The online world is full of reviews: Five stars for this; one rotten tomato for that. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide how genuine these reviews are. Which is why, when you get heart-felt feedback for the work you do it means so, so much. This is what one of the students on our recent one-day ‘A Taste of Sculpture’ course wrote to say:
Dear Andy and Diane, I had the great pleasure of attending The Sculpture School a couple of days ago. Seldom do I gush about teaching methodology because it usually induces the instant termination of a conversation, but in this instance I can’t hold back. My own background has been in a career as an Art teacher, culminating in a period of steering Graduates in the field of Art and Design and hopefully helping them to impart creative skills to future generations.
I have always promoted the theory that learning should be fun, the manner of the information being imparted must be matched to the most favourable absorption style of the recipient, and the varsity of the info on offer must hold water, and for all of that to be presented sympathetically. Good teachers tend to be able to do that intuitively. Andrew does that with consummate ease.
During the workshop every dynamic of advanced level imparting of information, skill inducement, identification of aspects of behaviour that have elements of positive enhancement, never forced or inflicted correction, the utmost in gentle invitation towards another way which includes the bait which invites ‘better’ with no collateral damage to confidence or desire to remain involved, and all of this whilst there being no implication of failure or lack of the ultimate possibility of the achievement of success. In summary, this was the most exceptional demonstration of teaching that I have ever witnessed. And now to the quality of outcomes from a disparate group of predominantly non expert individuals. Words fail me. Utterly exceptional, outstanding, masterful.
And did I mention that the man is a bit useful as a sculptor as well? But that’s another story.
“In summary, this was the most exceptional demonstration of teaching that I have ever witnessed.”