I've been teaching medieval life to young folks for nearly 30 years. Although I have worked hard to overcome prejudice, a stubborn stereotype has remained. Boys made swords, shields, and armor. Not any more. Enter Becca, a talented, creative seventh grade girl. Becca, clearly marching to the beat of her own drummer, used a jigsaw, power saw, hand tools, and a block sander to create the sword pictured here. She pretty much used found items in her house, took over her family's workbench and garage. Her attention to detail, understanding of sword construction, and craftsmanship are awe-inspiring. Today, she taught her class about swords design, sword type, and how her sword fit into the project she was teaching. She spoke confidently and with authority on swords. It goes without saying she made her point. OK, I guess one might say she cut the "girls don't make swords" stereotype down. Here are a couple of pics.
I've been teaching medieval life to young folks for nearly 30 years. Although I have worked hard to overcome prejudice, a stubborn stereotype has remained. Boys made swords, shields, and armor. Not any more. Enter Becca, a talented, creative seventh grade girl. Becca, clearly marching to the beat of her own drummer, used a jigsaw, power saw, hand tools, and a block sander to create the sword pictured here. She pretty much used found items in her house, took over her family's workbench and garage. Her attention to detail, understanding of sword construction, and craftsmanship are awe-inspiring. Today, she taught her class about swords design, sword type, and how her sword fit into the project she was teaching. She spoke confidently and with authority on swords. It goes without saying she made her point. OK, I guess one might say she cut the "girls don't make swords" stereotype down. Here are a couple of pics.
Posts
Good for her, she sounds passionate! If her family ever travels north I'd recommend she visit the Camlann Living History Village in Snohomish during their summer faire
ReplyDeletehttp://www.camlann.org/
They have artisans from all types of areas in town to talk about their crafts, and opportunities for sword fighting (with wooden swords) These aren't SCA people, they are authentic and stay in character