Handwork

Betsy Priest

I have the best job at the Novato Charter School! Absolutely! I get to bring the joy of creativity and creation into the classroom. The gift handwork brings our children is so much more than a knitted animal or scarf! Lessons in perseverance, concentration, fine motor skill development, patience, and self-esteem are learned and carried within them throughout their lives. Sharing the excitement with a child as he or she moves from “I can’t do it, it just doesn’t work!” to “Look! I did it, let me show you!” and “Can I bring it home today?” is rewarding, motivating, and so much fun!

The Novato Charter School offers a unique blend of Waldorf-inspired methods of education in a public school setting. I am lucky enough to have benefited as both teacher and parent, as all of our children have attended the school. NCS is a community of committed families, faculty, and administration who are constantly striving to prepare our children to be imaginative, inquisitive, industrious thinkers The love of learning that the school instills in its students (and faculty) is everywhere … in the garden, in main lesson, in science, in music, in community outreach, in math, and of course in handwork class!

Jennifer Borges

There is something incredible about being able to teach what you love. It is also extremely gratifying to teach handwork to children, because it is much more than just an art form. Handwork strengthens a multitude of functions within us by calling on our fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination, math and language skills, and by engaging both sides of the brain (since both hands work independently). It encourages concentration as well as dedication.

Once the project is complete, the affirmation of the students’ mastery is right there in front of them.  Seeing first hand that sense of accomplishment in their eyes as they finish knitting their lion, or lamb, or when they grasp the technique of Kumihimo braiding or cross-stitch, is just spectacular.  The energy and enthusiasm they bring to handwork inspires me.

NCS truly is a school like no other. Rather than focusing solely on the traditional course of study offered by most schools today, NCS goes further by teaching with a more hands-on approach, as well as providing a broader spectrum of life skills to its students. It is possible, for example, that anyone can learn how to knit by reading a book, but the comprehension is so much richer when you draw on those teachings and put them into action.

That to me is true knowledge.