Be a Great Scrapbook Teacher

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The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. --William Arthur Ward

Everyone had a teacher in high school that he or she will remember forever--both good and bad. I will always remember my geometry teacher, who was gruff and strict. But you know what? I understood geometry because he didn't let his students give up. And I remember my 12th grade English teacher, who loved Beowulf so much her students couldn't help but learn it. When I began to teach scrapbook classes, I thought back to what made them good teachers, and I have applied many of those same principles to my own teaching style.

Get noticed - No matter how great your class, no one will sign up for it if you never get attention. Work with your store for publicity of your classes, as far in advance as possible, but not so far in advance that technique or product is dated. Develop signs and write-ups that let students know what the class will be about. While generic descriptions help you have flexibility in your planning, they may not have enough detail to gain an advanced student�s interest.

Be prepared and organized - You can never plan too much for a class. Think it through, practice what you will say, even bounce your ideas off another person. Walk through the projects, looking for areas of difficulty for beginner students. Make a checklist of materials and tools you will need for the class.

Have a handout, even if it is as simple as a list of themed titles or quotes. Include your name, the name of your store, and contact information on the handout. If the subject matter is applicable, contact the manufacturer, as they will often have handouts or tip sheets you can use. Bring extra materials because no matter how well you plan, something may be missing from a kit, get dropped onto the speckled flooring, or just get messed up.

Be enthusiastic and inspiring - You must love to scrapbook, or you wouldn't be a teacher. Let your love of the hobby shine through in your classes. Engage your students with your own experiences. Encourage them to not give up or feel overwhelmed and always compliment their efforts. Inspire your students to take what they have learned from you and apply it to their own scrapbooking style. Having fun with your students and the projects will make it a much more memorable class.

Use visuals effectively - Have you ever gone to a class where the teacher kept flashing the project at you and you never really got to see her sample? Don't do that to your own students. Pass the project around the room and make reduced-size color copies of the projects that they can keep in front of themselves as a reference tool. Have samples of other layouts or projects that fit the theme of the class. Keep product that you are using in class close by, so that they can see how it is packaged, and run to buy it when class is over.

Be strict, but flexible - Start the class on time, unless there is a really good reason not to. Encourage the students to interact with each other, but keep the class on track so that it does not run over. Be flexible enough that you meet the needs of the students in the class.

Be knowledgeable - Know your audience, the product and the store in which you are teaching. If you don't know an answer to a question, be willing to get the answer for the student, even if it means a follow-up call or e-mail. Stay on top of the newest trends and products in paper arts, through online forums and magazines.

Get feedback - You can only improve your teaching style and classes by being open to the feedback of your students formally or informally. Ask your students what they would like to see in upcoming classes, or if there was anything about a class they did not like.

Find Resources - You are not the only teacher out there that wants to be the best teacher she can be. Join a scrapbook teacher yahoo group, visit presentation websites, and get public speaking newsletters. Here are just a few places to start:

Thousands of scrapbooking internet groups

Register for a free e-zine of public speaking tips

Ten tips for successful speaking

More than 100 articles to help you become a better speaker

Learn from Experience - No one can jump right into teaching a scrapbook class and not make a few mistakes. Take those mistakes and apply the lesson you learned the next time you teach a class.

Almost anyone can be a great scrapbooker, but it takes something more to be a great scrapbook teacher. It takes patience, creativity, knowledge, enthusiasm and organization. But most of all, it takes practice and commitment.

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