Sewing Our Way Through A Pandemic

Within Enrichment, some of our most impactful units involve working collaboratively in close proximity to one another, as well as connecting with vulnerable people in our wider community at Cercica.  With the arrival of Covid-19, these wonderful units were dashed and we were back to the drawing board.  But just as this adversity pushed us to be our most creative and flexible selves as teachers, so too has it yielded a wealth of unexpected learning for our students. Having learned the basics of sewing in the first few lessons whilst making a sewing pouch, each student chose their own project and therefore their own pathway in future lessons. They embraced the resilience needed for the seemingly simple task of threading a needle that had to be done time and time again.  They learned to see obstacles as opportunities for problem-solving rather than reasons to quit; this could be undoing a wrong stitch, or clarifying a pattern instruction they did not understand. Students too found sustainable and creative ways to use materials and repurpose items they had at home. Their success is best conveyed in their own words, so here are some anonymous quotes:

• “I am very proud of the fact that I have finished and when I found it complicated I didn’t give up and I kept trying.”
• “Whenever I feel stressed or nervous I can just do some quick sewing.”
• “I have learnt how to improvise when things go wrong.”
• “I enjoyed the freedom to make your own creation.”
• “I enjoyed watching as my project developed into something good.”

Here are some examples of their creations:

We are so impressed with the learning this new unit has stimulated and the positive feedback we have received from our students that we intend to keep and develop it long after this pandemic has passed.

Dina Ayoub
Head of PSHE / Year 8-11 Enrichment.
Enrichment, OEP, KS3 Science teacher