More Than an Ability to Sew

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." -Anthony J. D'Angelo

As a teacher one of my goals is to develop a passion for learning within my students, however I think we so often view a passion for learning as limited to the capacity of schooling. This last week I started an after school club at the school where I teach so that I can share one of my passions with my kids. While talking with a coworker we began discussing how so many other life lessons can arise from this club. This new sewing club teaches basic sewing skills to our third, fourth, and fifth graders, but more than that, it teaches lessons of love, passion, learning, frustration, commitment, responsibility, acceptance, teamwork, sharing, community, pride, and humility.

A  love of a project containing our blood, sweat, and tears.
Passion for our craft, whatever it may be.
A love of learning how to develop our skills and further our abilities.
Skills to deal with frustration that occasionally accompanies a complex or difficult task.
A personal commitment to overcome frustrations and reach the finish line.
Responsibility necessary to accept one's own mistakes and shortcomings. 
Acceptance that we will always have shortcomings, but they need not inhibit our ambition.
Teamwork necessary to overcome hurdles together.
Sharing our knowledge with another to provide them with the support or knowledge they need to overcome their hurdles.
The love of the community that has donated materials or time to help us accomplish our goals.
Pride that comes only from sticking with and finishing a project or learning a new skill.
A certain amount of humility to keep our pride from overrunning us, often based in the knowledge that there is always something more we can learn, we will never have perfect knowledge. Instead, we will have something better, a drive to gain more knowledge.

I truly believe I am teaching so much more than an ability to sew. THAT is why I do what I do.

~Farm Girl Teacher