Marching into the New Year!

Making a 1/12 scale lobster trap will be the focus of a 12 hour class taught by Bonni Backe at Guild School 2015.

Making a 1/12 scale lobster trap will be the focus of a 12 hour class taught by Bonni Backe at Guild School 2015.

I don’t know about you, but I keep several ‘calendars’ in my brain, and run into trouble when I forget that, say, April on the miniatures calendar is the same April on the birthday calendar. For example, on the miniatures calendar, the month of  April means the Chicago International Show giving me, right now, about 3 months to think about making a new display and new merchandise. I get fully absorbed working on that and totally forget that on the birthday calendar, my husband’s birthday falls in that last week before the show. Poor man. Its usually just a couple of days before his birthday when the calendars mesh and I panic.

In any case, that’s still 3 months away, so… the miniature calendar has flipped over to a new year, and is starting off with a bang. Guild School class assignments are being received around the globe and that launches many a new to-do list, depending on whether you are a student or a teacher, or in my case this year, both. I can rejoice that I got into my first choice class, and not worry about that further until a tool list arrives sometime in the next few months. In the same packet, I received a list of students who’ve signed up for the class I’ll be teaching, and that kick starts another major to-do list for me. That tool list I’ll be receiving from my teacher, I need to send one out to my students. That means I need to start planning the exact processes that will be covered in class.

A fisherman's cabled sweater in 1/12 scale is the end project of Althea Crome's 24 hour class at Guild School 2015.

A fisherman’s cabled sweater in 1/12 scale is the end project of Althea Crome’s 24 hour class at Guild School 2015.

I need to start assembling materials. While ‘kits’ are discouraged, you cannot reasonably expect students from varied locations with varied access to supplies, to gather and bring a long list of materials, some that may not be easy to locate. Instructors gather materials for general class use; they’ve most likely already sourced them in order to make the class prototype; and are re-imbursed for them through class fees. This way teachers can be certain that everyone will be working with the same materials and progress will not be hindered by having to find work-arounds.

And, I need to start writing instructions. Every student will not work at the same speed-some are jackrabbits and others more methodical, so providing written instructions ensures that those who are waiting for the next demonstration, may proceed with another task instead of twiddling their thumbs. Another reason for having good printed instructions is the very real possibility that the project will not be 100% complete at the end of class; in that case, students must be able to complete the projects at home, and while no one can guarantee that they will have time to do it while the process is fresh in their memories, written instructions ensure that they will be able to pick it up again when their schedule allows.

So, hup, two, three, four, its time to get cracking. Oh, and let me not forget that while June means Guild School-it also means number one son’s birthday!

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