Class Evaluation

If you didn’t already know, this blog exists because of my Gallery Techniques class.  Mencher was particularly set on having us blog – which I really don’t have a problem with.  Altho it does take away from my tumblr time.  But I’ve been having fun making a plethora of posts for the most part.

I’ve been tasked with evaluating the course now.  & I really want to encourage people to take this course.  But like all things, it’s far from perfect & I will address those imperfections, too.  So I’ll evaluate now:

Positives / Reasons to Take the Class / Good Things That Are Great:

·        The lessons that you learn aren’t specific to gallery / museum settings.  We’ve been spending a lot of time on resumé writing, social networking, self-marketing & how to market others, & a lot of applicable things that can be turned directly into a job.  We’ve also been provided with a price list of the skills we know & how we can do them for other people to make some cash.  This isn’t just a class; it’s teaching you life skills & job skills & just a plethora of skills to apply to ANY setting.

·        Our class is small, but it’s a very comfortable small.  As opposed to larger classes, you can freely talk to anyone.  We have discussions all the time.  In fact, our entire class period is a huge discussion [if we’re not doing manual labor.  But even then we’re discussing things, too.]  You learn with each other & you develop bonds with other people & you really form a network of peers.  You can trust each other & give each other a lot of great input.  I’ve been feeling that especially in recent weeks with our permanent move into the gallery room.  I’ve had some pretty great & enlightening chats with people.  & I hope they like when I rant about things, too.

·        You get to meet actual artists in this class.  & you genuinely get to help them.  There are opportunities to have one-on-one discussions with the artist & really pick their mind before they’re in the reception & everyone else is just pouncing on them.  You can see how they really are & you can get a feel of a professional relationship with a client – which isn’t just an art thing; you have to build experience with that kind of a new relationship for a lot of fields.

·        The 2 teachers in the class support each other & the rest of the class really well.  They’re great leaders & they truly care about their students.  & you can feel the positive energy just permeate throughout our workspace.  It’s a great environment for learning; it’s very warm & open.  They’re not going to hurt you; they want what’s best for you.   They’re not concerned about their egos or their paychecks; they just want to help you succeed.

·        I don’t know about you, but I struggle with social situations sometimes.  & this class requires you to be @ the receptions for the artists.  & as a representative for the artist & for the gallery, you have to speak up sometimes & engage random people you may not have talked to otherwise.  I’ve had some really great conversations with people this way, some going as long as 15 minutes.  It’s a welcoming challenge to get you to open up.  & it’s another opportunity to become comfortable in your own skin & build the confidence needed to conduct yourself in professional social situations.

·        No but public speaking & working with others & speaking with others is very big in this class.  If you have troubles sometimes [I do in larger settings & it takes me a while in general to warm up to a room & feel the vibe], this kind of a class will really help you come into yourself.

·        You’re not graded on busy work or on any sort of scale.  You’re not stifled by a lot of standards that need to be hammered into your head - & the hammering prevents you from truly absorbing & forces you to just regurgitate on a basic level.  This is learning for you own benefit; like learning for learning’s sake.  You are free to just truly immerse yourself.  You are free to create ideas & see them out.  It’s a very lovely thing.

But there are also some downsides.  So:

Negatives / Things to Consider When Applying / Not as Good Things That Could Be Better:

·        Like I just stated above, this isn’t a graded course.  & that might be fine if you’re very schedule oriented & if you have a great work ethic, like me.  But if you like to slack off… this course is not for you.  You really need to have a lot of self-discipline.  You really need to apply yourself & really give a shit.  & the professors also need to step up their own discipline for the course. 

·        This deserves its own bullet point because I believe a huge problem with our class is the lack of immediacy.  Mencher has been touching upon it, but I think it should be hammered further: a lot of the people in my class are just skating by.  They barely apply themselves, especially with their blogs.  In the beginning, there was the goal of posting @ least twice per week; I have not seen that happen.  Now I am not free from slacking, either; I don’t always hit that quota, but I @ least make blog posts other than the times when they’re mandatory on a random basis, but nonetheless a basis.  I have, on countless occasions, just posted what has been on my mind.  It’s not that difficult, but I guess it requires too much effort for some people & that makes me sad.  & I make a huge effort to apply myself in the discussions, even when I’m not sure about things because I want to learn.  & not everyone has that drive.  & it pisses me off.

·        There is also no attendance sheet.  & altho I feel that not every class does that [& I feel that taking role sometimes really takes away from teaching time], I feel that this class needs it.  Because so many people skip sessions.  Like I haven’t seen a few ladies in our class since like a few weeks ago or even a few months ago.  Are they still in the class?  & a lot of people regularly skip & it quite frankly should not fly.  Especially if we’re discussing about a show or setting up a show.  If you miss that, you miss a lot of the class.  [Altho I did miss one of these important classes myself.  I was @ a World Series game, tho.   Altho I did feel quite a bit guilty @ least.]  But I feel that there should be @ least a grade deduction.

·        Perhaps there should be an actual grading system.  Because most of us are skating by with A’s, but I don’t believe that we all are actually EARNING them.  I even believe that I’m probably earning like a B, B+ @ best.  Claire is probably the only A in the class.  But there should be an actual grading system with deductions & consequences.  Because maybe THEN the class would be taken seriously.  But then again this is more like a job environment so SHOULD there have to be a grading system?  But if you pose it as being equal to being fired… perhaps it would help.

·        I really wish that the class met for more than an hour, but I understand that it’s a schedule issue.  But I feel like sometimes we need to go longer to go more in depth into things.  But then other days I feel that an hour is too long.  Maybe an hour is the best median.

·        This isn’t the best class to take if you’re just fulfilling a requirement.  You have to be a bit more invested than just sitting in a lecture.  Again it’s like a mini work environment – which some people like.  & yet some people do NOT want that.  Some go into this thinking that it’ll be more of a lecture with fieldtrips.  & some hope that it would be more like a workshop.  But luckily for you, the professors are always open to what your wishes / goals / whatevers are.  Like today we talked about what we wanted to be & what we went into the class hoping to get & what we’re actually getting out of it.  It was enriching to hear from everyone.

So I ended up on a positive.  Neat.