Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does your teacher reframe the student statement, “I can’t do this!”?
- I redirect the intention of the words that gives the student more power. I ask them to say instead, “This is hard and I need help”. Instead of giving up and feeling defeated, they get the help they need to succeed.
- How is this different from summer camp?
- There are many fine summer camps out there and many do craftwork. But HHH is based on a different premise. We are grounded in the Waldorf traditions of presenting children with beauty and letting them discover their truths. I do this by using beautiful natural fibers and model lessons about color, form, gesture of line. Most importantly, I give them the valuable life lessons that are mixed in with the fun. Lessons like pride in giving your best effort, mindfulness in making each stitch the best they can, perseverance – never giving up, focus, patience.
- The HHH projects are a longer time and larger effort investment. They can’t be finished in an afternoon. They require repeated effort and focus and instill the seeds of good study habits – consistent effort and focus.
- Why doesn’t HHH accept children under 8 years old?
- In my 16 years of teaching hundreds of students, my experience has been that children younger than 8 years old need more hands-on assistance than an on-line venue can provide. When teaching 6 – 7 year-olds to knit, I always had older students come to the class to stand behind them and guide their hands through the movements for several classes.
- Why does HHH limit class size?
- It is important to me that each student feels seen, heard and known. While I have taught large classes successfully, with the on-line venue I feel that it is important to make classes smaller in order to attend to each student’s individual needs.
- Why do I have to get materials from the places that you recommend?
- After thoroughly researching the sources where the best quality materials for the lowest price could be ordered, I compiled materials lists and source lists with hyperlinks. The number of sources was also limited to make the ordering process easier for the parents.
- Why does a parent/responsible adult need to be in attendance during the on-line classes?
- The students will be taught how to work safely with tools like needles and scissors, as well as reminded each class. Even with that being done, an adult present with them is the best way to ensure safety, as children just learning a new technique may be focused on remembering the new technique rather than remembering the safety rules.
- Why does my child need to work on their project daily?
- Working on their handwork project daily is ideal and it allows them to work in smaller chunks (20 minutes), rather than longer periods of work in order to complete their project in the class sessions, (usually 6 weeks + one make-up class).
- If we cannot finish the project, do we get a refund?
- While I appreciate that life sometimes gets in the way of plans, it’s just not possible to issue a refund. However, if you wish to take a future class, I will credit the unused portion of your class fees towards the future class.
- Each student works at their own pace. A fast knitter will finish well before a slower knitter. There are 12 hour-long classes and 1 make-up class to finish the project. This requires the student to work on their project between classes. I will provide goals for each student to work towards weekly in order for them to finish on time. If they are not able to finish, I will offer an additional class during the next round of classes,
- Finish- It-Up class designed for any students who need more time and assistance to finish their project. This class will be 2 hour-long classes available for $40/week.
- What is the Accountabilabuddy program?
- In a classroom setting its not unusual to put students in groups or teams to work together and support each other in the learning process. Since we don’t have that option, we have developed the idea that students can work on their handwork projects together with a classmate on Google Hangout. This will allow each student to have social interactions while encouraging and supporting each other. We have a You Tube video ____________ to show you how to set up the Google Hangout on your computer.
- I will pair the buddies and it will be up to the parents to decide if they want to use this program and to contact each other to arrange day/times for their children to work together on Google Hangout.
- What if my child doesn’t want to work with an Accountabilabuddy?
- That is completely up to the student and their family. This is offered to every student to support their learning and to make the experience more fun.
- If you do not want to participate or have concerns, please notify Miss Till at—————–.
- What if my child has an issue with their Accountabilabuddy?
- If the students and their parents cannot work through an issue that comes up, notify Miss Till at —————-. I will have each student join with another pair of Accountabilabuddies.
- How do we clean my child’s project?
- That depends on the project. If it is made of cotton or wool yarn, I would recommend handwashing in cool water with a gentle detergent (Woolite) and lay it flat on a towel to dry in a sunny place. Turn it to dry both sides, then inside out until it is completely dry.
- If the project is made of Superwash Merino wool yarn you can wash it in the washing machine on the gentle cycle with Woolite. Use cool water and tumble dry it on low.
- If the project is a needlework project or a needle-felted project, I would recommend spot cleaning it with a cloth dampened with slightly soapy water (Woolite) and dab it dry with a dry cloth.