Developing Hair Education

When I made the decision to open a hair school in 2015, I knew that it was a long term career goal. But I didn't think it would take as long as it has! In fact, we aren't even there yet. Fortunately, I am patient and willing to keep taking slow and steady steps forward. I am enjoying the process and believe that when we are ready to accept our first students, our preparedness will be evident and beneficial to the students. In the next five years, I would like to be operating a hair academy at maximum capacity. To keep on track there are three major goals that I need to achieve in the next year: 1. Complete the PIDP diploma. This program is not a mandatory requirement to register a school with PTIB, but will be a very positive addition to my resume. It is however a requirement for accreditation, which we plan to pursue once possible at a later date. 2. Register the Foundation of Hair program with PTIB. Creating this program has been a monumental task and I will be so...

It can be challenging for someone who is passionate and experienced to relay information to beginners without confusing them. This happens to me sometimes and is compounded by the fact that I currently mentor varying levels of students. Up until this point I have been teaching recently graduated stylists who need to refine their skills and learn advanced techniques that are popular requests in the salon. I now have two apprentices that have no previous formal hair education and it is difficult at times to teach at their level. They are quiet when learning, and as identified by Brookfield, it is easy to judge their lack of questions as comprehension when likely there is some confusion. Moving forward, it will be imperative that I employ some class room assessment techniques so that I ensure my apprentices are effectively following. Preventing their resistance to the material will ultimately keep them engaged and progressing. I have this book from a previous PIDP class and I will be co...

In recent weeks, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought the violence and racism experienced by Black people to the forefront of global attention. Many corporations and small businesses have positioned themselves in alliance with the movement, wishing to position themselves on the right side of history. It is a revealing time, as social media has levelled the playing field for many who have remained silenced until now. It has also forced brands to look inwards and realize that they have not always been as inclusive as they would like to be. Our school is also a brand. We sell hair education. And although we don't have racially diverse educators at this time, it is something that would benefit our students. We work in a teaching team already, so I was pleased to read about the many positive aspects this provides for students. After reading Brookfield's Teaching in Diverse Classrooms chapter, along with spending the last couple of weeks immersing myself in new content p...