In Made/Done With Love from Sioux's Page, Sioux asks,

What handmade gift would you like to tell us about?

The best handmade gift I ever got was the wedding gown that my mother made. It was at the end of my first year of teaching and I did not have a lot of money. My parents didn't have a lot of money either but my mother said she would make my wedding gown. You see, my mother was the best seamstress I had ever known!  I was getting married in June so my mother came to visit in April. We went shopping for a pattern and bought the material so that she could make it in Florida when she went home. Since she made all of my clothes growing up she knew exactly what size I was. She added some embellishments to the gown and I never saw it until she arrived three days before my wedding. It fit perfectly!

Now that I make a lot of handmade gifts myself, I realize how much love my mother put into my gown.  I realize that handmade gifts mean a lot to me because the person put a lot of personal time, effort, and love into what was made.

During these tough economic times it is hard for many people to buy gifts for others. this is a great time to show my students that handmade gifts could be more meaningful to others than buying a gift. Since it is just February,  it is a good time to think about making gifts for the end of the year. it is a good time to plan and search for what you want to make.

I also like to take the time to show them gifts that I have made for others. This is a good example for them to see so they realize  even adults like to make handmade gifts and like to get handmade gifts.

What is your favorite handmade gift that you received? Or what is your favorite handmade gift that you gave to someone else? Please share.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Gift Giving

This week my knitting group had an ornament exchange. I thought that this would be something that could be done in other situation. We all agree to make an ornament. It doesn’t have to be knit or crocheted but it has to be handmade by the giver. Then we all put our ornament in a brown paper bag so it can’t be recognized. After all the bags are put on a table, we draw numbers to know what order everyone will get to pick a bag.

This is something that can be done in big families, which relieves the burden of making something for everyone. This can be done in big groups where you don’t feel you have to have a gift for everyone. I think this would be something that you can give to an elderly person who doesn’t have room for a lot but you want to give them something or for the person who has everything.

I like this idea because it really gets away from the commercialism of the holidays. By making something, you are giving something of yourself. By taking time to make something, you are letting the person know that they were important enough to make time for them.

In a classroom, it would be fun to allow students to do this without making them feel they have to spend money but also helps them research different possibilities.

Here are some suggestions outside of knitting and crocheting ornaments:

33 Totally Original DIY Ornaments That Win at Christmas Tree Decorating

35 Homemade Christmas Ornaments to Hang on Your Tree

58 Outstanding DIY Ornaments

34 Creative DIY Christmas Ornaments

48 Easy and Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Do you make any handmade gifts? If so, please share.

Gift Giving

In The disingenuous story that we keep seeing from Stop Trying to Inspire Me, Tom tells us,
“EdWeek linked to this story from the Phoenix, AZ Fox affiliate.  Unfortunately, it's not a very detailed story and the anchors seem to be trying to goad the teacher they interview into admitting that teachers try and solicit their students and their parents for cash at the end of the year.”
Wait! Gifts? Maybe I missed something all these years!! I was supposed to get gifts! Darn, I missed that lesson in my college classes!!
Seriously though, I don’t know if it is because of what I taught or where I taught, I never expected gifts. Many of my students could not afford lunch so I never expected gifts. In fact, before Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, I would help them create gifts that didn’t cost them anything. We made coupon books for their parents promising them things to be done around the home. They used their art skills to create masterpieces for the recipients.
Maybe because I didn’t make them feel like I was doing anything special. I always had the approach that we were a team (including their parents) and we were trying to reach the finish line in a race. It didn’t matter when you finished, just that you finished.
My students were constantly showing me that they appreciated my hard work and patience so I didn’t feel like I needed a special gift at the end of the year. Parents continuously thanked me over the phone when I talked to them and I in turn told them that I appreciated them for the patience and continued support. I never felt like I wasn’t appreciated if I didn’t get a gift. Seeing a smile on a student’s face when they accomplished a task or learned a new skill was the perfect gift for me. I guess I never needed anything more. Hearing the excitement in a parent’s voice when they learned that their child actually has made progress instead of getting in trouble gave me a tremendous feeling of accomplishement!
At the end of the school year, I would have a gathering at my house where we would cook hotdogs and serve chips and cookies to my students and their parents. Before the gathering, I taught them how to play croquet and everyone had a good time playing this in my back yard. This was a great time for all of us to appreciate each other!
What makes you feel appreciated in your classroom? Do your students give you gifts? Do you give them gifts?
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original image: 'happy christmas everybody!'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31493432@N08/3131341442 by: Luise