lalaland

I teach sewing one period a day in a continuation high school (for those of you unfamiliar with continuation high schools, they are for kids that are off track to graduate and they can either graduate from our school, which is state accredited, or earn their way back to their home school) and I am also the registrar there.

I am the only sewing teacher in the district. When the home ec teachers retired at other sites, the class was discontinued. I asked to teach the class and was told I could teach it, but it had to be financially independent because there were no funds to support it. After 3 years I was moved into a better room, freshly painted, and newly carpeted. I've been teaching it going on 5 years now, I own everything in the classroom, I keep my kids too busy to be a problem and my boys are actually better at sewing than the girls, and much more creative. I think the success of a class has a lot to do with the structure of the class and I will take some credit, I'm nice but I do not tolerate disrespect towards me, or anyone else, and my favorite saying is " I know you can talk and sew at the same time". My students receive applied arts or elective credit in my class.

If you are serious about starting up a sewing class in your town, go for it! If you need a spot to have them, do you have a recreation department in town? We have beginning sewing class at our local Sew Vac that are sponsored by the recreation department. The students bring their own machines. I was asked by 2 sewing places if I would teach a class in their stores. There are opportunities out there!