________________________________
From: Christine Tatro <[email protected]>
My husband suggested that I teach origami at the local community college.
How would I go about this? Any suggestions? Who would I contact for models?
-======
Hi Christine,
Have you been doing origami teaching to groups? If not, a Jr. College, may
not be the place to begin.
Here are lots of things to thing about:
Contact the school and find out what their qualifications for teaching are, do
they offer non credit classes that most likely origami would fit into, can you
set your own schedule, or have to work within theirs, daytime, evenings,
weekends, or summer, would this be only adults, or do they offer classes for
grade and high school students, what would be the location of the classes, on
campus or off site, would be nice to know what they pay. I teach summers in
the local Jr. College in East Peoria, Il, and am paid $26 and hour, before
taxes are taken out. Will you need to go through any trainings for how to
handle conflicts, sexual harassment, and general orientation. Will you have a
contract, you'll probably need to supply a resusme, write the class description
for the catalog, or way they advertise the classes. Do you have lesson plans,
what would happen if you were not able to be at a particular class? I have
several notebooks that are indexed
with each diagram in a 3-hole plastic sleeve, with samples of the fold, and
sometimes, step folds (numbered). I also have supplemental things I take that
will support each theme for the class - as in books, origami toys, notebooks I
have garnered with origami related cartoons, other sightings of origami, a
scrapbook of misc. origami, completed folds, etc.
I like to ask what their experience with origami is, and take note of what they
want to learn - and then try to fit that in. In the case of one this summer
who wanted to learn Kamiya's dragon, I just took a picture of it to share, and
gave him a diagram of a much simpler dragon.
Now, as to what to teach, I almost always teach traditional folds. And for
others, I have contacted the designer for permission, and they have been most
gracious in granting it. There are some sites with common license (or
something like that) that gives blanket permission. If you hand out any
diagrams, most likely you will definitely need permission to do so. The school
make make copies, and I know here they will not unless I have a copy of
permission to give them.
Do you want to end the class each time with say for instance a folding of a
plane from the airplane calendar, or at the end of the entire of semester (or
whatever), have an origami related party - as in napkin folding, candy dish,
invitation, host and hostess ( Yakko sans) hats, etc.....
Another option that I have used in a Vacation Bible School setting, was
purchasing books and paper for each student, ( I was reimbursed), and teaching
from the book, with some supplementation.
Now with all of that taken care of, have fun sharing your love of origami.
Kathy Knapp,
Peoria, Illinois, USA
Do well your part today. - Juliette Gordon Low
