Practicum
Practicum was wonderful. It is my favourite SCA event.
I taught 2 courses and took 3. "Shimmy like a Snake; Spin like a Scarab" didn't quite go as I planned. The dance was too hard for the age group I had - I was cutting things out on the fly. Some kids were bored and wandered away. Others came in late and joined in. I suppose the ultimate goal of a children's class is to keep the children occupied and having fun. Still, I feel like a failure because no one really learned anything. I don't think that I will offer to teach a children's course next year. Maybe in 2007. By then, the Princess will be 4 1/2 and able to participate in a children's program.
"Wooing the Wild Leprechaun" went better. We made it through my entire handout. I probably could have crammed more into the class, but I wanted people to have opportunities to actually pronounce the words and have practice conversations. We did far more in that hour than I ever did in one hour of Irish class; we had far more repetition and practicing with a partner. If one person comes out of that class having learned and retained one new word or phrase, I'll be happy. Or if I inspired anyone to go on and take an Irish class.
I did 3 classes with Gerald of Ipsley and Robert of Cold Castle. They traveled all the way from Calontir (Missouri.) It was very cool because I had intended to go to two of their courses at Pennsic last year, but they were scheduled for those rainy days when I had no motivation to go to any of my classes. Their garb was absolutely amazing and I am so re-inspired to do embroidery. They were an absolute scream as well with their banter and faux bickering. The only bad part was that they didn't do 5 discrete courses, but rather a running all day program. So, I missed things when I did my two courses. The good news is that they are doing their courses at Pennsic this year, so I can take them again.
A friend of mine was able to take the Princess for the afternoon, so Piers got to come for lunch and the afternoon classes. He sat through all of Gerald and Robert's afternoon classes and spent $65 buying two of their books.
Lunch was amazing too. I'm a picky eater, so I think it is the ultimate complement to a cook when they can plan a menu that has me raving. I usually never go for SCA lunches, but this was the first event I've attended in over 5 years where the lunch menu was actually more impressive than the feast menu. Sausages, quiche, a fabulous noodle dish, and strawberry tart. SCA desserts usually don't appeal to me because I'm a chocolate or cheesecake (or both!) connoisseur. That strawberry tart was as yummy as any mundane dessert I've ever had. Kudos to Micaylah and Julienne.
Our Commedia scenes went fairly well. No one forgot their lines - by which I mean, since it's improv that no one forgot to include an important detail that another actor was supposed to feed off of. We all could have been louder, but we will also do better next time we do this. And we are talking of writing more scenes and continuing. I loved the dress that Cristabell loaned me; I really felt like Francesca in it.
This was my sixth Practicum and it finally broke the pattern. They previously alternated between good, bad, good, bad, etc. This is not to say that I totally hated Practicum in 2001 or 2003. I loved Irish Death Folklore in 2001 and Anne le gris's poetry course in 2003. It was more that on the whole all the courses I took were boring or that there were slim pickings.
As Chatelaine, I got to meet several newcomers: Marian and Sarah (friends of Cristabell), Toshiro Kaida, Christine from Cornwall, Cat and Alison (who took my Irish class and wanted me to write numbers out for them), and Nicholas (from my Arthurian Evening)showed up for his first event.
I taught 2 courses and took 3. "Shimmy like a Snake; Spin like a Scarab" didn't quite go as I planned. The dance was too hard for the age group I had - I was cutting things out on the fly. Some kids were bored and wandered away. Others came in late and joined in. I suppose the ultimate goal of a children's class is to keep the children occupied and having fun. Still, I feel like a failure because no one really learned anything. I don't think that I will offer to teach a children's course next year. Maybe in 2007. By then, the Princess will be 4 1/2 and able to participate in a children's program.
"Wooing the Wild Leprechaun" went better. We made it through my entire handout. I probably could have crammed more into the class, but I wanted people to have opportunities to actually pronounce the words and have practice conversations. We did far more in that hour than I ever did in one hour of Irish class; we had far more repetition and practicing with a partner. If one person comes out of that class having learned and retained one new word or phrase, I'll be happy. Or if I inspired anyone to go on and take an Irish class.
I did 3 classes with Gerald of Ipsley and Robert of Cold Castle. They traveled all the way from Calontir (Missouri.) It was very cool because I had intended to go to two of their courses at Pennsic last year, but they were scheduled for those rainy days when I had no motivation to go to any of my classes. Their garb was absolutely amazing and I am so re-inspired to do embroidery. They were an absolute scream as well with their banter and faux bickering. The only bad part was that they didn't do 5 discrete courses, but rather a running all day program. So, I missed things when I did my two courses. The good news is that they are doing their courses at Pennsic this year, so I can take them again.
A friend of mine was able to take the Princess for the afternoon, so Piers got to come for lunch and the afternoon classes. He sat through all of Gerald and Robert's afternoon classes and spent $65 buying two of their books.
Lunch was amazing too. I'm a picky eater, so I think it is the ultimate complement to a cook when they can plan a menu that has me raving. I usually never go for SCA lunches, but this was the first event I've attended in over 5 years where the lunch menu was actually more impressive than the feast menu. Sausages, quiche, a fabulous noodle dish, and strawberry tart. SCA desserts usually don't appeal to me because I'm a chocolate or cheesecake (or both!) connoisseur. That strawberry tart was as yummy as any mundane dessert I've ever had. Kudos to Micaylah and Julienne.
Our Commedia scenes went fairly well. No one forgot their lines - by which I mean, since it's improv that no one forgot to include an important detail that another actor was supposed to feed off of. We all could have been louder, but we will also do better next time we do this. And we are talking of writing more scenes and continuing. I loved the dress that Cristabell loaned me; I really felt like Francesca in it.
This was my sixth Practicum and it finally broke the pattern. They previously alternated between good, bad, good, bad, etc. This is not to say that I totally hated Practicum in 2001 or 2003. I loved Irish Death Folklore in 2001 and Anne le gris's poetry course in 2003. It was more that on the whole all the courses I took were boring or that there were slim pickings.
As Chatelaine, I got to meet several newcomers: Marian and Sarah (friends of Cristabell), Toshiro Kaida, Christine from Cornwall, Cat and Alison (who took my Irish class and wanted me to write numbers out for them), and Nicholas (from my Arthurian Evening)showed up for his first event.