Gabrielle Sieben

Future teacher, lifelong learner

Category: Uncategorised

Why I’m never going back to fast fashion

December 3, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I’m 23, so I’ve been young and broke for basically like 10 years now. I thought that I had to go to stores like Forever 21, H&M, and American Eagle to keep up with all the latest trends. Those were, after all, the stores that were affordable for someone like me who liked to buy new things fairly often. I didn’t know what my clothes were made of, and I didn’t care as long as they looked cute and felt comfortable. I kinda knew, in the back of my mind, that the people who made these clothes worked in horrible conditions and weren’t paid fairly for their labour … but I just tried not to think about that.

Well, since I started this inquiry back in September, I’ve purchased one (1) brand-new piece of clothing from a store. I wish it could have been none, but I find it almost impossible to buy pants that fit at the thrift store because most of them are too big. I needed a pair of pants that I could wear to work. Clearly, it’s not always possible to buy everything secondhand, but from now on, I want to keep thrifting the vast majority of my closet.

First of all, it’s cheaper than what any fast fashion store can offer. Sweaters are usually $8-10. Jeans are $10-15. Winter coats are around $20-25. But that’s if you don’t go on a sale day! I pay attention to 50% off days which helps me find items I need for crazy good prices. Now, I have 4 or 5 warm winter coats so I can keep from getting bored wearing the same exact coat every day.

In addition, the items I find at the thrift store are way better quality than what most stores make these days. I know, I know, your grandparents always say that “they don’t make things like they did back in the old days,” but with clothing it’s totally true. The fashion industry has evolved into a neverending cycle of purchase, wear, take a photo, post it to Instagram, forget about it, and throw it out once the trend has died. Many popular influencers never appear in the same outfit twice, which is a disgusting waste of resources. The culture of always preferring to buy something new over reusing something old has led to fashion companies designing clothes that will wear out extremely quickly – clothes just aren’t built to last. We’re making them out of man-made fibres such as polyester and acrylic that are essentially just plastic that will never biodegrade.

So, I shop at the thrift store, and I buy wool, which traps a lot of heat and keeps me toasty warm in the winter. I buy silk, which drapes so smoothly and beautifully. I buy leather, which is durable and will last a lifetime with proper care. I buy cotton, which breathes beautifully. And yes, I buy fur – I know it’s controversial, but vintage fur means that a new clothing item was not created just for me – I’m simply making use of a garment that already exists and will keep me warm for many winters to come.

Secondhand items aren’t perfect. I’ve found moth holes in the sleeve of a wool sweater. One of my winter coats has a hole in the pocket and some moth holes at the bottom hem. A recent purchase has a missing button, so I have to look for a similar one to fill the gap. But I know how to fix these small problems, and I can extend the life of a garment instead of purchasing a new one. These clothing items are worth far more than what I paid for them, because they’re made of strong, sturdy, natural materials. They were made to last, and I will make them last.

Real fur hat. Real silk scarf. Merino/mohair sweater. All thrifted. The leggings were a hand-me-down too!

In the future, I would like to try reducing even my thrifting purchases. Since there is such an abundance of inexpensive, high-quality clothing, I feel tempted to keep purchasing. It’s the thrill of the hunt when I’m at the thrift store! But I want to make sure that I love everything I own and that I actually wear all my clothes regularly. Otherwise, it sits around and goes to waste when someone else could be enjoying it. So I think I’d like to challenge myself to not buy any clothing for a month. Maybe it will be January. Can I do it? I think I can!

Here’s why language teachers should use Youtube

November 19, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I’ve talked a lot about using Youtube in the classroom, but I wanted to know what experts have to say. I did some preliminary research, and while there didn’t seem to be a lot out there, I was able to find some good sources. Here are a few themes that I kept seeing:

Immersion 

Jon Watkins and Michael Wilson did some research on ESL instruction in Japan, and they stated that Youtube was the best way to immerse students in their second language without actually travelling to a foreign country. While travel is amazing, it can be inconvenient and very expensive, not to mention nerve-wracking if you don’t really speak the language still. James York, another researcher in Japan, said it can even help language learners to read body language and non-verbal cues. These things are steeped in cultural norms, yet they can be so important for understanding.

Cognition

We all know that “learning styles” are a myth which have been debunked, and although they were actually mentioned in some of the articles I read, it’s still valuable to learn through two modes at once rather than just one. York states that watching videos can help students to visualize word meanings and remember them better.

Motivation

Watkins and Wilson talked about the term “learner autonomy.” It refers to the idea that students should take charge of their own learning. They note that with Youtube, learners have a wide variety of choice in terms of what video content they’re interested in watching. They can watch at home on their own time. York adds that students probably already watch Youtube sometimes in their free time, and therefore have positive associations with Youtube. It’s already something that they enjoy, so bringing it into the classroom will be more engaging and motivating than opening up a textbook. The content is fresh, new, and relevant.

Overall, these are just 3 good reasons to use Youtube videos in the language classroom. It’s backed up by experts, and it’s a valuable resource that shouldn’t be discredited.

Works Cited:

Watkins, J., & Wilkins, M. (2011). Using YouTube in the EFL Classroom. Language Education in Asia, 2(1), 113–119. doi: 10.5746/leia/11/v2/i1/a09/watkins_wilkins

York, J. (2011). Reasons for using YouTube in the language classroom including practical usage examples. Jaltcalljournal, 7(2), 207–215. Retrieved from https://journal.jaltcall.org/storage/articles/JALTCALL 7-2-207.pdf

Extra English – video in the ELL classroom

November 12, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I was at Vic High on Wednesday, and I went to the same ELL class that I go to every Wednesday afternoon. It’s a ton of fun – there’s lots of diversity in the room, different grade levels, different skill levels, and students from all over the world. Naturally, this can also lead to some challenges for teachers, but the ELL instructor is experienced and confident. She uses the TPRS style, which keeps students highly engaged and helps them participate in simple, short conversations. She sometimes uses video in her teaching. However, I also wanted to point out how the TOC used video this past Wednesday.

He showed the students a two-part episode from a series called Extra English. It was set in England, and it looked to be produced in the late 90s or early 2000s. Sure, the accent was different, but he mentioned it to the students and I think that could be a good way of helping them adjust to the varied ways people speak English. The strongest part of this clip was that it addressed youth culture. The characters were roommates who used the Internet and tried to get dates. One character was an immigrant from Argentina and didn’t know very much English yet. Sometimes, he misunderstood things, which led to funny situations. It was actually a lot like a sitcom, except that the actors spoke more slowly and clearly. The TOC also addressed this and asked the class if they heard people usually speaking this slowly. I liked that the slow speech made the content more accessible for students, and it was also great for them to recognize the differences between the show and the native speakers they hear every day.

I’m glad he used this resource because now I’ve made a note of it and I potentially might use it in the future. It was the right level of language, and it’s a type of content that’s relevant and interesting to high school students. Furthermore, it was about 20 minutes long, which is awesome for a TOC who probably doesn’t have a lesson plan. It wasn’t just to fill time, because he asked a few questions afterwards and had students write 5 sentences about the TV show.

This is just another great example of video being used in the language classroom.

 

Minecraft in education

November 6, 2019 / / 0 Comments

A beautifully pixellated sunset.

On Tuesday, we played Minecraft in class.

I’ve heard my brother babbling enthusiastically about this game for years, so I know a lot of the terminology, but I’ve never actually played it. (I have, however, seen a lot of cringeworthy content such as this viral music video).

The projects that the teacher had her kids do sounded super cool. I didn’t know there was such a thing as Minecraft for Education in a separate platform that can be controlled by the teacher, so that was news to me. I think something like this can really activate student curiosity and creativity. Also, if they are already playing videos games in their free time, they might as well learn something from it! I especially liked the idea of teaching them how to survive and eventually build their own civilization. It helps students to put themselves into the shoes of someone who lived thousands of years ago.

As for the actual gameplay, I’m going to sound like such a boring person here but I really don’t like video games. I hate learning new controls and having to follow instructions in order to complete an objective. Everyone always sucks at a game the first time they try it, and I’m no exception, but I give up pretty quickly. I just made my guy wander around to check out what the scenery looked like – I thought the sunset on all the islands and the ocean was beautiful. After that, it became night and turned into survival mode. I didn’t feel like battling it out with all the creepers so my guy just hung out on top of an island all by himself. He didn’t get hungry or tired or injured. I guess what I’m saying is that my strategy in video games is basically to do nothing.

Kudos to all the teachers using this – I think the majority of kids will enjoy it and learn a lot from it.

EdCamp is a pretty cool idea

November 3, 2019 / / 0 Comments

So almost a week ago we learned about something called EdCamp, and then we got to test it ourselves. Most professionals, myself included, kind of roll our eyes when we think about going to a conference. At least in my case, I’d much rather spend a weekend relaxing at home or out exploring rather than sitting around listening to someone talk about something boring. But EdCamp is a place where you can pick what you’re interested in and discuss that topic as a group. There’s not really one expert who speaks the whole time and then answers a few questions. Everyone gets to ask questions and then suggest some potential answers.

I liked this format because there was a chance to vote on topics that we found interesting, and when we divided into groups, there was an opportunity to share our own experiences. I chose to go to the topic “keeping hands busy during class” and talked about how that is a constant problem in my tutoring job right now. (My erasers always end up destroyed and crushed into bits). I was able to listen to some suggestions my classmates offered and I heard how they have had similar experiences.

All in all, it was a helpful experience, and gave me some ideas that I might try. I’d probably go to an EdCamp conference if it was in Victoria.

Reclaiming “women’s work”

October 14, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Knitting, sewing, mending, weaving, embroidery, crochet… Not so very long ago, and in fact for most of human history in most cultures, these tasks were considered essential skills for women. And while the modern woman has by and large rejected the necessity of these skills, they’re still considered thoroughly feminine. Don’t believe me? Well, how many male knitters do you know?

Old Fashioned Singer Sewing Machine

Here we are in 2019, and the average woman doesn’t knit or sew – instead she works full-time. The modern woman no longer has time for domestic arts. For better or for worse, this is largely due to the feminist movement, as well as mass industrialization which allows us to buy goods for a cheap price. But these skills are starting to become popular again, for good reason! As I’ve previously written about, consumers are beginning to reject fast fashion. There’s a shift towards more ethical, eco-friendly production, and what better than to make something yourself at home! Thus, history repeats itself.

In this 1990 article from the New York Times archive, author Deborah Hofmann attributes the decline of home sewing to the cancellation of high school sewing classes, as well as the growing feminist movement. However, some of the home seamstresses she interviewed clearly view sewing as a skill that is in no way opposed to feminism. One woman, simply referred to as Ms. Norville, said, “What has happened in the 90s is that professional women are fed up with being told what they can and can’t do.” In my opinion, this shows that feminism has settled into a comfortable balance. Let me explain. The feminist movement developed as a reaction to restrictive social norms and discriminatory laws. This necessitated a rejection of a quiet domestic life – therefore, domestic tasks such as sewing and knitting were looked upon with deep disdain. As time went on, women’s status was elevated, and the initial passionate rejection of traditional roles started to settle into a comfortable balance – respecting the decisions of the single, childless career woman, the stay-at-home mother of four, and everything else in between!

I think the idea of reclaiming women’s work should be discussed openly, and with nuance. Performing domestic tasks such as knitting or sewing does not automatically transform me into a 1950s housewife. Instead, these are simply hobbies that I enjoy – they shouldn’t be looked down upon, just like we don’t disdain men who enjoy fixing cars or woodworking. Moreover, some craftswomen take these ideas even further and incorporate activism and politics into the things they create. I’m not sure where my free inquiry will take me, but I do believe that developing these skills will make me a more well-rounded person overall!

(For further reading, here’s another article I found interesting while I was researching this subject.)

Secondhand September

September 29, 2019 / / 0 Comments

September is almost past us, but before we turn the calendar, I wanted to highlight a movement that has been going on this month on Instagram. The hashtag #secondhandseptember was started by Oxfam, a charity in the UK – currently, there are over 46,000 posts under this hashtag. Oxfam operates a chain of thrift stores, or charity shops as they’re called in the UK. The hashtag emphasizes the importance of purchasing secondhand clothes as opposed to new items. This month, Oxfam encouraged people to take a pledge not to buy any new clothing for the whole month of September.

Over the past few years, there has been a definite shift in the online perception of thrift stores and thrifting. Take a quick look at this information from Google Trends, for example:

From 2014-2017, the searches for “thrifting” on Youtube remained relatively constant. But since fall 2017 there has been a pronounced rise in searches, including a prominent spike in July. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in my experience, shopping secondhand used to carry quite a negative connotation – it was considered low-class; a sign of poverty. I remember that in the mid to late 2000s, brand names were all the rage. The way to be “cool” was to wear the biggest brand name from the most expensive store (at the time, the trendy brands included Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and slightly cheaper versions such as Aeropostale and American Eagle). When I was quite young, nearly all my clothes were hand-me-downs or thrift store finds, but as I went through middle school and high school, my mom and I would shop exclusively on the sale rack. Therefore, I was sufficiently “cool.”

I believe the shift is largely a reaction against fast fashion. As a teen (this was maybe around 2012) I checked out a book from the library called “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” by Elizabeth Cline. It was quite an eye-opener – I had already been aware of sweatshops and dangerous working conditions, but at the time, I really didn’t know what to do about it. Even today I’m not perfect, and most of the time I can’t afford clothes made in North America or Europe, but I’m trying to do better by thrifting. Anyways, with books like this, and documentaries such as The True Cost (2015), consumers are considering ethical issues more than ever before. To some extent, brands have responded to this by trying to produce clothing more ethically. However, many are rejecting these brands entirely, in favour of shopping secondhand.

Furthermore, consumers are also more conscious of the environmental impact of their shopping. The textile industry is second only to the oil industry in terms of how much pollution it produces. Therefore, a great way to reduce the pollution is to simply buy clothing that has already been made, rather than purchasing brand new clothing and driving the demand for fast fashion. Thrifting is a great way to be more eco-friendly without breaking your budget.

With all that being said, I’ve been actively shopping at thrift shops this whole month and have not bought any brand-new clothing (yay!) I found that you can get a lot of high quality items and well-known brands at thrift stores. Moreover, even though some stores have high prices, they have sales regularly and you can save even more money that way! Let’s check out some of the things I got!

First of all, I bought this sweater on Friday morning at Salvation Army. They were having an amazing sale: blazers, sweaters, shirts, blouses, and pants were all 50% off! Side note: Salvation Army is a non-profit organization, so there isn’t any tax on the clothes. It’s just a plain grey sweater, a bit oversized, soft, and cozy.

Brand: H&M

Price: $5

Next, I picked up this denim shirt, also at SA. It says “Hard Rock Café Barcelona” on it, which caught my eye because my dad just took a trip to Barcelona. I like that it looks vintage (I actually think it might be) and it’s 100% cotton. All-natural and comfortable!

Brand: Hard Rock Café

Price: $6

I think this is the item I’m most excited about. When I touched it, I had a good feeling about it – then I checked the tag. 100% silk! I’m pretty sure whoever tagged this item didn’t check what it was made of. Fair enough, most of the time tops like this are 100% polyester. Well, I scored big, and I feel like such a fancy lady when I put this on.

Brand: The Limited

Price: $3.50

I also got this camel-coloured blazer. I can’t tell if it looks too old for me or not, but I could tell that it was constructed really well. It’s tailored at the waist with vents on the back for mobility, and it’s 25% wool for some added warmth. Maybe this is the beginning of my journey to dress more like a teacher!

Brand: Plum Tree

Price: $6

The last thing I picked up at SA was this navy blazer. You can’t see in the picture, but it has navy elbow patches which caught my eye. It’s kind of preppy and I think it’ll be nice for fall.

Brand: The Gap

Price: $6

Earlier this month, there was a bag sale at Beacon Community thrift shop. It’s a tiny store on Pandora, but they said you could fill up a bag for $8.50, so of course I had to go! This isn’t a colour I’d usually wear, but it’s 100% cotton and I just thought it was cute. It reminds me a bit of what Sandy wore in Grease when she was still a goody two shoes.

Brand: Brandy Melville

Price: Approximately $1

In the bag sale, I also got this plaid flannel shirt. Of course these are a fall classic! It was exactly my size and from a decent brand so I picked it up.

Brand: TNA

Price: Approximately $1

I hope it was fun and interesting to take a look at some gems that I was able to thrift. Thrifting isn’t easy; you have to search through racks of old-lady clothing, as well as old, faded, stretched out, stained, pilled items that are priced at like $10 (why???). You need a fair bit of spare time in order to properly look through all the sections: I recommend at least 30 minutes. More importantly, you need to pay attention to sales and go early in the morning (it really motivates me to get out of bed!). However, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t dress like a queen when you shop secondhand. You can find popular brands, luxurious fabrics, vintage pieces, and one-of-a-kind items. For anyone concerned about the environment and the ethics of fast fashion, I recommend thrifting – it’s an adventure you won’t regret!

6 balls of yarn (a kitten’s dream)

September 22, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I used up a whole ball of yarn on this!

For my free inquiry project, I’ve decided to focus on DIY fashion, with an emphasis on developing more ethical and sustainable habits. In my head it’s still kind of a nebulous concept, but I really didn’t want to limit myself because the whole area is so interesting to me. So this is my first task – knitting a scarf. I bought two balls of yarn on Monday (while they were on sale), and promptly realized I would need a whole lot more yarn. I went back to Michaels today and bought four more (and of course they’re no longer on sale). Now, I’m not a total beginner at knitting – my grandma patiently taught me when I was around ten or twelve. There were many dropped stitches and tangles on my first, hideously orange scarf. After her lessons, I could never seem to remember how to cast on, so I was pretty dependent on her. After a couple of ugly projects with cheap yarn, I kind of gave up on it as I grew older. However, I got back into it last year with the power of Youtube tutorials, motivated to surprise my then-fiancé with a hand-knit scarf for Christmas. This time, I chose a warm grey which was both classy and masculine (that is, until he spilled mustard on it!)

Now, I decided to make something for myself. I wanted to try a new stitch that had been too difficult for me to figure out last year – the rib stitch. Basically, the rib stitch alternates between the two most common stitches – knit and purl. A Youtube tutorial finally opened my eyes to the fact that I had to keep moving my working thread from front to back in order to successfully make this stitch. So, since Monday, I’ve been eagerly working on this scarf and watching it grow longer and longer. Right now, it feels really warm and cozy, and I can’t wait to wear it this winter!

By the way, I chose a yarn that’s 80% acrylic and 20% wool. Now, acrylic is a synthetic material which is made of a polymer based on fossil fuels. So it’s definitely important to be careful about how much acrylic we are using and consuming. However, when I was looking at yarn, almost all the options were 100% acrylic! On the other hand, I wouldn’t be happy with 100% pure wool because it can be very scratchy and it doesn’t do very well if it gets wet. I need this scarf to be practical for winter weather. Also, pure wool can be extremely expensive! I already spent close to $40 on all this yarn. Overall, I like the extra warmth that wool provides, combined with the durability of acrylic fibres. As I continue this free inquiry, I want to keep exploring the pros and cons of natural fibres versus synthetic fibres. Right now, it seems that blended materials can often be a happy medium.

Another idea that I want to explore during this inquiry is the concept of reviving old-fashioned crafts. As a child, I was captivated by the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder that my dad read to me. Her family lived in a forest in Wisconsin in the 1870s, a day’s ride away from the nearest town. Nowadays, I can knit and sew as a hobby, but back in those times, it was one of many life skills that people needed to know in order to survive. It amazes me that Laura’s mother was so capable and independent compared to me. When I need clothes I buy them at a clothing store; when I need food I go to the grocery store. But this woman knew how to to knit, sew, churn butter, chop wood, smoke meat, can fruit, and cook/bake almost anything you could think of. I really admire the resourcefulness of women who had to live off the land in the past. Although I enjoy living a modern life, there’s something that feels really special when you create something useful.

Anyways, that’s my progress so far! I have a few more ideas in the works and I hope to find the time to post about them soon.

Introduction Video

September 20, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Last weekend I went out and filmed this video with my iPhone in my neighbourhood. I made it for my multiliteracies class, but wanted to share it here because I’m proud of how my vision came to life. It was fun to use my creativity and get outdoors. I do have a higher-quality version, but unfortunately it exceeded the maximum file size, so please excuse the poor quality in this video.

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