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Why A&S Classes Need Descriptions and good titles...
Some Anecdotes:
Mistress Cecile once commented or taught a class or was part of a discussion on A&S classes about how titles and descriptions are important. If you want people to come to your class add the word "zombies" to it...everyone will come to a class about zombies or be curious of how zombies could relate to said class.
Dame Fiona once mused aloud at an A&S night "No one ever comes to my Stumpwork classes" and I replied "Fiona, what's stumpwork?" She looked aghast that I had no idea that stumpwork was a later period embroidery technique which she got her laurel for. I explained "I've seen your class listed, seen the description that the handout was $2 and that you would be teaching various techniques of stumpwork, but you never say what it is..." The very next collegium her class title stated: Beginning Stumpwork Embroidery and lo and behold she had a few students.
My first pennsic I took many, many classes. One was entitled "Beginning Supportive Spinning" with a class description that all materials would be provided, along with instruction on beginning supportive spinning. I show up to the class and take it and I had a lot of trouble with it since I didn't spin at all at the time (and I barely spin fiber now) and the teacher was agast that I would go to a class on spinning with out knowing how. I explained that "well, the title said beginning supportive spinning and I figured that was the place to start to learn to spin" She commented that she hadn't even thought about that and realized she needed to put the caveat that "spinning skills required" in the description.
So, why Ianuk are you talking about this?
Well, our most wonderful Dame Jennifer (drink!) aka![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
callas_and_ivy has now for the second year organized all of the A&S classes for the war. She was persistent in bugging previous teachers, putting out the call for classes and instructors. When she sent out our schedule she noted that "class descriptions would not appear in the gatebook". She sent us a link of the schedule/descriptions as you can go to here and the same google doc is linked on the Estrella War Website as well.
So, you can sit and read at your leisure before the war and figure out what classes you want to take and make your schedule. There are plenty of classes to choose from and many look enticing. There are a few though that without reading the descriptions that people will be shaking there heads at. Such as "Hardanger 101", "Salwar", "Beginner Taiko", "Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble". I know what the first 3 are: A Norwegian Embroidery Technique, Middle Eastern Pants and Japanese Drums but the last one confused me until I read the description...its a kids class of mad science messy experiments, slime etc.
Now imagine, that you didn't have time before war to plan...you get to site in the dark, set up and in the dark, sleep a few hours and get up and you find after you get back from your morning troll duty over lunch that you can't quite figure out what to take since you're not sure what some of these classes are all about since only the schedule is printed in the gatebook.
Now, a very A&S minded person would probably head down to the A&S area and see what was up and see the print outs of the descriptions.
On the other hand a person who might be newer or might only now be getting into going to classes might be intimidated, uncertain of what to do and might just decided that since they couldn't figure it out they would just go watch the battles, go shopping or take a nap.
Well is that bad? In my example, the person had a late night anyway, a nap might be good but what does that mean to the person who is teaching the class? 1)They might not get the students they want i.e. people who want to learn what they are teaching; 2)They might not get any students at all and all of the effort they put into their handouts, time and travel to the event might be wasted, which could 3)spiral into that person never wanting to teach since no one came... That would be sad. For the students and for the teacher.
Now, we haven't been told why they aren't being printed in the gate book...I'm going to assume its a money thing. If it is a money thing, I'm sure we could have gotten people in the A&S community, a head of time, to print things out personally to bring to war to have at troll for folks to pick up. Other wars have a separate book just for classes. We haven't been told though why, so that is as far as I can conjecture and postulate.
So, I want to make sure everyone who reads this or forwards it sends as many people as possible to the link to the class lists and descriptions before war. And at war any who hear someone complain in their camp about not knowing what a class is about, hears murmurs in merchants to the same effect to send people to the A&S tents for information. I want people at my classes, Countess Cecilia wants people at her classes, Lord Richard wants people to attend his first class (A Sharp Tool is a Joy to Hold with ZOMBIES) and Dame Jennifer wants folks to come and enjoy the collegium.
Mistress Cecile once commented or taught a class or was part of a discussion on A&S classes about how titles and descriptions are important. If you want people to come to your class add the word "zombies" to it...everyone will come to a class about zombies or be curious of how zombies could relate to said class.
Dame Fiona once mused aloud at an A&S night "No one ever comes to my Stumpwork classes" and I replied "Fiona, what's stumpwork?" She looked aghast that I had no idea that stumpwork was a later period embroidery technique which she got her laurel for. I explained "I've seen your class listed, seen the description that the handout was $2 and that you would be teaching various techniques of stumpwork, but you never say what it is..." The very next collegium her class title stated: Beginning Stumpwork Embroidery and lo and behold she had a few students.
My first pennsic I took many, many classes. One was entitled "Beginning Supportive Spinning" with a class description that all materials would be provided, along with instruction on beginning supportive spinning. I show up to the class and take it and I had a lot of trouble with it since I didn't spin at all at the time (and I barely spin fiber now) and the teacher was agast that I would go to a class on spinning with out knowing how. I explained that "well, the title said beginning supportive spinning and I figured that was the place to start to learn to spin" She commented that she hadn't even thought about that and realized she needed to put the caveat that "spinning skills required" in the description.
So, why Ianuk are you talking about this?
Well, our most wonderful Dame Jennifer (drink!) aka
callas_and_ivy has now for the second year organized all of the A&S classes for the war. She was persistent in bugging previous teachers, putting out the call for classes and instructors. When she sent out our schedule she noted that "class descriptions would not appear in the gatebook". She sent us a link of the schedule/descriptions as you can go to here and the same google doc is linked on the Estrella War Website as well. So, you can sit and read at your leisure before the war and figure out what classes you want to take and make your schedule. There are plenty of classes to choose from and many look enticing. There are a few though that without reading the descriptions that people will be shaking there heads at. Such as "Hardanger 101", "Salwar", "Beginner Taiko", "Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble". I know what the first 3 are: A Norwegian Embroidery Technique, Middle Eastern Pants and Japanese Drums but the last one confused me until I read the description...its a kids class of mad science messy experiments, slime etc.
Now imagine, that you didn't have time before war to plan...you get to site in the dark, set up and in the dark, sleep a few hours and get up and you find after you get back from your morning troll duty over lunch that you can't quite figure out what to take since you're not sure what some of these classes are all about since only the schedule is printed in the gatebook.
Now, a very A&S minded person would probably head down to the A&S area and see what was up and see the print outs of the descriptions.
On the other hand a person who might be newer or might only now be getting into going to classes might be intimidated, uncertain of what to do and might just decided that since they couldn't figure it out they would just go watch the battles, go shopping or take a nap.
Well is that bad? In my example, the person had a late night anyway, a nap might be good but what does that mean to the person who is teaching the class? 1)They might not get the students they want i.e. people who want to learn what they are teaching; 2)They might not get any students at all and all of the effort they put into their handouts, time and travel to the event might be wasted, which could 3)spiral into that person never wanting to teach since no one came... That would be sad. For the students and for the teacher.
Now, we haven't been told why they aren't being printed in the gate book...I'm going to assume its a money thing. If it is a money thing, I'm sure we could have gotten people in the A&S community, a head of time, to print things out personally to bring to war to have at troll for folks to pick up. Other wars have a separate book just for classes. We haven't been told though why, so that is as far as I can conjecture and postulate.
So, I want to make sure everyone who reads this or forwards it sends as many people as possible to the link to the class lists and descriptions before war. And at war any who hear someone complain in their camp about not knowing what a class is about, hears murmurs in merchants to the same effect to send people to the A&S tents for information. I want people at my classes, Countess Cecilia wants people at her classes, Lord Richard wants people to attend his first class (A Sharp Tool is a Joy to Hold with ZOMBIES) and Dame Jennifer wants folks to come and enjoy the collegium.
no subject
In the mean time I've been making plans to print something separately. However, I never want to over promise and under deliver so that was not in my missive. Nor were there more than hints on a possible move of the A&S tent and a lot of other fun things to do with the site that is going to change a lot of the way A&S happens on site. Only a reminder to allow extra time to find us and get settled. I made the google doc open and available to everyone to encourage people to, as you said, print one out and hopefully share it.
I've been making plans for months with Helena at Herald's Point to have last minute class changes printed and included in the town cryer. With Lisabetta and Otto (our Print-o-crats) and others to make copies of the descriptions available without costing any money. I've been working with donors to get supplies and cover printing costs. One plan might be to make one for each camp that my son and I would deliver, or make available at troll. Thus monday and tuesday would be spent encouraging and meeting artisan's and increasing attendance. Another to have Kristoff print them in small books alongside the gatebook, but only if the facilities are available. It just isn't going to be in the gatebook. Because, as you said and I agree, it has so much information it just needs to be seperate.
Kristoff is doing a great job and has gone above and beyond the call of duty for me. He and I are on the same page...so to speak. I've seen a test run of the gatebook and it's one of the best. It looks professional and has all the pertinent information for site rules, battle scenarios, merchants etc and some great art.
All of us are arguing on the same side, only it's stealing my thunder and enthusiasm. And today I'm just so sick and tired. Blood pressure 88/49. And people please stop calling to yell at me and my friends and apprentices about stuff I'm working on but still don't have all the answers for. Tomorrow is my day to finalize these plans. I'm glad people want to know what's going to happen. Just please trust that I'm doing my very best in what will be the last time I do this job.
Yes, I'm making mistakes, some classes fell off my mental radar, especially those of friends who e-mailed me great classes that I sorted into the wrong e-mail folder. Others started to clash and I'm still hoping we have all four walls.
Over all, I'm excited about this years collegium. We have some awesome classes and I'm hoping to sneak around and take some myself. Just like none of the art we do is perfect, the collegium certainly won't be perfect. But as in everything I do it's the best I can do with what I have at the time.
no subject
XOXO