Blog 18: Teaching
In the spring of 2018 I taught my first lesson as a jewellery tutor. After conquering my nervousness over the next few weeks, I found myself actually really enjoying it. I have been teaching since then in different settings, including setting up and conducting over 50 craft workshops to refugees, vulnerable adults and children. These workshops were carried out as part of my work for the charity The Breslaff Centre, for whom I worked for over twenty years in different capacities.
In these workshops, we did fabric printing, sewing, paper crafts, embroidery, crochet, jewellery making and weaving, amongst many other activities. I loved seeing women come and sit together, chatting whilst engaging in craft activities and seeing them relax and forget their worries for a while. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow and their pride in the pieces they accomplished.
Jewellery Tutor at Rachel Jeffrey
I started teaching jewellery making at Rachel Jeffrey in 2020 and have since been teaching there regular Monday and Tuesday morning sessions, one-day taster courses as well as some selected Master Classes, which are taught over a whole weekend.
I love teaching and wanted to use the July Blog to talk about this aspect of my work in more detail.
The students who come to us have different motivations and reasons for doing so: some were given a gift voucher for a taster class; others want to learn a new skill, whilst others again want to fulfil a long-cherished dream about making jewellery. A number of the students that come to our regular weekly classes had indeed first done a one-day taster class and wanted to continue from there.
Each class has students with different levels of knowledge – from beginner to students who have done it for many years. There is usually a lovely and friendly atmosphere between the students and they cherish the time to work on their individual projects as much as being able to learn from each other.
At the beginning of each class there is a circa 10 minute technical demonstration by the tutor. Each of us five tutors has their own expertise and style of teaching. I have found it useful to group my demonstrations into themes that run over each 10-week course. Some of the topics we have covered recently were, for example, toolmaking, chains, rings, cold connections and found objects.
My personal ambition when it comes to teaching is being able to reduce the fear about making (or using certain tools or processes) and about being creative. I am so happy when I am able to instil a sense of excitement about the making process and about learning.
I am passionate about learning and want to pass on a curiosity about how to make and that there is often more than one ‘right’ way of doing this. I want to encourage my students to keep trying, even in the face of mistakes or initial failures. I also want them to be kind to themselves during this learning process: I want them to allow mistakes, to learn from them, even be surprised by them and to be excited by what these mistakes can sometimes offer.
Below are some images of the teaching workshop (click to enlarge):
Rachel Jeffrey’s shop and teaching workshop are located in the beautiful village of Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, not far from St Albans. In this brief video, I chat to her about how she started her shop and workshop and all the classes she offers.
Rachel has great facilities in her workshop, which is located in the very old building of a former watermill. Below I took a brief video of the workshop. The background noise you can hear is that of the River Lea rushing through the building underneath.
Finally, here is a selection of the kind words some of our students have left:
“I started five years ago. As a hobby or interest as I have always wanted to make jewellery for myself, my own designs. I now sell a few pieces here and there! I have learnt so much and our teacher Hendrike is patient, kind and makes sure we understand every detail. I love coming here every week.” TK
“I started nine months ago at Rachel Jeffrey. It’s been a skill that I have always wanted to learn and I haven’t looked back. Our tutor Hendrike is lovely and very thorough. The workshop is a delight and I look forward to the class every week.” NB
“I started lessons in 2019 with my daughter who was keen to learn and soon became very keen myself. The workshop is set in the basement area of an old mill, with the sound of the River Lea rushing past. Our tutor Hendrike is excellent, always ready to answer questions and every week there’s a demo showing examples of various skills needed to produce a whole range of jewellery. We have attended several weekend workshops with various tutors which have been very informative.” JS
“Hendrike is just the kind of teacher you want – patient, encouraging and positive. Her knowledge and incredible skill are an inspiration to someone who is new to jewellery making and her detailed handouts make everything really clear. I have loved the opportunity to develop my creative ideas and practical skills under her thoughtful and kind tutelage.” KH
If you would like to find out more about the classes that Rachel offers or, indeed, sign up to any of our term time courses starting in September or the taster classes, please click the link below.