Elaine’s Tech Tips™
Over the last 10 years, I have taught hundreds of classes and thousands of students. Every class is filled with a wide variety of people with different personalities, expectations and work habits. This can make for a number of challenges. However, there are a few things that everyone can do to make the classroom experience more enjoyable.
- Plan to arrive 15 minutes early. This gives you some extra time if you need to find the location, get a parking spot, carry in your stuff, and unpack your supplies. When the class starts, you are ready to listen. Chances are you will miss some vital information about the class or the day’s schedule if you are busy unpacking. If you do arrive late, have the courtesy to unpack after the instructor has gone through the first lesson and you are ready to work on your own.
- Respect your classmates and the instructor. You may not like your neighbour’s choice of fabric or her brand of sewing machine. If you have a problem about one of your classmates, inform the instructor – let it be her problem. Do not make it yours.
- If you have a complaint about the class or the instructions, let the instructor know. This is valuable feedback to ensure similar problems do not arise again.
- Listen to the instructions. If you are talking to your neighbour when the instructor is giving the lesson, you will not know what is going on and it is extremely disruptive to the entire class. As a result, you end up asking your neighbour or you must ask the instructor to repeat what she just said.
- If you must bring your cell phone into the classroom put it on vibrate and have the courtesy to leave the room to make or take a call.
- Do not monopolize the instructor’s time. Most classes are kept small to ensure that the instructor has time for each person. You would not want to feel left out because someone took all the time.
Read more in our Summer 2011 issue.
Article by Elaine Theriault
crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com
Bio: Elaine made her first quilt at the tender age of 13. The urge to quilt resurfaced when her daughter moved from a crib. The rest is history – she now teaches several days a week, makes quilts on commission and quilts for others on the long-arm.
