Cost/Value - 10 - Our class, being the first, was an experiment for JK, and we went through more belts than he had figured on, so he will have to adjust his price a bit I think. The value for a two day instructor led workshop was almost embarassingly cheap. However, John sets the price and each student received 8 hours of help/instruction, use of his machines and materials, simple burger and chips lunch both days and in the end their own handmade knife. Can't go wrong.
Content/Curriculum - 9 - John obviously knows stock-removal inside and out, and it shows. I am not one to rate a 10 for every category, as that leaves little room for improvement. I think John will polish up the delivery over time as he feels out how students react to his instruction and which operations require more show and tell. I think there should be a safety brief before the class starts.
John might consider a simple course outline and safety brief that could be send electronically to participants that would spell out what they would expect for the days of training.
I have little to critique, I just know that things get smoother and more polished as the instructor gets more experience with how the classes go. Amazingly smooth for John's very first try at this - seriously!
Food - John provided hot dogs and chips on day one, hamburgers and chips on day two, both grilled on a weber cooker while he was trying to keep the students all going. He did an amazing job; I have never seen him running around like that before! John also provided sodas and water for everyone. You don't see that very often in classes, particularly at this price point. I fully expected that we would be on our own for lunch. If it were me I might have had everyone get their own lunch and provided coffee and donuts in the morning; that is what I do for the classes I teach (not knifemaking...). John was a great host and I thank him for the food which was totally unexpected.
Instructor - 10 John knows his stuff and is able to accomplish great things with simple machines and hand tools. He was able to get everyone through the class with no injuries and everyone came out of the class with their very own knife, which is an amazing achievement. I think that most of the class had no machining experience, and John had everyone throwing sparks early on the first day. John actually made a customer knife during the class, and he would perform the current operation on that knife while we all watched. He explained the nuance of each step as he performed the machining etc, and then each student tried their hand at the operation.
If a student screwed up (and that happened for everyone at one point), John would step in and show the student what they needed to do to correct it, or he would save the knife himself if it was a particularly serious foul up.
John also provided positive reinforcement, telling students what they were doing right, the sign of a great instructor. He also was not in your face, he would lay back and let you work and only stepped in if you asked or looked like you needed help.
Overall Rating - 10 I think this is one of the most fun weekends I have had in a while. I have enjoyed many gatherings at the JK Shops and Industrial Complex in Mokena, but this one was different and extreme fun in a different way.
If John does this again, and I hope he does, you should jump on the chance to have John walk you through the process - it was a ball of fun and now I have a new JK that I can play with! Pew Pew!
best
mqqn
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