About the Book

Established in 1888, the Gerogery Public School is a tiny rural school, located just across the tracks from the town’s only store, the quaint original schoolhouse supported by a couple of portable classrooms. At the time, in the late 1990s, there were less than thirty students enrolled at the school, supported by just two teaching staff. Kaye gathered up a basket of materials, and wandered down to the Gerogery Public School to discuss her plans with John Young, then the principal. He describes his surprise after she fronted up to the school one lunch time, suggesting that she might be able to be of assistance there.

Kaye was welcomed with open arms into the local public school as an artist volunteer. Over the next few years, she taught regular classes in textile craft. But she was driven to offer so much more to her students than teaching them how to sew. Over several years, she developed and honed a pedagogical practice that would integrate learning across disciplines. In applying her expertise through volunteering, Kaye helped with the challenges of running a small rural school. John recalls that Kaye “provided what we didn’t have in terms of skill and what she could teach the children – her knowledge of craft and art and things. Her expertise was on a different level.”