Frustration Levels

I don't mean for this to become a complete rant about the coven dynamic. I love the people who are in my coven. They're all wonderful people, and each have so much to teach me.

I do think that a lesson that many of them need to learn is how to play well with others.

I suppose that the biggest part of the problem is that they've not done real teachings without Don Draconus. He used to do class once a week. You showed up at that date and time. There was no haggling with the date and time of class. It was when it was convenient for him. And if it was important to you, you made the time to be there.

We've had 10 classes now. Some of them have been at Donna Incendia's house, so the entire coven was there ('cept Pantera who moved to Tampa). But when class is at Amaranthea's (because either she or Corvus is teaching), Incendia can't make it and Rubesca doesn't show up. Last class, on Herbalism, Corvus didn't even show up. And Kelin didn't bother to sit up for class. Instead it was more important to study for mid-terms. And when I say study for midterms, I really mean goof around with her brother by running from room to room, coming out occasionally for cookies, and then going back to her room.

Much like Kelin didn't stay for the ending of the class on Dragons that Corvus did. It's *really* frustrating to me. Don Draconus stressed that the information you get in class is only a part of it. The other part is that spirit of the class that is passed from teacher to student. And you don't get that by reading someone else's notes. You must be there to experience it. It helps make the class your own.

*vent*

So I showed up for class. I spoke with Amaranthea when I was leaving the house. I told her I'd be there by 7. It takes about an hour, with traffic, to get from my office to her house. She knew when I'd be there as I was in the car, on the highway, when I spoke to her, because she wanted to know if I wanted any spaghetti.

So you'd think that at 7, when I got to her house, she'd be there, with Kelin, and my spaghetti, waiting to start class. You'd think that, because it makese sense.

So, of course, that's not what happened.

I got to her house (see, I can start a paragraph without "so", even when I'm mad) and she's not there. Kelin and the spaghetti are, though. Kel says that Amaranthea found out that she could have beer while on the medication she's taking, so she went out to get some. She must be tired of wine and alcohol, I suppose, to numb the pain.

I'm there for an hour. I know this because we watched cartoons, and we watched two sets of cartoons. When the third set came on (explaining Fairly Odd Parents to Sean was fun), she finally shows up. She puts stuff away, then takes out the fixings for cosmopolitans.

*sigh*

It's only after she's had the bulk of one that we're ready for class. Kelin, at that point, says she's got to study for midterms she has on Friday, and won't be attending class. Amaranthea gives a bunch of handouts, then rushes through class (at least, it felt rushed to me). At the end, when I should've been given a list of herbs and their medicinal usages, I'm told "You know a lot about herbs, and the bulk of this informtion is in books, so you can look it up later". I suppose it's because it's almost 11pm. Had she been at home when she knew I'd get there, rather than out buying beer, it would've been 10pm and my notes might've been complete.

But that's okay. Because I finished typing up my notes and they're a bit more complete than the class was. I looked up information, found out stuff that wasn't given in class, found out stuff she didn't know about the herbs (egads, I mean, if you're going to use them, you should know this stuff????), fixed misspellings I was given, etc.

*fume*

Class was disorganized. This from a woman who wants to be a teacher. That's the part that kills me. She's going to have to go home each night and make a lesson plan and stick to it. She hates repeating herself and gets frustrated if you don't "get it". I don't know how she's going to do with a room full of children who will be being introduced to the material for the first time.

But how can I fix this? Should I go to Incendia and advise her how classes have been going? Would that just be bitching? I mean, I'm greatful that they've taken me on as a student, but it feels like, since Mayfest, it's just fallen apart. Part of that's because Incendia's not taking as much of an active hand, it seems, because of the military thing. It's just really frustrating...