a sewing machine, that’s where the high school elective class comes into play.
In our world today, sewing may seem like it’s a lost art, but it’s not. A growing number of youth and adults across the country are returning to sewing, crocheting, and knitting as a source of relaxation and creativity. Here in Southeastern Greene, there is interest among students in the district to participate in this class, where students are graded according to their skill. Projects are also based on student skill level. Kristen plans for the students by handwriting the directions for each project and providing picture cues so that they can complete the project by using the prompts provided.
Each year the students complete an amazing seven projects. Some of the projects completed this year have been a hand blanket (using hands instead of a crochet hook), a tree skirt, an apron, a study pillow with pockets, and a tote bag. After the planned projects are completed, students are given an opportunity to work on a project of their choice if time allows.
The students are also taught five different types of stitches and ten standard embroidery stitches. Very impressive!
How many folks today have never had the opportunity to see a sewing machine used or even have used one themselves? Sewing machines have changed a lot over the years but the basics, like how to thread a needle or thread the bobbin, have not. Students in class can become familiar with a sewing machine, giving them an advantage over many others.
Kristen wants each student to have a positive experience in this class, and, because the classes are small, each student gets the one-on-one teacher assistance that they need to complete the projects to the best of their ability.
Sewing is a true art form. It is still a necessary skill in a throwaway society, and it is good to know that the opportunity still exists to learn skills that can be useful and fun.
Kristen said that she wished more students would take an interest in learning these skills and choose to participate in sewing class. Not only will they be learning valuable expertise, but they will be learning a skill that is super fun!
