Unless there is a specialist art and craft teacher in the school, this area of instruction is left to the classroom teacher. Such was the case at White Gum Valley. As my special interest is pottery, I use this medium for craft lessons. Many students from other classes expressed the desire to take pottery, so I decided to hold a weekend workshop for them.

The general aims were to consolidate expressed interest in a rewarding leisure time activity, to help develop mature attitudes, good work habits and responsibility. I also hoped to foster perseverance, care and attention to detail, to increase concentration span and to develop a critical appraisal of one’s work.