Sunday, November 02, 2014

Strongly Disagree

I taught at Vogue Knitting LIVE! Chicago once again this year, and it's always kind of a kick to do a gig in my own town. No jet lag, no airport security lines, and I already know where to get lunch.

I also get to say hello to a fair number of friends who live in various places around the Midwest and travel in for the big shows or events. One of them–I'll call her Martha–decided to sign up for my class on the gorgeous traveling stitch patterns (the stitches travel, not the patterns) commonly known to English-speaking knitters as Bavarian Twisted Stitch. You may also know it as Austrian Twisted Stitch, or (if you speak German) you may know it as one of the many forms of Strickmüster, or knitting patterns.

You may not know it at all, in which case please allow me to recommend my class. (My calendar is always here–did you know I'm sailing to Alaska in July?)

Anyhow, Martha showed up a bit early to chitchat and catch up. We went to Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp together a couple times, but don't get to see each other much. She asked how the show was going. Dandy, I said. Good students, happy classes.

"I'm sure your classes are always happy," she said.

Well, I try. I try my damnedest. My classes take about a year of preparation to début; and ever after they are subject to constant fine-tuning. It's not enough to know how to do something in order to teach it. You have to–this is my opinion, anyhow–know it well enough to explain it at least five different ways. Not everyone learns in the same way, or at the same pace. You must be able to adjust your teaching to suit the students who walk through the door, and anybody can walk through the door.

Even so, you can't please everyone. Sometimes your feedback forms come back with disgruntled comments. I've had marks taken off for
  • the font I used in a handout ("Sans serif faces are unprofessional"),
  • wearing a bow tie ("so pretentious"),
  • not keeping the room warm enough (we were in a barn at a fiber festival),
  • talking too much (I was, you know–teaching),
  • being too gay,
  • being too unattractive, and
  • not making it clear in advance that a class on lace charting would require the students to use lace charts.
Martha sat in the back of the classroom with the other bad seeds. At the conclusion, though I clearly asked the students to please place their feedback forms on the chair by the door,  she insisted on handing hers to me.

I wish to share with you select excerpts from Martha's comments on my teaching.

Would you take another class with this teacher?

I don't know. Will there be wine?

Would you suggest this class to a friend?

Only if they want to learn something.

Additional comments and/or suggestions.

Although instructor wore hat, nevertheless appeared to be unable to bilocate. Only in one part of room at any given time.

Was unaware that knitting is prerequisite for this class.

Purl stitches do not travel? This seems discriminatory.

Cannot decide whether these German-style charts prevent Alzheimer's or promote it.

Instructor's bow tie did not light up.


EDITED TO ADD: I must not be coming across quite clearly to all. Martha is (as I wrote) a good friend.  Her lampooned feedback form, as quoted above, made me laugh. The other comments, from other classes at other events, aren't posted as a cry of pain–I thought they were funny. What can person do in the face of such absurdity but roll his eyes? Outrage would be an overreaction.

94 comments:

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Susan said...

Being unattractive? or too gay? WTF does that have to do with a knitting class? Shaking my head at those comments.

Susan said...

Oh and I love the bow ties!

JoAnne said...

Well I have never met you, and have 'spoken' to you on line maybe once or twice...but I don't need more than that and your stories to know that you are a most attractive man, regardless of your 'team', and a dedicated and talented advocate for knitting and other fiber-y pursuits. You didn't ask for reassurance and I'm not reassuring. I'm just taking the opportunity to say out loud what I've thought all along. You rock.

knit one, knit two said...

Anytime these witches want to give up a space in your class, I'll gladly take it because you are adorable. Some people have no sense at all.

RubyC said...

Franklin, you rock. No matter what you are teaching - you rock. And you rock - while you teach. Love the bow ties.

Cannot wait to see you at DFW Fiber Fest in March 2015.

Teresa C said...

Aside from the previous comments, this form was kind of hysterical. I hope you got a chuckle out of it. Not constructive for sure, but not the same old, same old.

Unknown said...

Speaking of DFW Fiber Fest 2015, I'll be in attendance for the 10th anniversary event as a founding board member. I've been a fan for quite some time, Franklin. I look forward to meeting you.

FiberQat said...

Then there are the shoes. Did the shoes appear too impeccable? It's certainly a sign the teacher is just too folderol. What am I saying? Your shoes are never too impeccable. ��

Sigrun said...

It takes all kinds. I would love to take a class: barns, cold, ties, gay, hats, it is, as someone else said"about the knitting".

Only one exception: Strickmüster does not specifically mean Bavarian/Austrian twisted/travelling knitting--it just means "knitting Patterns", can be used to refer to any knitting stitch pattern. (I'm of Austrian origin), but I won't give up on you for that ☺. That observation of mine is about as profound and important as the comment about font.

Unknown said...

When I took a class with you a few years ago, I liked your boots. But I don't think I wrote that on a form.

The instruction in knitting photography was pretty good too. ;)

The Foggy Knitter said...

Wearing a hat means you can be in two places at once? I think mine must be broken.

If you wear two hats can you be in three places at once?

Your friend Martha sounds super.

knitpurlgirl66 said...

Is there a way to require certain prerequisites for your classes? I know when you taught here in the Bay Area earlier this year the classes sold out in no time flat so perhaps only those who are worthy should be allowed audience? Just a suggestion from one not lucky enough to bask in your presence.

Vickie said...

Hilarious, as always. I hope if I ever get to teach a class I can be "too gay."

The last class I look had a person who loudly proclaimed "I won't do this (technique)! You can't make me!" Uhhh, then why did you sign up and pay over $100157 to attend? Was someone holding a gun to your head? The teacher was much more gracious than I would have been.

Vickie said...

How did my answer to the "I'm not a robot" question get appended to the price of the class? It was $100, not $100157. Not only am I not a robot, I am not a calculator.

Franklin said...

Sigrun, of course you are correct! I will go back and rewrite the sentence - I see now it's misleading.

Linda Meuse said...

I love your disgruntled comments. They remind me of the ones I've seen from librarian conferences. They have nothing to do with the subject covered. Librarians mostly complain about the food.

Suzanne said...

People.

Meghan said...

Bowties are cool and so is a fez. Was the hat a fez?

Linnea said...

I want to meet Martha!!! My kind of woman!!!! Except change the wine to beer. Tell her to stop by Camp 2 sometime!!!! P.S. Still loving your photo class !!!

Pam Sykes (aka Pretty Knitty) said...

Give'em a form, they'll find something negative... I'd love to see you teach in a bow tie and hat...Bonus points if you talk a lot! Oh, and I do knit!!! Hugs.!

Renee Anne said...

I'm shaking my head at some of the comments you've had. Seriously. Too gay? What does that even mean?! Too unattractive? Um, you're cute as a button!

But I do love Miss Martha's comments :) Those are the ones I'd want to see on comment sheets.

LuAnne R said...

You have always made me smile and the bow ties are a must.

Sarah said...

Teaching is tough, to be sure, and it is clear that you set high standards for yourself before you even consider offering a class. I just want thank you for giving teaching the respect that it deserves. I hope you are able to laugh at the ridiculous feedback that is not relevant to evaluating your classes.

Leigh in Portland (we are not burning down) said...

Dude, you're a saint. I have SO been in that boat. I am prez of a sewing group. We put on quarterly events. At these events, our members are encouraged to bring treats for the group. In the feedback questionnaire, we always get a complaint that the treats weren't good enough. Really? The mind boggles.

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SophieInNorwich said...

Im sure you already know this, but all training for dyslexia awareness recommends sans serif fonts. Personally my own dyslexia struggles with heavily serifed fonts and I tend to get a headache, so you're doing the right thing by your students in avoiding them!

Bonny said...

Some of your hilarious feedback reminds me of the time I chaperoned a kindergarten field trip to the beach and many of the kids complained that "the beach was too sandy".

Kim K. said...

Its sad that some people have to be so darned hyper critical. They're there to learn to knit for pete sakes.

Sylvia said...

Maybe this was a rather ham-handed attempt at humor on Martha's part?

Having taken several of your classes, I know how seriously you take your work, but perhaps she does not.

That said, I'm not defending her actions even a little bit.

Anonymous said...

I believe I am in love with Martha.

CeltChick said...

Martha sounds like my kinda friend...gotta love her! One of these days I'll catch one of your classes, but I doubt I could top Martha's critique.

JoAnn said...

Years ago when I was a medical secretary I always typed in a sans serif font. Professionalism is determined by grammar, absence of typos, a neat appearance to the document and presenting as an original, not a 10th copy of a 10th copy.

I don't have dyslexia, but as soon as I saw my first IBM Selectric element in sans serif (letter gothic?) I knew I was in love.

By the way, your classes are a birthday present I give myself regardless of the time of year; but Stitches East is in October so that's perfect.

Anonymous said...

I've taken your slip stitch/mosaic class and your travelling stitches class and both were absolutely fabulous, just like you. Highly recommend!

-Heather C. who can't recall her google account log in info.

Anonymous said...

Just took your Craftsy class - not only did I enjoy it - but my non-knitting husband and cats were entranced by the melodious sounds of your voice. (I am not kidding.) I think they will be demanding reruns. ("His voice is so soothing!" said hubby. One of my cats also loves my Ann Budd video - I emailed to tell her that and she replied that that was the weirdest compliment she'd ever been given.)

bfree2read said...

Hmm...upon reading I would probably have this internal conversation:
* the font I used in a handout ("Sans serif faces are unprofessional")
* may your PC get stuck on WingDings for a day
* wearing a bow tie ("so pretentious"),
* so why aren't you wearing one?
* not keeping the room warm enough (we were in a barn at a fiber festival),
* hate to disillusion you but I'm not related to Storm (from X-men)
* talking too much (I was, you know–teaching),
* noticed you trying to sleep. Perhaps you need more coffee.
* being too gay,
* you poor, poor soul
* being too unattractive, and
* you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself
* not making it clear in advance that a class on lace charting would require the students to use lace charts.
* so sorry you can't read. Do you need the name of a literacy tutor?

Of course I wouldn't say any of this. That is the fun of internal conversations. However, Martha's comment sheet was funny. She's a good friend.

Shelley said...

I'm anxiously awaiting your response tip Martha's first comment. Wine - perhaps a lovely California Pinot Gregio - would be a lovely addition to your VKLive Pasadena class sessions.

French Nanny said...

Love people with a sense of humour...

pixyphd said...

My favourite trainer feedback was 'instructor was too short'. Thanks, I'll work on that! As revenge I put all of the next day's handouts in Comic Sans.

Katie G said...

I'm so glad that this sort of "helpful" feedback happens at all levels of instruction. Sometimes I worry that maybe it's just me.

Emily. said...

As a once-in-a-while lecturer, I totally get it.
My favourite feedback comment on a math seminar was "YAY!! She knits!!". :)

Deborah said...

I was up all night with a sick baby. Then I read this. And the lightening effect upon my mood, as cheering as the blinking of a light-up bow tie, exemplifies exactly why I read this blog.
Martha, will you sit with me at the lunch table?

Claudia said...

You're hilarious! I've taken one class from you and was impressed by how well you communicated to the class, and how personable you were. I admit I was a bit "star struck" in your class and was almost afraid to ask you to autograph your book for me. But you most kindly did, and I treasure it. Thank you!

The Lake Fever said...

Does the bowtie rotate? If it neither lights up nor rotates, please allow me to add my disappointment to the list of evaluations.

Florence said...

Some people are just stupid. If you take a class to learn something then you don't have the right to complain about anything other than the teaching, if it was not up to par. After reading your blog for a time I believe your classes are above par. Really, hat, bow tie, too gay???? come on! I think you are perfectly lovely and would really like to take a class with you sometime. If your teaching is anything like your blogging I would have a blast!

Mary said...

Oh boy does this one hit close to home! My favorite comment ever: "She's no Sally Melville". And no, I was not invited back to that event. Presumably Sally was, though.

susancoyotesfan said...

Ah yes, the requisite feedback forms.

DH and I taught Advanced Cardiac Life Support and CPR for a number of years (he still does, I got smart and quit). The feedback forms are sometimes just amazing. Like the one that said "instructors focus too much on real life experience" when pointing out to students how this can be used even in situations without actual hospital gear (these were classes for hospital personnel). Because, as we all know, no one ever has a heart related emergency outside of the ER. Never. And never without emergency staff at their side. Ever. No one ever has a heart emergency while on a hiking trail, or at Walmart, or on the top of a mountain. Nope, never happens.

And BTW, the horrors! Using lace charts in a lace charting class..??? What *were* you thinking!

NLeigh said...

"Was unaware that knitting is prerequisite for this class" has to be my favorite piece of feedback for a KNITTING class of all time.

I think I would enjoy having Martha as a friend!

Anonymous said...

Were I ever fortunate enough to attend one of your classes, I'd be seriously disappointed, if you didn't wear a bowtie. Bowties are cool!
... and if there's such a thing, as a right amount of gay, you're it, so there.

LindaV said...

I've taken one of your classes. (It was a lace class with - Egads! Charts!) Based on that, my two cents:

1. God bless Martha.
2. The most "professional" font, as we all know, is Comic Sans. And it is sans-serif. So there.
3. If wearing a bow tie makes one pretentious, I really must re-think my opinions on Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Groucho Marx, Pee-wee Herman *and* Marlene Dietrich.
4. I'm a knitter. When a room is cold, I put on a sweater. Or twelve. Duh.
5. The Vulcan mind meld can only be done with one student at a time, making speech necessary for classes at larger gatherings.
6. Too gay for what?
7. I think you're kind of hot. (Unfortunately for me, you are also gay. Guess that answers #6.)
8. I would love to take another knitting class from you, if you could avoid using those darned needles. (Ahem.)

You are a wonderful teacher Franklin. I was impressed with how organized you were, how much material you presented (your class was a *great* value, you packed a lot into 3 hours), how seriously you took the whole process while still managing to be warm and funny, and how attentive you were to your students. If someone was getting lost, you picked up on it right away, and when there were questions you proved a very skillful listener. Listening is the most important skill for a good teacher, IMHO, and the hardest.

shandy said...

I've been reading these comments with interest, having attended one of your classes myself. I found it very informative and entertaining. Your knitted samples were stunning. I don't recall a feedback form. Had there been one, I would have suggested breaking the three-hour session into smaller units and keeping an eye on the time. Adults are often too polite to object when you run over time, but it does not mean that they think it is fine.

Toni said...

You wore a bow tie???????????? Why are there not pictures? I LOVE bow ties!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quinn said...

So funny, all of this! I had a flashback to the student review forms for Teaching Fellows at that school I think you also attended in MA. I was once faulted for making eye contact with students. While teaching.

Unknown said...

I take a lot of quilting classes with a dear friend and I habitually write comments like Martha's on her evaluation forms. They're the perfect antidote to people who carp about nonsense.

By the way, I took a class with you once. You didn't wear tie, you were appropriately gay, you're adorable, and the lace chart came as no surprise to me at all. I failed to mention any of that in my comments. I apologize for the oversight.

Unknown said...

I took the knitted plaid class at Cream City Yarn last weekend. I had a great time, learned a lot about color and the color wheel (which I am carrying with me everywhere) and went home and did another sample with a different round of color. I would even sit in the teeny tiny folding chair for another 3 hours to take another class. You are a great teacher!

Darcy said...

If I ever take one of your classes, I'll be sure to leave "Not gay/unattractive enough," as a comment. Just to balance it out.

Anonymous said...

Best thing about instructor: Explains everything.

Worst thing about instructor:
Explains EVERYTHING.

Some people are never happy.

Anonymous said...

You always make me laugh Franklin!

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Anonymous said...

Oh yes, there are times when one must laugh, or go quietly mad! Like when one is trying to explain to a customer, for the sixth time, that the dressy top comes in one color and one color alone, which is clearly stated in the catalogue.

scoot915 said...

"Instructors bow tie did not light up"

If I ever get the chance to take one of your classes I hope Martha is in it.

Thanks for a much needed laugh today.

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Diane said...

It's going to be a long, long winter. I've signed up for many of your classes when you come to Rochester, NY in April.

Janis said...

I had no idea purl stitches were on the TSA's no-fly list. I'll have to take stockinette-in-the-round only knitting with me on my next flight.

Janis said...

BTW, the current director of CERN, the European nuclear research center, LOVES comic sans to the point of it being a signature thing. She announced the discovery of the Higgs boson using a slide set written in comic sans. She did this on purpose. I love her.

If sans serif fonts are good enough for some PhD in high-energy physics to make announcements about the origin of matter in the universe, they're good enough for knitting. :-)

Anonymous said...

As a college prof who gets these kinds of comments at the end of each semester, I sympathize! My favorite absurd one recently was "Should not use powerpoint." Um, I'm an art historian. Maybe tableaux vivants then?

Nina said...

I'm laughing so hard I have tears running down my cheeks and have to blow my nose! Thank goodness for the Martha's in this world! Thank you, thank you, love your posts!
Nina

Anonymous said...

I teach at a University and have done for... oh... a couple of decades. I teach a compulsory part of the law degree. No choice about whether you do my subjects if you want a degree. So... absurd feedback is definitely part of the gig. LOVE Martha. LOVE your capacity to let it all slide off. Long may you retain this capacity and your fabulous wit. And long may you and Martha be friends.

Unknown said...

"Instructor's bow tie did not light up."

Love that one. Quality snark is an awesome thing.

Llamabean said...

I am a bit late to this post, but I want you to know, I have attended three of your classes over the past few years as well as attending your keynote speaking at the Madison Knit In last year, I have always left your classes richer than I began and have enjoyed them all immensely. You provide a knowledge filled class taught in a enjoyable setting, anyone who says otherwise is itching for a fight and I would be happy to be defend your classes at any time. Thank you for sharing your passion with me.

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