Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Teacher's pet

At our school, parents are expected to contribute at least 6 hours' work each semester. It can be filled with library duty, gardening work, playground maintenance, class laundry...or in my case, sewing. Since our teacher discovered I own a sewing machine, I have been a sewing fool for that classroom. Last year, it was 2 children's aprons...swiftly followed by 24 (count 'em, twenty-four!) child-sized chef's hats. At the start of this year, it was two dozen vinyl pockets. Have you ever sewn with vinyl? That was an adventure, let me tell you!

This term, I sneakily signed up for class laundry once a week. Smiling Teacher noticed and asked me instead to please sew just three little pockets with velcro closure--out of fabric this time she emphasized--and she would pass the laundry to another family. Okay, I said, waiting for the complication. None was forthcoming. We met and discussed what she had in mind; easy peasy. She bought the materials (usually, I do that); that was my hint.

When she handed me the bag of fabric, there were more than three fabrics for more than three pockets...plus a meter of hot pink cotton in there too. "For the petticoat," she smiled. Um...wha? "You know, a nice big petticoat, with lots of ruffles around the bottom. By the end of the week if you can. Thanks!" Big smile.


Do I mind? Actually, no, not at all. When I was a teacher (without a sewing machine), I often thought up simple solutions to a classroom need that would be so easy to remedy myself...if only I could sew. Now that I can sew, I'm happy to do it, and I'm extra happy to see the work being put to fun use by the kids. But I do have to laugh at how every time the commitment increases dramatically after saying "yes" to the project.

The mom who sews.
Every teacher should have one.

2 comments:

  1. Exactly why I didn't put sewing on the teachers form asking what skills you could contribute to the class!

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  2. You and all the other smart women! I know for a fact I am not the only class mom in possession of a sewing machine, but I am the only one about whom the teacher knows...

    ReplyDelete