Recently I was talking with my friend about some conversations I’ve had with students in my classes. The conversation got stuck in my head like an old song that you just can’t stop humming. I decided that I needed to write about it just to get it out of my system.

It always disappoints me when a student tells me that in some classes they had felt less than brilliant and were afraid to ask the teacher questions. Or when they tell me that they took a class, made a wonderful sample, but could never repeat the skill on their own after class.

I’m going to tell you what I always tell my students: You pay the teacher so that she/he will teach you the skill, not just so that you can go home with a pretty sample. It’s his/her job to make sure that you learn, and your right to expect that. Please, don’t ever feel bad about asking for help. If the teacher doesn’t provide a hand out, take notes and don’t worry if you have to ask to have something repeated because you were writing it down.

And one more thing.. Always give your store owner feedback about the class and the teacher. This is how store owners know what their customers like. Believe me, they want to know what makes you a happy shopper. Your feedback will help them schedule the teachers and skills that you enjoy most. It also helps the teachers to do a better job because the store owner will tell the teacher of any problem areas or strengths.