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bustagasket
17-11-2009, 08:56 PM
I reluctantly went to class tonight, really have no enthusiasm for it, and took my recent work with me as the tutor had said to me that she would like to see what i had been up to at home.

so i took in the swirly stuff and chainmaille bracelet etc etc you know all the stuff i have been doing including the bracelet that i hope to photograph for you to see tomorrow, and she was examining it all and then started to ask me how i had done certain bits and about the maille etc. And i was thinking , hang on theres nothing particularly technically difficult here and yet you are asking me how i did it?

She then called everyone over to look and proceeded to tell them how it was done!!!!!! And then offered to show people with copper wire.

Then i said to her that i wanted to start on the serpent pendent that i had designed some time ago. When we had looked at the design and i told her that i wanted it domed and twisted she suggested some big D wire, and showed me some so that we could decide on the size and said that i could then make a domed head from sheet on a doming block. So i dutifully bought the wire and even a doming block and punches.

When she asked what i was going to work on tonight now that the stones were set in my bracelet, i reminded her of the pendant and she said oo yes i remember, i got the wire out tonight and asked her about texturing it she said "ooo are you sure you want to do it with D wire cos thats going to be very hard to twist, and i wouldnt make a domed head i would make a ball" i just stood there with my mouth open. I had got what she had said to get and now she says its not the best thing! I wanted to smack her.

I do often wonder how many unscrupulous tutors secretly use their students designs as there own? Not saying that mine would, i realy dont know, but i guess i was just floored that as a college tutor she didnt appear to have a wider knowledge base.

I may be doing her a complete injustice and apologise to her in her absence if i am but it certainly did nothing for my confidence in her, and almost defintely made me decide that i will not be reneweing my termly fees.

winge over :P

Lindyloo
17-11-2009, 09:04 PM
Oh that's no good Su. Perhaps you should look around for a better course. Are there any others locally? Even at my local evening classes, the tutors were recentish graduates with a little practical experience, but they were all extremely knowledgeable.

It's no good going if you have lost confidence in her advice. Your heart just won't be in it.

minnie
17-11-2009, 09:09 PM
I know what you mean, worse the teacher that says get the materials and then'Oh no you can't do that'

I eventually left all classes and learnt myself, set up my business selling my work and now teach workshops myself. My aim is people go home with work they are happy with and knowledge they get from me.

Conventional classes still teach things like using archimedes drills etc what the heck!!

Di Sandland
17-11-2009, 09:13 PM
The worrying thing is, Su', that you know how bad she is because you belong to a community that is populated with some very talented people. You can ask questions, get answers and think about things. What about those poor students who think that the tutor is the font of all wisdom?

Not good, not good at all.

Lisa Quinn
17-11-2009, 09:25 PM
Is it a local college course Su? I ask because I think a lot of these cater for complete beginners and aims to teach them how to perhaps make a basic pendant or a simple bezel set ring. When I attended a college course my tutor was lovely, but the things that I really wanted to learn ( stone setting, casting etc) weren't covered at all and I just used to work on things at home and used the lessons to use the college's big tools..rolling mills, big torches, sandblasting, polishing wheels, etc, but predictably didn't sign up for the next course.

Sorry that you are feeling fed up with it, how many more weeks have you got left of the course?

Tigerlily
17-11-2009, 09:25 PM
Oh Su, she sounds absolutely awful!!! You have every right to be mad!! It the course run by a college or is it independant? How many lessons do you have left? Maybe worth changing, especially now if you have lost confidence!!! :X xx

Coco
17-11-2009, 09:26 PM
Is your tutor the reason you were reluctant to go tonight?

Gemma
17-11-2009, 09:34 PM
Oh Su' that's awful. []

The Dragon
17-11-2009, 09:45 PM
Silly woman! (I won't elaborate it's a family forum)

Looks like you would be better off saving your money next term. Seems you have already taught yourself more at home than she'll every be able to. Remember one swallow does not make a summer, she may have been able to pass on your technique tonight while it's fresh in her mind but she won't be able to do it all the time.

:snow:

Jayne
17-11-2009, 09:58 PM
Oh Sis', that's a bummer :(

Make a list of things you want to learn and ask her about them. She must know something so you might as well reap the knowledge & get your money's worth :D
J x

minnie
17-11-2009, 11:05 PM
I bet if you ask for certain skills it will be'can't do that as got to see to the others etc'
My OH always says 'if you can't do teach' A lot of tutors are makers but not commercially successful but don't throw themselves into teaching.

I teach to impart the skills that I consider I have improved on from formal teaching to help people to get going, faster ,better etc.

Don't lose faith in yourself because of this experiance, rise above it !!!!!!!!!!

bustagasket
18-11-2009, 06:21 AM
Oh that's no good Su. Perhaps you should look around for a better course. Are there any others locally? Even at my local evening classes, the tutors were recentish graduates with a little practical experience, but they were all extremely knowledgeable.

It's no good going if you have lost confidence in her advice. Your heart just won't be in it.

Shes a nice enough lady but the classes are not constructed in my eyes its all very haphazard. She seems to be a bit more on the ball with those that started in september but just lefts me drift seemingly forgetting that i didnt start LAST sept like the others in the group, that i only joined when after the easter term in april or may or whenever that was.


I know what you mean, worse the teacher that says get the materials and then'Oh no you can't do that'

I eventually left all classes and learnt myself, set up my business selling my work and now teach workshops myself. My aim is people go home with work they are happy with and knowledge they get from me.

Conventional classes still teach things like using archimedes drills etc what the heck!!

I couldnt believe she had told me to get the bloody stuff and then questioned my choice cos it would be hard to twist it!


The worrying thing is, Su', that you know how bad she is because you belong to a community that is populated with some very talented people. You can ask questions, get answers and think about things. What about those poor students who think that the tutor is the font of all wisdom?

Not good, not good at all.

Yeah well i was in that catagory myself when i started but it didnt last long


Is it a local college course Su? I ask because I think a lot of these cater for complete beginners and aims to teach them how to perhaps make a basic pendant or a simple bezel set ring. When I attended a college course my tutor was lovely, but the things that I really wanted to learn ( stone setting, casting etc) weren't covered at all and I just used to work on things at home and used the lessons to use the college's big tools..rolling mills, big torches, sandblasting, polishing wheels, etc, but predictably didn't sign up for the next course.

Sorry that you are feeling fed up with it, how many more weeks have you got left of the course?

Its a community education class, in the evenings at a local college. The only bog tool i have used there is the torch, and last night i used the flame thrower, huge beast with twin pipes in a unit with an extractor etc but the average jo dont have that at home. Never used the polishing wheel or the mill. the dont have posh stuff lke a sandblaster.

She only teaches on setting, the tube one, and if you are lucky bezel, but she wont do flush or casting (which is why j is gonna teach me) which bugged me straight up lol


Oh Su, she sounds absolutely awful!!! You have every right to be mad!! It the course run by a college or is it independant? How many lessons do you have left? Maybe worth changing, especially now if you have lost confidence!!! xx

I will be finishing this term, i am not coughing up another £75 to get pigged off there lol


Is your tutor the reason you were reluctant to go tonight?

Not her personally, but i just didnt see the point of coing there to do stuff i do at home and pay for the priveledge! Some of them treat it like a mothers meeting


Oh Su' that's awful. []

Well i thought it was


Silly woman! (I won't elaborate it's a family forum)

Looks like you would be better off saving your money next term. Seems you have already taught yourself more at home than she'll every be able to. Remember one swallow does not make a summer, she may have been able to pass on your technique tonight while it's fresh in her mind but she won't be able to do it all the time.

:snow:

Yup its certanly made up my mind that i am not going back


Oh Sis', that's a bummer :(

Make a list of things you want to learn and ask her about them. She must know something so you might as well reap the knowledge & get your money's worth :D
J x

i did thing that myself but then as she has changed her mind about what she told me i needed for my pendent, would the advice be worth getting or would it be different again if i asked next week?


I bet if you ask for certain skills it will be'can't do that as got to see to the others etc'
My OH always says 'if you can't do teach' A lot of tutors are makers but not commercially successful but don't throw themselves into teaching.

I teach to impart the skills that I consider I have improved on from formal teaching to help people to get going, faster ,better etc.

Don't lose faith in yourself because of this experiance, rise above it !!!!!!!!!!

i havent lost my faith in my books so i will carry on with them, and just attend one day courses for specific skills i think. far better use of the money i think.

caroleallen
18-11-2009, 07:17 AM
I think you're right Su. No-one can be an expert at everything, we all have our specialisms so it's far better to go to one or two day classes with people who specialise in what you want to learn. I learned the basics at evening classes but it took 2 years of classes before I felt I was ready to go it alone. I spent most of each evening waiting for some attention before I could move on to the next step. My students always go home with a couple of things which they've made and finished because they get all my attention.

bustagasket
18-11-2009, 07:26 AM
Yeah i think i will definately pick and chose small courses in future.

MuranoSilver
18-11-2009, 08:01 AM
It's one of those conundrums isn't it...
A specific day course easily costs £75 or more (I've paid up to £180) but it IS jam packed with info.
If you added up everything you did over the term would you have learnt enough for a reasonable day course?

If not then self taught with forum support may be the way to go :) :Y:
nic x

bustagasket
18-11-2009, 09:43 AM
It's one of those conundrums isn't it...
A specific day course easily costs £75 or more (I've paid up to £180) but it IS jam packed with info.
If you added up everything you did over the term would you have learnt enough for a reasonable day course?

If not then self taught with forum support may be the way to go :) :Y:
nic x

definately nic, i learnt so much in one day on your course, and no, i dont think i have learnt anything as much in the term and a bit i have been going to the college. So thats definately gonna be my route.

By the way, when did you say you were gonna start holding diachroic glass classes? :P heehee

Sunnybank
18-11-2009, 11:59 AM
Hi Su,

I think we are probably in a similar situation in that we're signed up for courses that we've grown out of too soon because we have our own facilities at home, are prepared to have a go at different techniques and have soaked up lots of advice from this site. My tutor is very good, but I recognise lots of the things that you describe and get very frustrated at times. Most of his time is spent with those that started in September and a couple of us are left to get on.

I debated whether to sign on again back in September and did do because it was a bit arogant to think that I didn't need any more instruction. I also thought it would be good to use the college equipment, but frankly mine is better and hasn't been mistreated. I signed up for the full year to June, but may not stick with it.

My course is subsidised so it is £100 for the year, but we have to do Open College Network modules which are purile to get the subsidy. I probably should have gone on short courses for a particular skill, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. :(|

Basically I think we should blame all the wonderful people on the forum who share their tips and experience with us newbies and spoil us for the pace of the average evening class........................ :)

lorraineflee
18-11-2009, 05:38 PM
Hi Su,

I debated whether to sign on again back in September and did do because it was a bit arogant to think that I didn't need any more instruction. I also thought it would be good to use the college equipment, but frankly mine is better and hasn't been mistreated.


I think that sums up how I felt after doing a local course. The tutor was lovely and good at what she could do but that wasn't much more than me, and I'd bought more tools myself than they had there and, as you said, they were in better condition 'cos I love my tools! I think I'm going to save up for a course with "one of our own"!!
Lorraine

Carl Martin
19-11-2009, 02:14 AM
I know what you mean, worse the teacher that says get the materials and then'Oh no you can't do that'

I eventually left all classes and learnt myself, set up my business selling my work and now teach workshops myself. My aim is people go home with work they are happy with and knowledge they get from me.

Conventional classes still teach things like using archimedes drills etc what the heck!!

I have done exactly the same.

Unfortunately your predicament is not uncommon. I have very large educational establishments near me and a good proportion of my students have come from dissatisfied students from other courses. Infact at my open day last saturday I had 3 people turn up who are in the same situation as yourself. In 15 minutes i had taught them the right way to use a jewellers saw etc etc... they came back monday for a full days workshop and at the end of the day booked up and paid for an 8 week course.

It's not a new situation it was exactly the same 13 yrs ago...i know i was there.

Emerald
26-11-2009, 10:20 PM
Two years you having a laugh arnt you, you can stone set with the best of them J, oh and those that cant!

Carl Martin
26-11-2009, 11:56 PM
My tutor was amazing, look at my progress in 6 months and I only turned up for 9 classes. Ofcourse Saskia can set stones, she does her own alloying, knows all about texturing and the other basics and can even cut stones. That is what I call an amazing tutor, pity she has relocated back to Belgium.

I sense that you are very skilled Carl, it is obvious you can stone set from the wonderful jewellery on your site, I would imagine you get many students interested in that aspect.

I really hope to teach in the future, maybe 2 years or so when I am mustard at everything. Would be great to inspire people and pass on everything that I learn.:Y:

Thanks for your kind comments Jason. I'd like to think I'm skilled at what I do and almost talented on occassions.:D

As for the courses I do... I get a fair few that are dissatisfied with their current course for reasons described on this thread, or they just don't "gel" with their tutor. Mostly and I'd say 80% are total newbies. Very very few wishing to progress with faceted stones though.

bustagasket
27-11-2009, 06:12 AM
I really hope to teach in the future, maybe 2 years or so when I am mustard at everything. Would be great to inspire people and pass on everything that I learn.:Y:

When you are "mustard" at everything, J? do i need to bring a jar of Colmans with me for my lessons? English or Dijon? :P sorry hun couldnt resist the tease [][]:snowball:

Dano
27-11-2009, 03:26 PM
it's definitely not uncommon, by the end of the course i was doing most of my fellow students were coming to ask me for advice on how to do things and borrow my books, it was pretty good for the ego but i nearly failed the damn course because i didn't have time to work on anything!

the course was a bit of a mess all round really, i think we went through 4 teachers in one year. we got no explanation for two of the disappearances, one went to pregnancy which is a shame because she was easily the best teacher, and one went because of "**** all y'all, i got a job in a working jewellers' now, seeya!" which kinda tanked classroom morale utterly.

elliboo
28-11-2009, 05:28 PM
I'm doing an evening course at the moment and can recognise a lot of what's been said here. My tutor is lovely and, I think, very experienced. But between 20+ students all doing different things, and often commenting on the state the "daytime" students leave the equipment in, I wonder if Im getting better experience at home with the equipment I've bought and a few good books (and all the advice here!). My PMC work has all been done in small group classes, and I've learnt so much, but it's cost a lot more than the evening class.

lynnm
14-01-2010, 01:57 AM
and I've learnt so much, but it's cost a lot more than the evening class.

but does it really? I did an 8 week course with a fabulous jeweller who teaches to and one of the girls said she learnt more in that than in a college. Less students means more time with the tutor. Add to that the weekly studio days and I think I have had a really good deal!