Hello again Ashley,
First, don't be scared. I was a little scared too because I figured that there would be a lot of people with more experience than me. Turns out my lab partner and I are the stars of the class. She has some experience, but what makes us star pupils is simple.
(1) We pay attention during the lecture. We know what we need to do and why we need to do it.
(2) We ask questions when we have them. There are no stupid questions.
(3) We read our recipes all the way through before we start. While I'd like to say we get our mise en place completely ready, that rarely happens.
(4) We want to learn. There are a bunch of people in our class, the younger ones, who are there to get the degree, but don't really want to learn.
(5) We like to experiment. We don't always follow the recipes. How are you going to create the next great bread if you don't try something new. This weekend we substituted cream cheese for half the butter in our sticky buns. They came out incredibly rich and had a unique flavor that worked well with our fillings.
(6) We work hard. Again, this past weekend. We were supposed to make Challah, croissant dough, and either sticky buns, focaccia, or baguettes. We did the challah, the croissant dough, the sticky buns and the baguettes. We got out of class late, but wound up with an armload of wonderful bread and sticky buns to take home.
As for your situation, here are my thoughts. First, you mention that you're the quiet one in class. Quiet is fine, loud is fine, just be yourself, and don't be afraid to ask questions. As long as you want to learn and you try hard, you'll do fine. How will the chef act? That's a tough one. This semester, I have two chefs, one for Culinary Arts, the other for Baking. My Culinary Arts chef is very professional. Uniforms must be clean and presses. Neckerchiefs must be tied correctly. Everything must be perfect. My Baking chef is the opposite. He's kind of crazy, in a good way. He doesn't care if the homework isn't done on time. He'd much rather you learn at your own pace, than rush through an assignment and not absorb the material. He's very laid back, but at the same time he is a great teacher. He'll tell you what you're doing wrong, why it's wrong, and what you should do. Every teacher is different, just as every teacher in high school is different. You'll figure out what each one expects out of you, and if you're smart, you'll do even more than they expect. Your teachers aren't out to get you. They want you to succeed. It looks good for them if you do well. As for going out of state, that could be the scariest part. Being away from home for the first time is tough. Not only will you miss your family, but everything they do for you, you'll have to do yourself. You'll also get a huge dose of freedom. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's very bad. Remember, you're paying a whole lot of money to learn. Work hard in your classes, but have fun with them as well.
I'm sure you'll do fine.
Also, I've updated my blog with my latest Culinary Arts class and will add this weeks Baking class very soon. I've even got some semi blurry pictures this time.
Dave
