Possibility of starting to teach a class..

[jessc031778]

At a local Michael's..and I don't have the foggiest idea what I should do.

Well, actually, I spent some time on CPC last night and marked 14 of the 12 in square patterns (difficulty ranging from beginner to slightly more ambitious). I was thinking of printing them off (or printing one off and giving a list of the others to the students for them to print up their own copies) and having the finished item be a sampler blanket. I was also playing with the idea of writting something up with the names & explinations of the stitches and some tips on reading patterns to give to the students at the beginning of the class.

Now, here's where I need some feed back. First off, would I be setting the price of the class or would the store? If I would decide, what would a fair price be for a weeknight or weekend class? I'm guessing each class would be approx 2 hours, and maybe run 5 or 6 weeks? And the students are supposed to bring their own supplies, right?

Basically, since I've never taught a formal class before (just friends & family in someone's livingroom LOL), I'm looking for any input from y'all who have done it already....is the project I'm thinking of too ambitious?? Are my timing estimates reasonable?? What should the teacher provide and what should the students provide for themselves? Any tips or suggestions would be VERY appreciated!!

Thanks muchly!!
Jessie

[Suebee42]

Now, here's where I need some feed back. First off, would I be setting the price of the class or would the store?

That would be something the coordinator would be able to tell you. They probably do have a formula, based on how many hours the class is... (disclaimer: I am the Education Coordinator at the Jo-Ann's where I am employed... since Michael's is direct competition, I'll stop there to avoid sharing information I shouldn't share. :D)

I teach crochet at my store, and I typed up a basic crochet handout with information about yarns, tools and abbreviations. I also included this site in the resources! :D

For a first project, I actually recommend something smallish that can be at least mostly completed in the class, with some homework between sessions. I -do- recommend multiple sessions so the student can come back with questions the next week, and get them answered. :D

[jessc031778]

Thanks for the tip on the class pricing...I'll have to see what the manager at the shop says...

For the info handout I was thinking of listing the stitch names, their abbrev. and the instruction how to do each stitch, a guideline regarding yarn thickness, and mentioning Cville, CPC, Knit & Crochet for Dummies, and the Crochet Answer Book as resources they might want to look into. I figure anyone who gets really into crochet will have more than enough to keep them occupied at CPC and there are always such beautiful patterns being shown here....and those two books helped me when I was first learning, so I know they can work for clueless newbies LOL!!

Thanks for the feedback!!

Jessie

[loopyliz]

Jessie,

I taught crocheting at a Joanne's store in my area for 6 years. It is so much fun. You will love it. In my circumstance, originally I set the time parameters of the classes I taught, chose the patterns to use, devised the materials list and developed my own curriculum. The store always set the price. Eventually, things changed at the store, and I ended up teaching what they told me to teach, using the projects they told me use and the materials they told me to use (which is why I'm not teaching there anymore, but I digress . . .:soap)

If you have the opportunity to choose your own projects, don't be overly ambitious. I think it is very important for students to finish or practically finish the project during the class time. If the project is too large or too ambitious for very beginning crocheters, they will be frustrated and they will feel cheated because they may have taken the class simply so they can make the class project afghan for their grandma. Better for them to be able to make one or two finished dishcloths than have 3 rows done on a big project they'll never complete on their own. Accomplishment is so important.

If you get to set your own time paraments (class hours and number of classes), don't underestimate how long it takes for some folks to learn a new skill. I found that even in a class as small as 3 people, I always had at least one person who "didn't get it" and required much more time to achieve success. I found that usually two 2-hour classes was not enough time for the average person to learn to crochet "from scratch" and complete a project.

It is a real thrill to get newbies hooked on crochet. I'm very excited for you and know you will enjoy teaching. Good luck!:yay