Round 2

Last week's class went great at Lodestar. It was my second time teaching an art class on mandalas and the size doubled up to 10 people total. I find that the majority of people who attend are female but there are always a few males who show up. The hardest part is getting people to come back. I had a completely new class and none of the original 5 from my first one happened to come back. It made me sad in a way because I learned their names and wanted to see them complete their projects. Hoping that they made it out of the system and are now moving on with their lives since not everyone is down there more extended periods of time.

It's hard to manage the class because of time constraints. I have a busy schedule and right now Saturday mornings work best for me. It also gives them something to look forward to on the weekend. I usually have about 1 to 1.5 hours to teach the class and let them do their thing. As things begin to normalize themselves I'll get a good system going that allows enough time to get something more accomplished. I also learned that retention rates aren't probably going to happen and it has nothing to do with the art program! I had one lady tell me she had a master's degree in education and here she was without a home and in no condition to utilize what she worked so hard for. She kept thanking me for the lesson (it was highly spiritual and psychological) but I insisted I did nothing, for she was the one who did it all herself. True empowerment. :)