Popular Post wouldwurker Posted September 9, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Let me vent, if I may. So I took a 2 day woodworking class (I'll leave nameless) this weekend. First and foremost the instructor was fantastic. As for the knuckleheads with whom I shared a room.... Now. I should start by saying that I'm easily irritated; particularly when stuck in small spaces with other humans (airplanes for instance). That said, here's a short list of how to behave and not behave in a woodworking class. First... What you should be doing: Open mind, open ears, mouth generally shut. Unless of course, you have a question that directly pertains to the material. Then ask away. 1. You likely DO NOT know more than the instructor. This means that when the instructor says, "I've been doing this for 30 years", chances are they know what they're talking about. If anything, perhaps their method is unorthodox, however, this is what they are teaching. Good Question: It seems it would be more intuitive to do XZY this way. So what's the benefit of doing XYZ your <other> way? Chances are, the instructor is expecting this question, and likely has an answer chambered that will benefit the whole class. Ok, thanks. Bad Question: It seems it would be more intuitive to do XZY this way. So what's the benefit of doing XYZ this way? <receives answer>. Follows up with, "Well I know a guy/saw a guy on youtube/took a different class with a guy that does it the other way" <receives answer>. Lap 3: "Yeah, but wouldn't it be easier if....." <this goes on until the instructor (or me) loses their patience> I can't begin to tell you how many times I heard the sentence, "Well I took a class with <NAME HERE> and HE says that....." If you are certain that you DO in fact, know more than the instructor, or have opinions that fly in the face of your instructors methods, leave class and ask for your money back. Unless of course it's a safety issue, then let whomever runs the school/shop know about it asap. 2. Turn your *&^% cell phone off This includes the audible DING every time you get an e-mail. ...and pick up your phone and start talking, and I swear I'll take it and put a 1/2" dado right through the apple logo. If you have a sick relative/pregnant wife/daughter, let the class know ahead of time with a preemptive apology. Then put the phone on vibrate and gracefully walk out of the room if you need to pick up. 3. Do not argue with the instructor based on your anecdotal experience See item 1, above. 4. If you choose to continue to do things "your way" in the class, do not expect help if things go wrong. This is a waste of the instructor's time, and the money of those of us following directions, who may need help. 5. Don't be a buffoon. Here's two actual conversations which I was forced to listen: Instructor: Pull the tool away from you, as if you were peeling an orange Buffoon: Well, I peel an apple towards me so I can get the whole peel off intact. Also, I don't much care for oranges. Hey buddy, no one cares. It's an analogy. Take it for what it's worth. Also, you now owe me two dollars of class time. Instructor: Grab your red piece of lumber. Buffoon: Red? Instructor: Yes Buffoon: Red? Instructor: Yes the red piece of lumber. Buffoon: I don't see a red one Instructor: It's this one, here Buffoon: Red? Instructor: Are you color blind? Buffoon: Yes. Instructor: Seriously Buffoon: Yes. Hey Buddy, if you knew you were color blind, why would you even engage in this dialogue? Does this happen to you all day, every day when people mention colors to you? Are you eternally baffled by the world of color, knowing that you can't see them? Waitress: Would you like your coffee black, sir? Buffoon: Black???? 6. If you whistle, I swear I'll shove a 3/4" maple dowel into your mouth hole. What makes you think that anyone wants to hear your audible whistling? I can literally hear it cutting through the 95db power tools. How is this any different than me putting a boom box on my shoulder and torturing the class with the Christopher Cross's Greatest Hits? Keep the music in your head where it belongs. 7. If you bring your lunch back to class, keep the squid stew with raw onions at home I'm convinced that my project still smells like some guy's tuna casserole. 8. Your ability to ask questions is not a forum for your to show off either what you know, or what you've done You turn pens. That's awesome. This is not a pen turning class. How do all of your non-questions relate back to pens you've turned? 9. If you're not in the class, stay out of the class This one surprised even me. On several occasions, smack in the middle of the session, people would wander into the class and talk to the instructor. People that didn't pay a ton of money would just interrupt the class and ask questions. "Oooh this is a class...what are you teaching? Oooh, I always wanted to take a class on XYZ, but could never afford it. Mind if I sit in? Really, I can't. Well, take a look at these pens I turned" Maybe the store needs a sign on the classroom door that says "paid class in session". Of course, judging the couth of the gen pop that casually walked in and interrupted, I don't think a sign, or even the First Marine Corps division, could have kept them out. 10. Your kids are not welcome to visit and run around the shop in the middle of class. I'm speechless. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Thanks.. I think I'll be laughing all afternoon now! Good life etiquette, not just a wood working class 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 The "majority" of the population, tend to fit in that group! Then there's the rest of us, that have to deal around that [without violence]! After 32 years driving a tractor trailer cross country, I came to the conclusion that a minimum of 70% of the population, should never have been given a license to drive! And now those same people are taking woodworking classes. Scary! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 The world is full of people doing stupid stuff like that everywhere, not just in classes ! I have mentioned that I am on a tight budget and really want to learn what the instructor has to say, instead of wasting the class time on your tangent. He was pissed but got glares from everyone else the next time he tried to butt in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 This post reminds me a lot of when I decided to go back to school and took night classes. Your "pen turner" was a "cell phone salesperson" in my class. Every. Single. Thing. came back to being about selling cell phones. In a nutshell, the world is completely filled with jerks. Not that I'm excluding myself from that group. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post weithman5 Posted September 9, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Let me vent, if I may. So I took a 2 day woodworking class (I'll leave nameless) this weekend. First and foremost the instructor was fantastic. As for the knuckleheads with whom I shared a room.... Now. I should start by saying that I'm easily irritated; particularly when stuck in small spaces with other humans (airplanes for instance). That said, here's a short list of how to behave and not behave in a woodworking class. Try living on a submarine 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 I'd echo TIODS and others! Very funny but this really does not limit itself to class time. We know a 1&3, oh how we love that guy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Wow. That sucks to spend money and time and then encounter a mess like that. ALL that happened in one weekend? That's got to be some sort of record! Gotta chuckle at the Buffoon conversations. I'm still chuckling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 Yes it's a funny story and I feel your anger VJ. I particularly agree with point 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 i took a motorcycle riding class few years back. had a bunch of riders who had been riding for years but no license so they were taking the class to go legit. kept trying to spread their bad habits and the class moves from never being on a bike and learning how to push to learning how to ride safely. very disruptive those folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 You know what, this pretty much sounds like college. Some fellow students I have had in classes are just unbearable with stupid questions. I find the higher the class level gets, most of these question askers get weened out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Freddie Posted September 9, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 When my gf and i went to a woodworking show earlier this year, we watched alot of demonstrations at their booths. One guy was very pushy with his product and constantly asked us what we would do in certain situations. Everytime he asked me, and it was more than a few times, i just shrugged my shoulders and said uhdunnuh. I didnt want to be that guy, because "that guy" is a complete douche, and most of us dont wanna be a complete douche! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post woodbutcher74 Posted September 9, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 I was thinking about taking a class in the near future. Concealed Carry Class. Maybe I'll take that before I take anymore woodworking classes. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted September 9, 2014 Report Share Posted September 9, 2014 This makes me want to avoid any class I thought I wanted to pay for. I would have lost my $h!t if any of these happened to me in a similar situation. I am not a nice guy when my time or money is being wasted. Other than that, I am a pleasure to deal with I'm ready to throw something now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisphr Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 All that happened in a two day class? Dayum! Although I probably would have been the whistler... and also tuna casserole guy. But I am sure other people appreciate my refined ability to blow air and who doesn't like the smell of tuna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 The best "soft skill" pieces of advice I ever received were: 1) Even if you are the smartest guy in the room, don't act like the smartest guy in the room, because no one likes an a-hole 2) Don't talk when you should be listening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 .... 2) Don't talk when you should be listening +1 on this. Guaranteed to make me lose it is when you are trying to explain a problem to someone and they are just not listening. I've got to admire your self-control VJ. With my hard earned money being poured down the drain by moronic gits like those I would most definitely lost it big style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wouldwurker Posted September 10, 2014 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 True story - about 8 years ago, I told a lady on a greyhound bus from Philly to NYC that if she didn't get off her phone I'd throw it out the window (In a lighthearted fashion). She called 911 from the bus, and the port authority pulled the bus over after we exited the tunnel. Cop gets on the bus. Driver gets off the bus. Crazy lady gets off the bus. Crazy lady gets back on the bus with cop, points to me and says 'IT WAS HIM'. (Try to imagine, through a fish eye lens, a wave of heads in each seat from front to back, all turning 180 degrees towards me in sequence) I turned my head too....only to find every one looking forward. I get off the bus.... The cop agreed she was nuts and asked if I could sit in the front for the remaining 5 minutes of the trip. My wife, of course was none too happy. Of all the vagrants, teardrop tattooed ex cons, gang bangers, vagabonds, and serial killers that 'Go Greyhound'....and I'm the guy that gets the bus pulled over. Long story short, I try to keep my cool these days. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 True story - about 8 years ago, I told a lady on a greyhound bus from Philly to NYC that if she didn't get off her phone I'd throw it out the window (In a lighthearted fashion). She called 911 from the bus, and the port authority pulled the bus over after we exited the tunnel. Cop gets on the bus. Driver gets off the bus. Crazy lady gets off the bus. Crazy lady gets back on the bus with cop, points to me and says 'IT WAS HIM'. (Try to imagine, through a fish eye lens, a wave of heads in each seat from front to back, all turning 180 degrees towards me in sequence) I turned my head too....only to find every one looking forward. I get off the bus.... The cop agreed she was nuts and asked if I could sit in the front for the remaining 5 minutes of the trip. My wife, of course was none too happy. Of all the vagrants, teardrop tattooed ex cons, gang bangers, vagabonds, and serial killers that 'Go Greyhound'....and I'm the guy that gets the bus pulled over. Long story short, I try to keep my cool these days. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Ah, but you may have been the start of a trend! I took a commuter bus from Boston to Cape Cod a couple of years ago. NO cell phones were permitted except for emergencies. It was wonderful! So, thank-you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missioninwood Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I teach classes myself: these are all good points to be considerate of. Among other techniques, I like to disarm those who might feel like they know more that me by saying, "You have experience with this, what would you do in this situation?" Polling the experience of the crowd can enrich the experience for everyone. Unless, of course, they are an a-hole. miw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 I was having dinner at a very nice restaurant and our large group was sharing a banquet room with a Japanese group. One guy kept jumping up and constantly taking flash pictures which were blinding me. I tried waving my arm, covering my eyes and even growling at him. Finally had enough and walked over and whispered in his ear that one more flash in my direction would lead to his camera inserted in an uncomfortable place. Shocked look on his face but he sat down and the next picture was no flash! Everyone in our group was amazed I had the balls to do it , but they appreciated the results . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-Square Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 OK, You've all convinced me and I've learned my lesson... Next time I take a class at the Mark Adams School of Woodworking, I won't have my iPad on the bench playing a video of Chris Schwarz, Course, Medium & Fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 The best "soft skill" pieces of advice I ever received were: 1) Even if you are the smartest guy in the room, don't act like the smartest guy in the room, because no one likes an a-hole 2) Don't talk when you should be listening It is good to be the smartest person in the room, especially if you are the only one who knows it. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted September 10, 2014 Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 A good instructor should have total control of the class and set the ground rules at the start. No cell phones, vibrate if you must have it on, take the call outside or call the person back, etc. One great instructor I had started out saying that there are many ways to do things (this was a turning class) but that he is demonstrating his way, what works for him and that we should try it and after giving it a good go then decide for ourselves. Instructors should welcome questions but also know when to not answer them with the whole class, e.g. suggest talking the the person during a break about xyz. The instructor also knows how much material there is to cover and can answer a question saying that he/she wants to stay on schedule and that he needs to move on. THAT is a great answer so that everyone in the class knows the instructor is on-it and there will be enough time to cover everything planned so they will be getting their money's worth. As far as the whistling jack-ass, hard to deal with that. Maybe mention to the instructor that it is bothering you so that he/she can deal with it and you won't get into an altercation. If it was someone right next to me who I had already conversed with I might say, do you know you are whistling? Hopefully he would respond by asking if it is bothering me, but you never know. And the color-blind and apple/orange peeling guys, those are just a funny story. So most of the stuff could have been and should have been controlled by the instructor. The other stuff, kids running around, people coming in who were not in the class, should have been controlled by the facility with sign on the door as you suggested. I can not believe there was not a general policy of no kids in the room, there had to be, so that needed to be enforced. You should mention those problems to the store so they can fix them, otherwise I doubt you or anyone you talk to will be taking another class there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted September 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 Nah. I'd absolutely take another class there. All in all it was worth it...I just find it humorous that grown men and women can't behave themselves. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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