Delight of My Day: Sticks and String

Nov 2 What is one small delight in the day that you always look forward to?

Each morning before school, and each afternoon after school, I sit outside my door with my latest knitting project and observe my students. It's kind of stealthy. They think I'm not paying attention because they don't know I can knit in the dark with my eyes closed. They don't know how much of it I do by feel rather than sight. And so I can observe them interact outside my classroom, and see another "self" in presentation.  I file away a lot of useful information during this time.  In addition to stealth, the knitting serves multiple other purposes.  

First, I don't know if you've ever been in a junior high hallway before, but it's definitely over-stimulating.  The knitting centers me amid the noise and soothes my psyche in the repetition.  It's meditative in nature.  My presence in the hall is needed as a proximity control.  Knitting makes the noise bearable.  So, I sit and knit, and watch for trouble that needs intervention.

Second, the knitting makes me approachable.  When I used to read in the hall, kids didn't want to disturb me with their stories and questions.  When I'm knitting, they don't feel like they're interrupting me if they wander over to talk book recommendations or tell me about the movie they saw over the weekend or ask a question about what we're doing in class.  Or, "Hey, what're ya making?"

Third, other knitters or wanna-be-knitters seek me out.  I run a little knitting club on Fridays during intervention and enrichment time.  More than thirty kids are signed up.  Adults and kids alike stop by to check out the latest progress, discuss their own ideas, and get trouble shooting help.  I try to keep the kids knitting a project for themselves and baby hats for the hospital, so there is a service element to the work.  We are also knitting a group project, a blanket for a seriously ill student.  We finally had our first meeting last Friday. And it was a joyful place!  It's such fun to share a beloved skill with kids and watch them grow and help one another.  It's the best non-academic activity I've ever offered. We start with scarves and hats.  This year I hope to move a few students to mittens and socks! Or fancy washcloths.  Maybe weaving on a lap loom or crocheting snowflakes. Or spinning their own yarn from the wool from my sheep. The possibilities are endless!  

When I see a student wandering the hall balancing a free reading book, a composition notebook, and a knitting project, I know I'm doing something right!