Teaching crochet seems like a natural fit for many as a way
to share their love of crochet. Some even find a way to make it a career
option. There are many different
settings, styles, avenues and ways to teach crochet; one on one, informal, or
structured; at some ones home, local guild, library, local yarn store, box
stores, or trade show/conference; project based or technique based; and hybrids
of each of these, as well as many more.
So what does it take to teach? Basic understanding of the
skill is a basic necessity, as well as being able to explain the same concept a
couple of different ways. Having the ability to communicate well and interact
with people can be a definite asset, as well as being flexible. Understanding
how different people learn is an added plus. One of the traits that the most
successful teachers share is excitement about what they are teaching. Teaching
something that you enjoy is contagious and increases your students desire to
learn.
The more structured a teaching setting becomes the more a
teacher has to prepare for a class. For
one-on-one explanation it is more student driven and the teacher modifies the
lessons to the desires and abilities of the student, the student usually shares
what they want to learn next and what areas they wish to focus on. While teaching
informal setting you may just be giving group instructions on one simple
technique, you may not have a lot of props, examples, or any hand outs, but as
it becomes more structured this changes.
Many hours are spent before even entering the classroom,
making up a lesson plan, having material available for students that may excel
quickly in the class to keep them engaged, as well as ensuring that the
material can be covered in the length of time given for instruction. Hand outs
are created, questions are anticipated, samples are made, and rehearsals of the
class presentation are done. The time spent actually teaching a student is only
part of the job.
Compensation as a teacher also varies greatly, by geographic
area, by material, by subject, and by setting. Some are paid by the number of
students, some by the hour, others a flat rate, and still some a combination of
these. Check around to see what is reasonable in your area, if the compensation
feels to low for you; you may not want to proceed. If you feel taken advantage
of it will reflect in your teaching and thus may hurt future opportunities. If
you are setting your own pricing, remember that you have value and what you are
teaching has value. Offering a class for free, sometimes tells people it has no
value, but charge a few dollars and they think it is a great deal.
Do not forget to advertise yourself. Even if you are
teaching at a venue, you will be expected to advertise the event and your
class. There are many ways to accomplish this and it also varies by the
location and venue. You might have to get a little creative, or use the
standard tools in social media, but it is part of being a teacher; you need to
engage with students even before they enter your classroom.
There are varying degrees to which these teaching
opportunities occur, and every teacher is different, as well as peoples
teaching style. If you would like to investigate teaching crochet further, the
Craft Yarn Council offers a teaching certification course, and the CrochetGuild of America offers mentoring for those that are Associate Professionals.
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I enjoyed this article as this is something that I have been contemplating. I've even went so far as to inquire at Micheals about teaching, they have not responded. :( Thank you for the information and this is something I can put in my toolbox for future use.
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