Mime-Version: |
1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 14.0 \(3654.120.0.1.13\)) |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset=utf-8 |
Date: |
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:12:02 -0400 |
Reply-To: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Message-ID: |
|
In-Reply-To: |
|
Content-Transfer-Encoding: |
quoted-printable |
Sender: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
I think you and James are a bit too harsh on these classes. I’ve taken Prof. Bromenschenk’s Master Beekeeping class (3 actually) at Univ. of Montana and also completed Master Beekeeping class at Cornell University with the practical exam at the Dyce Lab. A commercial beekeeper with decades of experience and who keeps up with the latest beekeeping literature will find very little of value in those classes. But, that’s a very select and narrow slice of beekeeping community. Notice the qualifier: “who keeps up”.
The point of these classes is not really to bestow a mark on you - it’s to present an overview of the topic and encourage more follow up (a deeper dive, if you will) on the part of the attendees. Both classes made me a MUCH better beekeeper. Can I keep up with the level of discussions on Bee-L? Hardly. But that’s missing the point.
I've kept bees for 5-6 years before my wife put her foot down and told me to either learn more about bees or we stop buying package bees every year. The master classes were wonderful because they a) motivated me and b) offered a structured review of the main issues facing beekeeping. I haven’t bought package bees in a decade, have a much better than average survival rate, but I still just call myself a pure hobbyist. Both certificates are hanging on the wall as I write this and they are a matter of personal pride. And no, I have no desire to take on the EAS exam - I leave it to the professionals, :-)
Will I ever be able to offer any wisdom of knowledge gained from these classes in a company of commercial beekeepers whose livelihood depends on these insects? Absolutely not. But I know that I properly represent the beekeeping community out there, among the lay people and I’m able to reasonably debunk the legends about bee apocalypse or advise newbies on some of the harsh realities of the new hobby they are about to pick up without making them give it up in frustration. All thanks to those master classes.
To each his own, those master classes are as effective as the effort one puts into them. And Prof. Bromenshenk and his collaborators certainly do not suffer fools and push students HARD to think for themselves and their bees. His program stands on its own, very different from the rest.
Przemek
> On Oct 18, 2021, at 12:08 PM, Peter Borst <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi all
> I have always been a dyed in the wool skeptic regarding Master Beekeeper classes. This is an excerpt from a piece by Tad Friend in the New Yorker, October 18, 2021
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
|
|