Among other things, she said that, in the US, she is called a "slave driver", because she pushes for perfection,
I have noticed a difference between what I'll call "traditional European teaching" and the way adult students learn in North America, and while I think that the self-indulgence Tamara mentions is part of it, there is also a sound logic behind the way North Americans learn.
Some teachers in Europe, both for lacemaking and for embroidery, will insist that something be pulled out completely because the student has made a mistake, or will stand over a student and make them redo movements again and again until the teacher feels they have learned the correct movement. Teachers who try this in North America are in for a rude awakening(!) as the students will often simply refuse. Teachers who insist that large samples be finished before the student moves on may also experience classwide insurrection. North Americans may do samples as quickly as possible, stopping as soon as they think they've got it, and move on to the next thing before they've mastered the first.
But there is a good reason for this. The students only get occasional teaching. They're not able to come back next week for another lesson, they'll probably not ever see that teacher again, so they want to cram in as many different bits of knowledge as possible. If, from the quarter of a sample you whipped up in half an hour, you have a general idea of how something goes, then you have a reasonable chance of being able to figure it out later, on your own. But if you go to the only hour class you'll be able to attend in the next three years and spend it putting in a bit of ground and taking it out again because the teacher says it isn't perfect, then all you will know is that bit of ground, not the other 7 or 8 techniques you could have learned to do (if badly) during the same time, by working quickly, ignoring your mistakes and moving on.
So we learn that the best thing to do is to take in as much information as possible and worry about doing it well later, while people in more settled educational systems who can take prolonged courses may be able to follow the luxurious tradition of working slowly and methodically, only advancing once something is mastered, and working larger samples and spending more time learning each technique. I think it is admirable, though not necessarily something I can afford to imitate!
Just my 2 cents.
Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada)
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