Changing Instructors

Backfill: Feb 22Well, it's finally happening. Our instructor, Rachel Sanders, has announced the end of March (give or take some weeks due to rain days) as her final time teaching classes in the Bay Area. They've bought property near San Luis Obispo and she's got more students there already than she can manage. We've known it was coming for almost a year, I think.

Tika and I started with her classes for basic obedience, which gradually morphed into beginning agility classes, then I switched classes at least once to get into some more advanced course handling techniques, and there we've been since. So it's 3 years of work with one instructor. I've learned so much.

Now I need to start thinking about taking classes elsewhere. I've been taking classes at Power Paws Agility since I started with Remington 9 years ago, first with Rem and then with Jake as well. I learned so much from them, too. I have liked having multiple instructors, because they all have different skills and perspectives and experiences, so I think that I get a better all-around Learning Experience. And I like going up to Power Paws, too.

So I'm going to try to get Tika into class there. Ideally I'd go back to what I had with Rem and Jake--back-to-back classes with Tika and Jake so that I have to make the drive up into the Alum Rock Hills only once a week. Since Jake is more or less retired, he could really be in almost any class, although I've been with this particular Wednesday night group for so long that it feels like home (although actually the Wed night attendees have gradually changed over the years--).

But it will be odd having a different instructor for me with Tika after all this time.