Help me give my students high-quality sewing machines to expand their knowledge within the artistic realm of sewing and enhance a skill that will be highly useful to their lives after school.
I teach at an urban public school in Northeast Philadelphia that is populated by students who commute from all over the city to get here every day. My art students are thoughtful, incredibly driven individuals who would benefit from opportunities in the arts that are as diverse as they are. In my classes alone, my students represent countries from all over the world, 10 different languages, and extremely diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds. Many of them have also experienced traumas that they carry with them every day. For my students, the art classroom is their escape, their place to explore themselves creatively.
As their teacher, I do my best to encourage their inherent curiosity, foster their desire to learn, and strengthen their artistic abilities.
Every day I have students come to me with ideas about what they would like to learn in my class and I do my best to adapt my lessons to incorporate their ideas as much as is possible. They are encouraged to take an active role in our classroom, no idea is left unexplored. My students teach me as much as I teach them.
My Project
I plan to use these sewing machines and thread to expand my student's understanding of sewing, a traditional art form that is as good for fostering creativity as it is a truly useful life skill. As a fiber artist myself, I am passionate about teaching younger generations about the ways that sewing can be used as a storytelling medium. From quilting to embroidery to applique, sewing has a history within all cultures that can be applied to enriching, relevant assignments. Not only can sewing-based assignments be used to build skills, but they can also be culturally, and practically applied to all of my diverse students' interests and backgrounds.
My students love learning about processes that they can use creatively as well as apply to their everyday life.
When my students feel that there is obvious value to what they are learning, they become 100% engaged and even more excited! With these machines, I would be able to effectively teach my students firstly how to sew and mend fabrics/clothing.
Using the machines to create decorative and structural stitches, I would teach my students to create layered, posterized self-portraits. These portraits would be combined into a quilt that could be added to in yearly increments—teaching community building through art, as well as developing the identity of my school. I would also use these machines to supplement a unit on activism by teaching my students about wish flags that express a hope they have for the future and their communities. This unit would be based on exploring Tibetan Prayer Flags and could also be displayed publicly as well as teach students about community. While these are only two examples, these sewing machines would have nearly infinite applications in my classroom and provide an exciting, enriching experience to my students.
SINGER | Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine with 23 Built-In Stitches -12 Decorative Stitches, 60% Stronger Motor & Automatic Needle Threader, Perfect for Sewing all Types of Fabrics with Ease
• Amazon Business
$144.99
3
$434.97
NEX 60 Piece Sewing Thread Kit for Sewing Machine, Mixed Colors
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Materials cost
$444.96
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$6.67
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$481.63
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$84.99
Total project goal
$566.62
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$566.62
2 Donors
-$269.56
Donations toward project cost
-$262.06
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$7.50
match offer
-$258.32
Match offer toward project cost
-$219.57
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Schweitzer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
