My first time teaching at the John C. Campbell Folk School

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, that decimated North Carolina and Tennessee I’ve been thinking a lot about my friends in this area and JCCFS. It’s Fall 2024 but I realized I never wrote about my very first time teaching at the John C. Campbell Folk School back in the summer of 2023.

I can still remember this class so clearly because it was super special for me. Janine Wang had asked me to join her in a new type of class to teach wood turning and basketry together. I jumped at the opportunity and I’m so glad I did because we had the most amazing week together with a huge group of super great students who were willing to step outside of their comfort zones and try some very difficult skills.

My boys got me a cute little puppy for mother’s day and he went for the long ride from New Jersey to North Carolina with me. There’s an overlook as soon as you get into North Carolina where I normally stop to stretch my legs. This was my first time driving down in my truck and I giggled when all I had to do was fill it up once during the 800 mile drive. I arrived a bit early but checked in and immediately put on my “Green” name tag to display that I was finally a teacher! It was a super great moment that I’ll always remember.

I was so excited to set up my classroom and get ready for our first day. We started with learning basic weaving techniques and I had all the students work up a small sampler basket that would show them what the primary weaving techniques would look like. Since we split the class up into two groups the first two days were just to prepare them to get ready for the real fun later in the week. Once they had a few turned bowls it was time to start drilling holes and get into some basket making. One day after class Janine brought over some turned pieces for us to experiment with and I immediately grabbed a beautiful rippled piece. I figured that maybe if I wove something onto it she may let me bring it home. (Side note: she did and we both signed this piece and it’s now hanging up in my home to remind me of this super special class)

As you can see in the pictures above these students worked extremely hard and made so many beautiful pieces that I hope they treasure for years to come. One of the lovely teaching techniques that I learned from Janine was an overall class review and share. We pulled together all the tables and laid out all the work done that week. Each student was able to discuss their work and inspiration. It’s a lovely way to end a class and now we do this at the end of all my week long classes. Everyone should be so proud of all they accomplished this week and it was nice as a group to appreciate each other before our big share at the closing ceremony.

These group photos really make me smile and I’m so glad we do them. I was so grateful for these beautiful humans who all came from very different walks of life, but yet supported and enjoyed each other. With our week of hard work behind us we headed to the closing ceremony where these students were able to really show off their hard work. My first certificate as a teacher was special and I’ll always treasure the big hug from Janine during our speech. We had no idea how a class like this would work but it went better than I could have ever expected.

Leaving to go home the next morning was bittersweet, but I felt so accomplished, yet quite exhausted and almost totally without a voice. The view going through the mountains was glorious and I was immediately excited to return the following year for my very first willow class.

My heart goes out to those in this area right now as they go through the impossible seeming task of cleaning up and rebuilding their communities. Going through a few hurricanes in NJ I know how defeating it can feel and how every drop of rain after feels beyond scary and anxiety inducing. I know when I travel back down there this coming spring there will still be many scars left on these towns, but I hope that they will get the support to get through this clean up. This area has so much culture and art, if you are able to do so please consider supporting or donating to causes that will help to rebuild this very special area in our country.