Welcome to my world.

[gurdymonkey]

Rumor - and it IS rumor until it gets announced somewhere more official than someone's LJ - has it that next year the West will only have one kingdom Collegium, in the fall.

For those who are already embroiled in the wailing and gnashing of teeth, all I can say is "welcome to my world." The world where you're damned lucky if one person shows up to the class you've offered to teach and no fair whining that you drove X number of hours and spent Y on the trip or class materials or whatever, because your passion just happens to be the narrow niche.

The world where you teach where you can, when you can, official kingdom schedule be damned.

The world where I used to eat the cost of handouts in the vain hope (and it WAS vain) that people would actually use said handouts to sing medieval songs at events without me.

The world where I announced that I would be available at the convenience of ANY student at the A&S Tourney to help them put together kosode for the Fettburg Midsummer Feast? I got one taker, she got garb she could wear.  Compare that to the teeming droves who showed up for the 14th c. cooking project at Mists Coronet. Feel better?

The world where 98% of the teaching I do is over the internet.

The world with students who aren't even IN the SCA. The cosplayers. The reenactors in Moscow. The fellow in Milan.

If you really, REALLY want to teach, you will. 

Comments

[mamapduck.livejournal.com]

I still have that handout and use it from time to time. I have even used it to get Wilhelm to sing on at least two occasions.

[horsefriend2.livejournal.com]

I've used the handouts I made for Collegium in any number of other settings, in two attempts I had exactly one student, and I was offering "very late period garb with a nautical emphasis" ( NOT pastry weasel, of course)

a/s

[dustinmartinez.livejournal.com]

Didn't you know people in the SCA already know everything?!

[bronx-baroness.livejournal.com]

I'm sending you warm hugs. This Mongol thanks you for educating those who would learn.

[la-peregrina.livejournal.com]

Brava, lady! Well said. *hugs and salutes*

I've had as few as one and as many as 16 at any one of my Spain-centric classes. (The class with 16 was the direct result of the subject matter coinciding with a bit of political brouhaha going on in my kingdom roughly 7 years ago. You could play "spot the Easterners" (a little over half of those present, IIRC) by those who gasped, then laughed and cheered at the last line of the last translated poem I used as an example. Discretion being the greater part of valor, I did NOT say, "Thank you for paying attention." Tempted though I was. 0:->)

I always eat the cost of my handouts and re-cycle them for other classes down the road, at any rate. Life is attacking me far too much lately, but I will jump right back in coming up with new classes or punching up old ones once the current nastiness is done with, God willing.

*hugs again*