…when we have each other.”
I am quite sure this comment on a chat group was not meant to denigrate ‘real’ teachers but was instead a heartfelt expression of gratitude that the members of that group were willing to answer newbie questions and share their experience.
But as a ‘real’ teacher, one who relies on a part of my income from teaching, it left me feeling…redundant, at the very least. That my decades of research into, learning about, experimenting in and attempting to pass that knowledge on to others via published articles, workshops and seminars was in some way invalid. That in the age of the internet, all that was needed was a few chat groups and a willingness to pass on freely one’s experiences, as shallow or deep as they may be.
It was especially discouraging as I am about to embark on the effort, requiring dozens of hours, of turning two of my presentations into media formats (two different formats, two different learning curves). It will take literally hours of my time, time when I could be at the loom weaving all of the lovely painted warps like this one.
Instead I will be devoting much of my coming days to writing outlines, trying to find visual aids that I can include (or generating them myself), weaving examples, collecting the equipment required, travelling 600 miles (and back again) in the one instance, all to try and share what I have learned in the 35+ years I have been studying this multi-layered craft as a profession.
But I’m not needed because “we have each other”.
And then I found this review: It was a lovely validation and reminded me why I spend the time to prepare teaching topics, battling air travel and jet lag. Thank you Suzi for inviting me to Atlanta, and Isabel for your review.
I will be adding Rochester, NY to my schedule in the next few days – they have asked me to give presentations prior to the EGLFC conference this October.