lynnie

I hate it when you get one who is passive/aggressive.
I can't do that. I'm too stupid, do it for me.
One reason I quilt teaching. would love to go back to it, but
I want to strangle those people.
hat do you do with those wackos ?

lynnie

i also hate the cliques. so annoying. and i also took a class and the instructor had no idea how to finish the blocks. It was a mystery quilt and she had it all backwards. annoying. I get there early when i'm taking a class and we start late cos so and so isn't there yet, we're waiting. she finally shows up and now we have to wait for her to catch up. very annoying. I think if the class starts at 2, start it at 2, not 2:30. just not right.

luana

Interesting topic. As a student I am annoyed with someone (other than the instructor) who knows EVERYTHING and wants to teach the class.

mamagrande

This is what frustrates me! This church asked me to teach a beginning class.
1. Did not arrive in time. Scheduled for 9am..started with a few at 10am others arrived at 11am..
so having to demonstrate proper cutting technic and importance of 1/4 inch piecing again and again.
2. Machines not working..I had two of mine my own for them to use. Mine had 1/4 inch foot.
3. Not following instructions for piecing.
4. Using bad/old thread that keeps breaking.

in the end we had fun and everyone invited me to teach again and they said they now recognized how important it is to pay attention to instructions and to have the proper tools.

So I believe that we do teach more than we think we do..

Jan in VA

Lynnie,
I'm so sorry you have had problems like this, they can be quite disheartening. I am so very grateful now that I have taught for nearly 30 years, have learned a lot about human nature, and how to handle the too often problem student.

A good lesson came in an early class where I had one particular student I despaired of ever getting through to. I didn't think she'd ever catch on. At one point while sewing strips together, after sewing several pairs, she all of a sudden started sewing them together perpendicular to each other rather than side by side! (wth?!) We made it thru the class with much intervention and frustration on both our parts.

She showed up at a monthly meeting of our bee -- sort of a 'club' of former/current students who met in my home -- about 2 months later and was so joyful to show us her show-and-tell. She had made, AND FINISHED, a bed size Bear Paw quilt with a pieced backing with a trail of bear paws up the back through the middle!! I was so surprised, touched, thrilled for her, and grateful that I had had a part in her "aha' moment. Never mind the fact that the bear's paws were pigeon toed...it was a design decision, I could tell myself, and I never said a word about that!

She went on to become such a quilter that her DH actually adapted a trailer as her traveling sewing space for the many weekends they had to drive several hours to assist their aging parents for the weekend.

You can only imagine how thankful I am that I didn't give up on this student or on teaching. I began a "pat (on the back)" folder where I've kept decades of thank you notes from students; that is something I pull out and look over every once in a while when I'm feeling down.

My favorite part of teaching is seeing the light come on in a student's eyes, that "aha" moment when a technique makes sense and opens a whole new world to them.

Jan in VA

GrammaNan

Y'all have made me very nervous. I am signed up for my first class the end of this month. I don't do well in large groups of people so that is strike one. Strike two is that part of the quilt block is paper pieced. I talked to the instructor and told her that I have never done pp before. She said that I will be alright that the other people in the class will know how to do it and that will free up time for her to help me. Strike three, that will make me one of the slow students that seem to cause others frustration. I don't want to be the reason someone doesn't enjoy their class. I guess I am afraid that the instructor is just trying to fill up her class with me now. I am going to watch some pp videos on Youtube and try it out at home and see how quickly I catch on. If I get really frustrated in this class it is going to cause me to have a "set back". I really like this quilt it is called "Christmas Pickle". I intend to come to the class completely prepared. The quilt looks very intricate but it is really one block done over and over. What do you think?

patski

coming late to the class and the instructor starts over. If you can't come on time miss theclass

GingerK

Grammanan, when all is said and done, the most important part of any class is that you came, you saw, you listened, you talked, you experienced, and that you went home feeling that you came away with more than you arrived with. No class is perfect and I think this thread has allowed some of us to vent a bit, but maybe not in an encouraging way.

Go to your class with as much prepared material as possible, but remember that the instructor may do things differently than your Youtube vidios. Does not mean that any of them are wrong--just different. I LOVE paper pieced blocks because you always get the perfect block in the end. Yeah there are some learning curves to achieve it but heck, IT WILL BE A PERFECT BLOCK (excuse my yelling).

Stop being scared. I will bet that there will be someone in that class that is more afraid than you. Just take a big deep breath and go for it!

AudreyB

I enjoy teaching and love sharing my passion with others. I limit my classes to 8 (that's all the room I have) and give everyone individual attention and assistance. I am very patient and work around the struggles, but what bothers me most are:
1. Arriving late
2. Not being prepared
3. Arriving early and wanting me to select their fabric or just chat while I am trying to set up
4. Not listening while I am giving instruction then asking me tor repeat it just for them. I don't mind repeating or helping, but please at least listen during the first instruction.
5. Signing up and not showing up.

Most students are prompt and prepared. If someone shows up late I continue with my instruction then, after the class begins work, I repeat it individually for the late comer. I always start on time and always state that I start on time. That way they know to be prompt in the future.

I keep my classes light and comfortable. There are no dumb questions and we are all there to have a good time and make a quilt.

Knitette

Re lateness - I once had an instructor who started EARLY, much to my annoyance! I would consider myself an organised person who always has her supplies ready etc. and take classes regularly at my LQS.

As a new quilter, I took a class one day knowing I needed some heavyweight Bondaweb. When I booked the class, I was told I could just buy it on the day (it's the only LQS in my area). I arrived in plenty of time to set up and another lady and I went to the counter. There followed a longish delay whilst this lady had all her fabric etc cut. When it got to my turn, she couldn't find the Bondaweb I needed and eventually I had to buy a very light weight (which irritated me). When I returned to the class area, the instructor had already started - five minutes before the scheduled time and aware I was at the counter!

I never went to one of her classes again. A couple of times after that the LQS class didn't have the item needed for class, one time having to copy a pattern that hadn't arrived in time. I now make sure I have everything the minute I have the supply list and order elsewhere if necessary, before going to the class.