How many of you have faced a time in your academic life where you’ve looked at your schedule and your workload and just shut down? How much would it have helped if there was a class integrated into your schedule where you could not only get a break from school work and relax but also learn skills that could be of genuine benefit to your life and give you a lifelong hobby? Introducing Yarn: Weave, Knit and Sew!Art teacher Erinn Corstanges teaches this class in A20. In Yarn: Weave, Knit and Sew, students work at their own pace making everything from hats and scarfs to mittens and plant holders.
Not only do students leave this class with physical proof of their progress and achievements, they’ll also be introduced to a lifelong relaxing hobby and a pretty good party gift.
Students make all these projects with constant assistance from Corstange. Whether a student needs a gentle push in the right direction or needs their hand held the whole way through, Corstange is there with a smile for each student and their individual steps. She even makes the projects alongside the students as well.
“It’s fun to make the examples alongside you guys, so I get to do the projects too. I just think it’s fun,” said Corstange, “It’s relaxing and it teaches students different skills they may not know or may not have done before.”
Arts and crafts classes like Corstange’s provide a break from the monotony of typical schoolwork. Research also indicates that they provide a mental release for students.
A study done by Shengyu Zhang and Lege Zhao for the National Library of Medicine states that, “Public art education, by providing opportunities for emotional expression and release, creative thinking and self-awareness, as well as social interaction and teamwork, not only helps students effectively manage their emotions and relieve stress, but also enhances their social skills and team spirit. This, in turn, positively impacts their mental health literacy.”
For those unfamiliar with the term, mental health literacy is essentially the knowledge and beliefs that allow students to deal with stress and other psychological hurdles.
Corstange believes her class provides a break for students.
“I think it is a little more laid back, I mean you still have stuff that is due, but it’s not strenuous work,” Corstange continued, “Everyone comes in here with their own abilities and I try to cater to each student. The deadlines are flexible.”
Unsurprisingly, it’s not just Corstange who finds the class fun and relaxing.
“It’s really chill. You just spend the whole hour working on your project, and you can talk to your friends while you work. The due dates for your projects are also flexible. Also, Mrs. Corstange is really nice and a fun teacher,” said senior Audrey Buck.
“I learned so much and Mrs. Corstange is the sweetest and she will sit with you and teach you everything step by step.” Junior Kajalben Chaudhari.
“So far it is very fun and exciting. I enjoy making soft and comfortable things, and this class helps me learn more ways to do so.” – Junior Zoe Cachero
“I like this class because oftentimes, you know if you have a lot of hard classes, it kind of all just starts piling up on top of each other, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re not getting anywhere. You know what I mean? But here it’s like I have a space, where I’m not just doing nothing, it’s separate from the pile, right?
It’s something I can breathe while doing and still look down and say I’ve made some progress. It’s concrete and it’s calm and it tells me I’m getting somewhere, and if I’m not I have Ms.Corstange and all the other people at my table to help me get somewhere, and I think that’s something special about this class, that I imagine a lot of people would want but just don’t know where to get it.” – Sophomore Sebastian Stone
In order to graduate, a student only needs to take one trimester of arts classes to fulfill their arts credit. Due to this, arts classes are not encouraged as much as honors and AP classes because of their minimalistic effect on a student’s high school transcript. Although arts classes will not weigh a student’s GPA like an AP class does, they provide numerous other benefits that make them well worth every students’ time.
