Making work a little more beautiful with craft and friendship

Our daughter Virginia is starting her second year teaching in the Special Education department at an Elementary school in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. Her school is in the second year of being taken over by a company (AUSL) which turns around failing schools. As a veteran public school teacher-15years in- I am not sure how I feel about companies, for profit or not-for-profit-"turning around schools-BUT that is for another discussion...
AUSL is requiring all of their classroom teachers to put up curtains in their classrooms. SO, Virginia asked if I could make curtains for her to use. Not that I particularly wanted to spend last Sunday making curtains since my own classroom does not even have curtains, BUT my "Gigi Queen" is a wonderful daughter and an even better human being so of course I made the curtains.

Virginia's curtains made with fabric given to me by my wonderful daughter-in-law Amanda.

 

Gigi had an extra curtain so she created a table runner for her homework bin. HUM I wonder if that will motivate kids to turn in HW?!

 

I have always had framed pictures of family and friends on display in my classroom for my students to see. I also brought in the giant paper flowers I created for Amanda and James' wedding which was 2 years ago.

 

 

I have a number of different banners/buntings hanging in my windows at school; IMAGINE (yes I know the "e" is backwards-you are suppose to imagine-get it?!) CREATE, and PEACE all hang for my classroom to see and the outside world to see as well. The backside of the banners have the mirror image.

 

 

But really what makes my job so special are the people I work with! We support each other in the crazy job we call teaching...

 

Lucy