Southern Fried EE Class Wrapup
It’s now been 3 days since the Southern Fried ExpressionEngine class in San Antonio ended, and between travel home and putting out some client fires I’m just now getting the chance to put my thoughts down about the experience.
The Instructor
Like with doing anything new, the first time is always full of anxiety and jitters. This being the 2nd class, I was much more relaxed and prepared feeling heading into the week. I knew the curriculum for the class better, knew from experience that we should have enough time to get through it, and knew I could think pretty well on my feet during class time when questions came up. However I still feel like I have lots to learn - especially at sticking to the materials. There was a fair amount I had worked into the book that we never got around to in class. I expect that will always be somewhat the case, but do think I can do a better job at leading a group of people through the material in a more logical fashion.
The Class Mom
I’m not sure who first dubbed my wife Crissa (on the right in this picture with Train-ee Alum Marianna) as the “Class Mom” but once the comment was made, it stuck. During the class Crissa kept us running on time, coordinated the meals, handed out maps to downtown and a bunch of other details that I’m sure I missed. What people at the class didn’t see was the hours of time Crissa put into getting us all down there to begin with - not only handling the booking of the venue and our airplane tickets but also planning schooling and accommodations for our kids during that week, and giving me the days away to rewrite the curriculum. I want to publicly thank her for her efforts - I love you babe!
The Curriculum
Prior to heading out for this class I spent a solid 2.5 days going through the book and companion site/files and ended up adding around 20 pages. Between that and dropping some items that proved unnecessary the curriculum felt much more solid this time through. I have a few more changes in mind - both to get rid of some low-value items and add in another group exercise or two. I actually got a small number of comments that overall the course is too short - so will have to ponder about possibly adding a day and doing it in a way that I still have enough energy to be of value on the last day. Currently it feels like by the fourth day brains are pretty full (the 3rd day being the heavy coding day) so maybe some way of being together as a class working on something but without me necessarily teaching all day would work.
The Venue
I had never stayed at a bed and breakfast so this was also a new experience for me. I will admit when I first arrived my “homeowner eyes” kept roving around and finding projects that needed doing - paint here, a new piece of trim there. But then I realized that the older I get the less comfortable I am in buildings that are perfect. If the B&B were a perfect “museum” then I would necessarily have to change my behavior to ensure that I didn’t wreck/scratch/scuff anything and I just wouldn’t be as comfortable as I was at the Inn. I decided to embrace the imperfections as character - and enjoy the location which was within walking distance to the busy part of the Riverwalk, but far enough away to offer quiet during the day. Having the deck right handy for meals and group activities was a major bonus. I also enjoyed getting to know the owner and staff on a first-name basis. Overall I had nothing but positive comments about the Inn - and would happily book there again in the future. We’ll also pursue the B&B approach when looking at bringing the class to other towns.
The Location
San Antonio proved to be a perfect spot for this type of class. Overall the room rates are reasonable and the whole design of the Riverwalk keeps you from ever feeling like you’re in a big city. We could walk from our spot at the Inn down to the busy part of the Riverwalk with all the restaurants, shopping and music it had to offer without ever having to play in traffic. San Antonio makes a good effort at keeping the Riverwalk feeling safe - the only time we felt the slightest bit of discomfort was when we stayed out past midnight but even then we just walked at a good clip and kept aware of our surroundings. I also had a great time taking photos of the area - between the Riverwalk, the Alamo, the Tower of the Americas etc there’s alot to point a camera at.
The day after the class MsBoyink and I also got down to enjoy the Jim Cullum Jazz Band at the Landing - we’ve been listening to them online for years. If you like traditional Jazz music and have the chance to hear these guys don’t hesitate to do it - they are an incredibly tight and talented band playing in a venue small enough to meet the musicians during breaks. They also aren’t getting any younger - I really hope there’s another generation of Jazz players waiting to fill the large shoes these guys will leave behind someday.
The Food
In what’s becoming a Train-ee classroom training brand attribute, we ate extremely well all week. Breakfast at the Inn was a full hot meal with eggs, meat and fresh fruit. Lunches were sandwiches on some days with hot buffet on others. We also had several meals out - especially enjoying the local specialties of Tex-Mex and Martgueritas.
The Students
In the wrapup for the first Train-ee class I commented:
I’m honestly a bit hesitant to do the class again because the group of people set such a high bar for the experience that it’s hard to imagine it happening again
Well, it did.
I’m just amazed at the folks that have come out for this training - smart, funny, articulate, creative people that it’s truly just a rush to be around. Lots of great questions, and in-depth conversations that started at EE and went off in every direction conceivable (and at times, inconceivable) from there. I’ve had comments that I should make this class virtual - and it’s tough to think about doing because so much of the end value of the class comes from what the students bring to each other. It’s like a Barcamp wrapped around an EE training event.
Giving Thanks
Once again I have a number of people to thank for having a part in this class:
- The class sponsors for giving new skills to 3 additional students
- Daniel, Bryan, and Brandon from Collective Idea (who had a Ruby class going on across town)
- Leslie and the rest of the EllisLab crew for promoting the event (and sending the mugs and t-shirts)
- The students who took a risk on a still-new-class and came out for the training
- The owner and staff of the Inn on the Riverwalk for accommodating a bunch of web geeks
More Pictures
There are more pictures from the class on the Train-ee Flickr account.
Thanks again to everyone involved in pulling this off - I had a great time and am looking forward to doing it again.
