Short bio

My name is Benjamina Attard. I have been an educator in Sewing Skills for 25 years with The Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability (DRLLE) within the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation in Malta (MEYR).

My Story

The clearest memory I have about my subjects was when I was in secondary school and I chose Needlework and Home Economics. Back then Malta had a strong textile and manufacturing industry and I stayed in that line of work. We needed to know how to work with a variety of machines, textiles and types of product.

From then on, I progressed. I stopped working for a few years to start a family and years later, when my kids got older, I did a course by correspondence (since online lessons weren't available at the time) on Soft Furnishings and Curtain-making. The way it worked was by receiving the work modules in the post, and then sending the project work back to the school in London.  After that I had the opportunity to teach Curtain-making classes, and soon I was offered a position as educator for Lifelong Learning within The Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability (DRLLE). I continued to evolve in this area.

It was easy to progress. After starting work with Lifelong Learning, we soon realised there was a high demand for Basic Sewing skills. This led to Patchwork.

About 25 years ago, Curtain-making and the use of different styles of pelmets was at its peak – it was such a fashionable thing and people loved to experiment with it. However, since then, younger generations, let's say 25 years upwards, required far more basic skills since they did not learn this skill at home. This makes a difference because learning Basic Sewing skills is a good gateway to learning how to design and sew dresses, what we call Dress-making. It's easy to build your skillset this way. The Directorate gave us the opportunity to get a Diploma in Adult Learning. I did it about 4 years ago and it helped me a lot.

It opened my eyes to different approaches, and methodologies. It made a big difference in how I deal with my learners and how to bring out the best outcomes from each lesson.

Tapping into different learners' needs, be they from different backgrounds and cultures is essential in establishing good rapport and creating a safe space where learning can happen. The Diploma gave me practical tools to use in class – and I still put these principles into practice. All educators should definitely take up such courses, there's always room to grow and improve. I’m not just an educator, I’m also a learner in the class.

Every learner comes into my class with different ideas. It is always welcome in my classroom when a learner wants to experiment and try things differently but with the aim of getting to the same end result.

We share, we experiment, we sometimes fail but there's always a lesson to be learned. I would like to learn a new language in the next few years, so I can challenge myself in a new area. Foreign languages have never come easily for me, but I'd like to brush up on my Italian because I like watching Italian movies and listening to Italian music.

Being an adult educator can be very empowering. In a relatively short period of time, learners learn how to do hand-stitching, and how to use a sewing machine. This gives them the confidence to try their hand at making alterations to clothes when needed – putting up a hem or fixing a fastening. Then simple soft furnishing tasks to add to their home décor. After that they can even learn how to make simple clothing items e.g. a skirt.  Many learners decide to move up to the next levels. In fact, Basic Sewing prepares them for three different courses: Soft furnishings and Curtain-making, Ladies' and Gents' Garments course, and finally Patchwork, which is more like a hobby.

The biggest contribution, I feel, is that it gives them a chance to explore their creativity as they gain more confidence. It gives them a channel to express their tastes.