Kate's Blog

My 6th Grade Family Consumer Science students are currently working on finishing up our sewing unit. They are very confident in their basic sewing skills now and are just working on finishing their final sewing project. I love it when we are at this part of the unit because they are now comfortable enough to talk and socialize while they sew. It’s kind of like a huge quilting bee, but my students are making footballs and teddy bears instead of quilts.

I love the conversations they have. The week before break one table of 8 eleven year olds had a deep and meaningful conversation about religious proselytizing. The big debate was about whether or not missionaries are trying to force people to believe in certain religions or if they are actually just sharing in hopes that people will accept their beliefs.

Today I had three 6th graders who began discussing their IRA accounts and how much they had in them. One was worried that the economy was going to affect the amount of interest he would earn. One of the other kids at the table said “What’s an IRA?” I thought to myself, “This should be good” and waited to hear his explanation. I was floored when he was able to explain what an IRA account is in basic terms. I finally interrupted and asked how he knew the answer. Turns out three kids out of seven at the table have IRA accounts that their parents started for them. I’m not sure if they really understood it, but it’s a cool concept for them to begin learning about at such a young age.