We are so thrilled that the International Association of Professional Quilters has selected Peggy Martin as the 2010 Teacher of the Year! Peggy is the author of Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way, Quick-Strip Paper Piecing, and the DVD, Peggy Martin Teaches You Quick-Strip Paper Piecing.

The International Association of Professional Quilters has recognized one teacher with its Teacher of the Year Award since 1983. Click here to read an excerpt from the magazine’s Spring issue about why Peggy was selected. We wanted to find out first-hand how Peggy felt about receiving such an honor and Peggy was nice enough to tell us.

Megan: What was your reaction when you heard the good news?

Peggy: I was very excited! I had been nominated in 2007 as well, but was not selected then. Two of my quilting friends, Jan Krentz and Sharyn Craig have also been Teacher of the Year (Sharyn was the very first one), so I felt very honored to be another San Diego teacher to be selected. It also made me realize that I have a lot to live up to, having been selected from a field of such talented teachers.

Megan: What makes your teaching methods successful?

Peggy: I was lucky early on in my teaching to have had a few friends that had some learning issues which they confided in me. It was a revelation to me that different people learn differently, and many have learning problems in one area or another. I have had students in my classes over the years who have told me that they simply could never learn from written directions; others have problems processing what they hear while trying to learn. That’s what is so great about being able to have students in a hands-on workshop – it covers all those different learning styles. I always do a hands-on sewing demonstration myself, explaining what I am doing while sewing a sample. Written handouts are provided so the students can read about what they’ve just seen and then the students themselves actually sew with the new techniques. I feel that by covering all the different styles of learning and always being available to help and answer their questions that students are able to really “get it” by the time they leave the class,  and will be able to add to their overall quilting knowledge.

Megan: What is your favorite teaching experience?

Peggy: I have taught so many wonderful students over the years, but probably my favorite teaching experiences have been the five-day classes through  Empty Spools Seminars in Monterey, California. For five days the same group of students are in the classroom with me, and they are able to  make a lot of progress during that time. There are many possibilities in color and design that students can explore in a class of this length  that simply are never uncovered in a one-day workshop due to time restrictions. We also get to know each other very well over so many days, and we all get to be good friends, which has been such an enriching experience for me.

Thanks for sharing with us Peggy and congratulations!