So angry...

Back in January this year, found out that our local Michaels would be introducing the Wilton fondant/gumpaste course...so needless to say I'm uber excited - I figure they're fun classes, maybe it would mend my love-hate relationship w/ fondant, if I could figure out how to work w/ the stuff- so anyways...I'm back and forth at Michaels looking for the kit...trying to sign up for the class...and FINALLY about 3 weeks before the actual class, they get the kits Well then I realise...oh still need to sign up...so the class schedule, is put out like 1 week before the actual class. (Needless to say w/in the time frame of Jan-Feb I probably made at the MINIMUM of 40 trips to this store...so yeah, I was wanting to take the class)

March comes and I start the class...well due to medical circumstances out of my control, I couldn't finish the last 2 classes...call the instructor and she's like yeah you can make up the classes in May. April comes around...no info for the class in May... May arrives...No class.

So here comes the month of June, and I asked to speak to the store mgr of Michaels, and come to find out the instructor had quit like 2 weeks previous So I ask when I can make up the classes I paid for...store mgr says that there will be a class during Aug -well okay, I'll take it to get
what I paid for...so just the other day, as I'm buying cake supplies, I stop in to sign up for the Aug fondant/gumpaste class for...and once again NO CLASS! So I asked what was going on, as the store mgr said it would be in Aug...well supposedly the bi-lingual instructor doesn't want to offer it b/c she doesn't "feel comfortable teaching the course, b/c she's not familiar w/ it" -what the Excuse me wilton...why hire a person who isn't comfortable teaching a course?! Side note to say, this bi-lingual instructor was the one who taught my FORMER instructor the techniques for the fondant/gumpaste course!

So after all the run around and frustration...I bought a kit, all the supplies, etc., and of course, can't return the kit or supplies...the only thing thing that can be refunded is the cost of the class $30...which I'm okay with...but it just leaves an angry part in me, that this sort of nonsense is acceptable/tolerated.

I know Michael's can't control whether an instructor quits - but the excuse from the bi-lingual instructor is ridiculous.

I just wish I would never have signed up for the class or bought the kit/supplies...b/c they're simply sitting in my storage closet. Grrr

With all the great teachers here on CC...don't throw in the towel...read everything you can about fondant and try it on your own! Yes...it might take you a little longer without a live person, but from the sounds of it the online " teachers" will probably by far better showing - telling and coaching you along!
Cake decorating is such a fun hobby or business...and there are SO many different things you can do with just a little practice...don't give up on learning. I learn something new everytime I log onto this site....maybe it is something I will use or maybe it is something that I learn but may never actually use but will make me appreciate somebody else's work that much more.

Wouldn't you rather have the instrustor ADMIT she's not comfortable teaching the fondant/gumpaste class than wing it during the class and not really teach you anything substantial. Then you would be griping that you paid all of this money for a lousy instructor!! Some people are never happy

Ask if you can have the book since you already paid for the class - at least you would have that

I was so excited when I saw that my local AC Moores was offering the class and signed up. Well needless to say I went to only one class it was a total waste of my time. Look at your book the instructions are easy to follow and you will get more out of looking in the book than the 8 hours you'll spend in class.

Wilton is *famous* for hiring people who have *just* finished lessons! they don't want instructors to know much more than Wilton and tell the students about other decorating techniques.
If one were to ever attend a Wilton 'teacher training' weekend (required) you'd be VERY surprised at how many don't even know some of the most basic things!

I took that class and ill tell you... its really not all that worth it... the book is pretty straight forward.. you can learn it all in there and do it on your own.. I havent used any of the stuff I learned in the class.. the stuff on this site is more helpful ..

If I were you, I'd just be glad I got the class fee refunded. You can do a lot with the instruction booklet that you get. I signed up for course two and only went to one class because I knew way more than the teacher. Plus all she knew was Wilton and didn't want us talking about much of anything else. She was nice but it wasn't worth my time. I learned enough from the book and a lot more from this site!

Count your blessings!! I signed up for a Gumpaste Class and the instructor was NOT qualified - she said "we will learn together" and admitted she had "lost" the video she was supposed to study. After further questioning, I found out she had never even taken the class herself!!!! She was no more qualified than I was!!! She would read out of the book to me and the other person in the class. I was soooooooooooo mad - that is why I had to get over it, I realized she could have cared less whether I was upset and I was only getting myself madder. I sucked it up, and have read all I could on this site. Count your lucky stars the instructor did not have such an ego that they couldn't admit their shortcomings. I am sorry you had this experience - but I will tell you, it will be a long time before I take another class at my Michaels w/o A LOT of research on the instructor. I agree with you it is very expensive with the kit and all the supplies - sorry for the length, I guess I am not over it yet!

Well I did actually receive the book, and I even tried doing some of the techniques...and I have to laugh at my fantasy flower - it was more like a fantasy flop.

IMO...the "I'm not comfortable" bit that the bi-lingual instructor wanted to toss out is a bunch of nonsense...how can you teach another instructor the course, and ALSO schedule/teach the fondant/gumpaste class more than three times...yet when you are suppose to have the class again, pull the class b/c you don't "feel comfortable". I don't think that's right to do.

I am sorry to hear that your experience was so bad. However, being a Wilton instructor myself and working for 2 seperate Michaels stores I can tell you that the scheduling problems are almost always on the Michels end. I can't speak for all stores, but at the two I have worked in have had major comunication problems between the event coordinators and the tellers actually signing up people for the class. the turn around on the people woeking at the checkout stand is huge and they are not always properly trained on the Wilton sign up process. I would suggest asking for the instructors phone number and talking to her directly to ask when she will be holding a fondant gumpaste class.

On a side note, she may have opted not to run this course as Wilton does not supply the teachers with everything for the class. All supplys are bought by the teacher, we get a dicount but it still is not cheap. The new Fondant and Gumpaste course requires a lot of preperation and purchase of materials and just might not be worth it to the instructor to teach. I dn't think I even make the money back that I put out on this class.

And as for the competence of the instructors, be careful what you say, a lot of them are on this website, including myself. and there are many Wilton instructors that are very qualified to teach.

But, to be an instructor you have to be willing to leave some of your cake knowledge at the door of Michaels and only endorse Wilton materials and method while teaching. However if my students press I will tell them to email me outside of class and I can help them with anything non-Wilton related there.

I took the first two Wilton Classes and plan on taking the third as soon as it fits the family schedule.....but since I signed up for cake central I have come to realize that if I can't learn it here, I probably don't need to know it!!!

If you have taken course 3 then you will get nothing out of the Gumpaste & Fondant class. It seems like a big push on Wilton's part to sell as much fondant as possible ~ everything, including the cake boards, are coated in fondant & the decorating techniques all use a ton of fondant. You are better off getting your advice & tips here. I am fairly new to the whole cake-decorating culture & whenever I have asked how to do something I have had a lot of good advice. Everyone has been extremely helpful & encouraging. There are also a ton of tutorials on CC. By the way, I simply bought the book & the kit (because the tools looked useful) with a 50% off coupon & I don't feel as if I have missed out by not taking the course.

I just wanted to say that I think the Wilton fondant/gumpaste class is a great , fun class. You get to learn some really nice flowers and are taught how to use some of the tools. Sure you can learn everythign on yur own, but if you enjoyed the first 3 Wilton courses you will enjoy this one as well. the course is a great beginning course in fondant/gumpaste and the material covered is very different from course 3. Yes you do use a lot of fondant and gumpaste in the course as you cover cakes with it and a board. However it is after all a fondant and/gumpaste class and I would hope to get to use the stuff.

I think Wilton gets a really bad rap on this site. And I think that if you take the Wilton classes for what they are, an introduction to cake decorating for beginners, they are great. Yes, they do push there products I would to if I was offering a class. And as all of you know Cake decorating is not a cheap hobby, it is expensive. But not any more expensive then say scrapbooking or painting.

I still would ask that you respect the Wilton instructors on this site and not put down there ability.

I too think Wilton gets a bad rap on this site. I think people quickly forget that's how a big percentage of people got introduced into cake decorating.

I went to several of the Wilton instructor meetings and trainging classes and thought they were very, very informative and ALOT of fun. In fact, I would say that 90% of the instructors owned their own successful cake shop.

When I taught, yes I taught the Wilton way BUT if I knew of another way I also taught that as well.

Does Wilton take alot of "newbies" and give them instuctor jobs? Yes. But I had to go through a pretty thorough employment application which included sending my portfolio and everything.

just curious - what is the point being made about the instructor being bi-lingual? how does that figure into this at all?

Also, before you get all bent out of shape about the "BI-LINGUAL INSTRUCTOR" giving you some lame excuse as to WHY she didn't want to teach the class that Michael's schedule, you should walk a mile in her high heels.

You REALLY don't know what the store politics are like nor what is going on between the instructor and the store she teaches in.

It's very easy to jump to conclutions, but , please do not let that be the only excersice you get. Maybe a personal call to the instructor to explain that you have been waiting for the class for several months and if there is ANY possibilty of having someone teach the class, or if she can recommend someone else at another store.

I know you're frustrated about this turn of events, but I will be honest with you, if I were the teacher at this particular store and you came in with that attitude, I'd make sure that I had an excuse, any excuse to NOT do the class.

I wouldn't want to have someone that is coming across so defensive and antagonistic as you came across in your post!

and I KNOW that you're not like that because I have read many of your posts and you come across very sweet--but it doesn't come across when you're frustrated.....

I'd be scured! lol very very scured (that's how my friend says scared.lol)

"scured".........that cracked me up. I wet my britches a little bit.

My Wilton instructor wanted me to become an instructor right after course 3. I couldn't help but think how mad I'd be if I paid for a class and the teacher was someone LIKE ME! lol I had a great instructor! I hope she is still teaching. I plan on taking the fondant and gumpaste class in Sept. (afer school starts back and right before the baby comes)

I wonder if you can make your own fondant to use during the class? Wilton's fondant makes me want to puke...seriously.

I'm sure you could make your own fondant for class. I know I don't check to amke sure the fondnat my students are using comes out of a Wilton package. I myself don't even use Wilton fondant at home! I have also been known to give out the recipe for MMF via email to my students.

I took my classes at Michael's and I had a SUPERB instructor. She helped us in any way that she could.

I could not work the findant/gumpaste class into my schedule when it started so I bought the kit and the book and read it and practiced a few things and most of it was really easy. Take some time and give it a try.

Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch cause my Wilton instructor is top notch.

My daughter and I took the first three Wilton courses last year at Michael's and our instructor was great. She gave us lot of tips and was also very helpful.
BTW I also would like to know why is the instructor being referred to as "bilingual". Does it make a difference what languages she speaks or does being "bilingual" makes her more or less knowledgeable?

newlywedws,
I see that you are in the Tampa area. There are other places that teach the class besides that one Michaels. I am over in St. Pete area and all of our Michaels and our Joann's teach the class. See if there is another location that might be a little bit farther of a drive but at least they will not pull this bull honky with you. I took the class and loved it because our teacher taught us what we wanted and then some, although for some little tricks, i think this website came in more handy. I hope this helps, do not get discouraged!

My WMI told us that if we didn't waste time and we kept the class on schedule that the last 1/2 hour of class we would learn her personal tips and shortcuts and she would hand out recipes for things.

SO you KNOW we didn't waste time with chit chat and we were very eager beavers!

and she had a "back up" teacher so if there was ever a problem and she couldn't do the class, the students were still on schedule!

This particular teacher was very popular and very busy!

I hope you didn't take what I said too harshly, but don't keep going back to the same shop, see if there is another one that you can take your class at as someone else suggested.

I agree that Wilton get short changed a lot on this site. I think that there are a lot of really good things about Wilton. However, that being said, I was disappointed in my teacher that I had for course 1 and 2. She was perfect (I suppose) in that she didn't know any thing but Wilton, but I really didn't feel like she knew anymore than what was in the book. I asked her some pretty basic questions when I got to my first class which she wasn't able to answer. I guess I just think that Wilton needs to make better sure that their instructors know what they're doing. I hope I don't offend any of you by saying this. I know that Wilton does a lot of good and that a lot of instructors I'm sure know what they're doing. I just haven't run into them myself.

Also, when I read the 'bi-lingual,' I just assumed that's probably what the mgr at the store called the instructor so that's what she called the instructor. I don't think there was anything malicious about it.

I use to be an event coordinator with Michaels and I can tell you lots of times there are communication problems between the EC and the MGRs. There were soo many times that I was being called up to explain something to an employee or mgr. The thing is that some stores don't view their classroom as NOT being an asset.

What the mgr said about the "bi-lingual" instructor could of been true. Some stores hire these instructors just to teach the class for Spanish speaking customers and that instructor may NOT feel comfortable doing a class in all English. You kind of have to put yourself in the shoes of others to figure out what might be going on there.

Try to find another store or even just go through the book like others have said. Me and my Mom take the classes together and we have so much fun doing it! Maybe you can find someone that is interested in it too and bring them along!?

StephyG

i have taken course 1 last month and course 2 this month..i was suppost to take fondant/gumpaste class and course 2 this month but due to medical reasons i had to cut the fondant/gumpaste class before i started...so now im taking course 2....in aug i will be taking the fondant/gumpaste class & course 3...i have been w/the same instructor which is the best instructor i think i could have gotten...i told michaels i would not take another class w/o that same instructor...she is wonderful and doesnt push wilton ..couldnt ask for a better instructor...she even came to my house the other night to help assist me w/my flowers on my cake for an order for the next day..she stayed w/me till 1am to make sure i had the flowers right...she told me if i ever needed anything to let her know...she also can do private lessons so thats a big help to...gotta love a great instructor..

What is this "bi-lingual" thing?

Being a Wilton Instructor myself, I find what's being discussed here offensive. The WMI's are there to teach cake decorating. I teach "bi-lingual" classes and the requisite for Wilton is that you speak spanish but you have to speak and read English.

Speaking spanish was not a requisite to being a Wilton instructor when I signed on - I don't speak anything but English

Oppss! sorry....I guess I didn't know too much then.

ARe you going to the Michaels on South Dale Mabry? I used to teach there and I think the lady took over my position last year. The people at Michaels really don't have any control over the instructor. They are really nice though. Maybe you could go in and ask for a refund. The Manager there is very helpful. HTH.
Taking all classes to become a Wilton instructor is not mandatory. So be glad the lady was honest and said she didn't feel comfortable with the classes. At least you didn't get her making it up as you go along.
I do know of a lady that teaches Gumpaste over in the Largo area named Bobby. She actually taught me. She is very, very nice and funny.