(Photo courtesy of Rachel Tredon via Trade School Toronto's Facebook Group)
Trade School Toronto is a barter (or trade) system of exchanging knowledge. It is volunteer run and organized. This 'term' was held at Hart House on the U of T campus. I taught 35 people in five food related classes and I participated as a student in four other classes!
As a teacher I had the opportunity to list trade items that I would like to receive and so I traded my knowledge about sourdough bread, fermentation, and cookies for chocolate bars, tea, baked goods, vegan recipes, cafe recommendations, and recipe testers. As a student, I participated in classes after having brought chocolate bars, picture frames, sticky notes, and glue sticks to class.
Teaching or public speaking in general can be a scary thing. I am amazed at how quickly my public speaking skills have developed since I began speaking at conferences. It becomes easier with time but also depends on the subject matter. I have a fair bit of knowledge in both sourdough and fermentation so felt quiet comfortable answering questions in those areas. I am also aware of the edge of my knowledge and have become comfortable answering questions with an 'I don't know but I think...' type of answer. Teaching at Trade School Toronto is a low stress way to develop and hone public speaking skills.
Did you miss Trade School Toronto? Interested in my class notes? Email wingedsnail99 [at] hotmail [dot] ca - and I will send you the notes!
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