LeeU

In the light blue field below the text comments field, see the paperclip bottom left--- you can  click  on the hyperlink for "choose files" to upload from your own files.  If the size exceeds capacity, it will tell you & then just reduce it in any editing program.  I use Paint (on a PC w/Windows)  & set my pics at 600 pixels for the max  measurement or reduce by a percentage.

I will just emphasize what Callie said regarding protection for hair--essential!! And, gloves--very necessary-not flamable, obviously, and w/strong protection for handling  wood, stone, metal other materials and items around a kiln site...you never know what you may run into. 

Wow  . . . while I always explain to my students just how long I spent learning enough to begin life as a professional potter (9 years with classes, the least 3 yrs were 30+ hr weeks),  words are all you got to prepare them for likely the most difficult  'hands-on'  endeavor the student has ever attempted, and they rarely suffice.
While I can speak to folks who have learned to play a fine instrument, I can convey - to some degree - the difficulty of the task in front of them. I tell them to recall when "less noise" was a 'victory' and apply that rate of progress to the wheel . . . and that helps . . . but the difference is that every music student has been told many times - for multiple years - "how difficult" learning to play is.  So,  music students are 'prepared' for the inevitable early lack of music and prevalence of "noise".
Not so the average pottery student . . . "I've seen 'Ghost' (the movie) "You can't tell me pottery is hard to do" is a quote from a 30-something yr old man I know.
Nobody spends any great amount of time telling their children how difficult pottery is and how long it will take even if they work hard. It hurts "exceptionally competent" people's feelings to be so bad at anything . . . much less,  something "as simple as pottery must be."
 
I will from now on use these words,  
"you do not "do pottery"  you become a potter."
 
Thanks,  old lady !!
 

So my experience of wood and soda firing as a medium sized woman is all  in the frozen north, but a number of my teachers actually were educated in Georgia and other, warmer places. I imagine March will be cooler for you, so it’ll be more comfortable. 
The best clothing is layers of 100% cotton you don’t mind getting dirty or wrecked. It should be not too baggy, so it’s not getting caught on things or subject to catching errant flames during a stoke. It should be loose enough to move comfortably in. The layers are so you can adjust to the changing temperature around the kiln site. It should be some form of natural fibre, because those will char, rather than melt like synthetics in the event of flying cinders or burns. Even the expensive orange canvas stuff will eventually get trashed, so get whatever fits that description that’s in your budget. I think a welding jacket is overkill, unless you find a comfortable one. 
The workboots are a good idea, although I will say that the newer, lightweight “steel” toes (I think they’re some kind of mesh now) are much more comfortable, and it’s pretty easy to find women’s sizes. Unless something goes very wrong, I haven’t encountered burnt feet, but axes and wood debris are worth being mindful of. Get the steel (or mesh) shank ones if you’re working with things like pallet wood that haven’t had nails removed. No one needs nails through the sole!
The only other thing I’d recommend is some form of hair covering. Even if you’ve got long hair that can be tied back, embers can still singe the flyaways.  Some cheap, colourful bandannas to keep you covered are nice. 
As far as soda or salt goes, *mostly* those are gas kilns, although sometimes people will add a few pounds of salt to the back chamber of a multi chambered wood kiln. The physical demands of soda are less, because you’re not having to chop wood or stoke, and the PPE concerns aren’t quite the same. When it comes time to spray or soda bomb, mostly you’re worried about your lungs and your vision. And your hair, again. You can wear the same cotton work clothing, workboots and bandanna. Watching a gas kiln fire is like watching paint dry, so you won’t be around it for more than brief checks until it’s time to add soda. Mostly folks move away from the kiln after the soda’s been added, and while the dampers are closed. So you’re only wearing most PPE during spraying or when you’re pulling draw rings/checking cones, etc. I’d contact the workshop provider, and ask what they provide for PPE, and what they recommend you bring. Usually you have to bring your own respirator, because they should be fitted properly. They will often provide face shields.
 
 

I use the printers blankets (free/low cost/different sizes from printers) that Old Lady turned us to, as well as (depending on project/purpose) slab mats. I use drywall for ware boards. I use a canvas covered large cement paver for some things. like cut & slam wedging.

I use the printers blankets (free/low cost/different sizes from printers) that Old Lady turned us to, as well as (depending on project/purpose) slab mats. I use drywall for ware boards. I use a canvas covered large cement paver for some things. like cut & slam wedging.

I use the printers blankets (free/low cost/different sizes from printers) that Old Lady turned us to, as well as (depending on project/purpose) slab mats. I use drywall for ware boards. I use a canvas covered large cement paver for some things. like cut & slam wedging.

Roughage!

More reading:
Very paranoid about Silicosis - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Silica Dust Exposure - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Can air purifiers remove silica dust from my Ceramic Studio - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community|
Dust Collection For Small Studio - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community
Toxicity (digitalfire.com)
Dedicated Studio shoes/sandals, no tracking clay into the house!
For if/when clay gets on clothes, have a few clean sets handy in the Studio.
Change rags when there's any dry clay on thar, bag or drown in water, along with dusty clothing! ...else, wet that rag.
Wipe down clay smear/bits inside the clay bags with a big ol' sponge, then spray a mist of water in thar before closing up the bag.
Dry clay on plastic sheeting/bags -> instant dust!
Handle the dried out empty clay bags outside, away from the Studio (clean inside and out, save for reclaim!).
Some forum regulars are using air filtration systems, also centralized vacuums (where the exhaust is routed outside/away).
My overhead kiln vent doubles as a glaze mixing station fan.
I'm handling the glaze material outside, away from the Studio door - repacking from the sacks and bags into lidded containers - then hosing the area down later.
Find a P100 (or equivalent) dust mask/respirator that fits you well and wear it when doing dust things.
Check/clean surfaces regularly. Note where dust accumulates, and how much - that's why I believe wedging and trimming are what generates dust in my Studio.
How else can one assess the dusty-ness of the working space?
Heh, I've posed this question several times over the last five years or so...

Yup. A gold and luster eraser. 
https://tuckers-pottery-supplies-inc.shoplightspeed.com/gold-luster-eraser.html

You will love it! I had a friend make this simple metal base (it's what he had for free) w/a wire attached and it has saved my wrists and made prepping clay so much less of a chore!

Well, clearly a schedule can be worked out, but to me, the whole thing about inadequate wheels is just wrong, wrong, wrong. However the college tries to justify cheating the students like that, and regardless of whether students are paying or getting credit. It's just plain wrong. I can't even fathom walking into a wheel-throwing class and students not having full access to a wheel--whether I was the student or the teacher!  Maybe it's time to make some noise!

Much of my work I make while "blind" (voluntarily-I am sighted) so that the tactile experience comes to the forefront and the piece can have an delibertly expressive  "feel" regardless of whether or not anyone can see the coloration.
 
 

You will love it! I had a friend make this simple metal base (it's what he had for free) w/a wire attached and it has saved my wrists and made prepping clay so much less of a chore!

Take your claybody that the pots are made with and run it through a 60 mesh screen to remove most of the grog / sand. Brush that onto the feet of the groggy clay pots. After glaze firing rub the foot over with a diamond sanding pad.

Yes, I too mostly wire and stack, it is more efficient and more effective at redistributing the uneveness of any clay that either just came out of the bag or has been sitting around longer than an hour or two. I always finish with a quick few times around of ram's head wedging, mostly just to make the squarish chunk round - it throws better when it is round... The ram's head method is more or less symmetrical  left and right, as opposed to the spiral method. After ram's head wedging it, I turn it to the left and stand it on end, rounding the end a bit to roll out any air pockets. Then it is ready to throw on the clockwise wheel, with the spiral from the ram's head rotating in the proper direction to tighten the spiral. For you, Pye, you are already doing all of this up to the very last step. Instead of turning the ram's head to the left, you turn it to the right and the spiral will be oriented properly for you throwing on a clockwise wheel.

Slabs are easy and fun--they can drape thin circles over upturned cans/bowls to make free-from bowl shapes (flatten an area on the bottom while still soft). They could make pendants, either free-form or using cutter-shapes (I don't suggest the key fobs tho--that was a bad idea LOL).  Large free-form spoon rests and shallow catchall dishes are also fun. Stamping the slabs 1st before forming makes them look more dramatic when glazed.  Also tea light holders are easy-just need to be flat on top, don't even need a well (top left in the spoon rest pic). If there's no time to get good clay stamps, Home Depot has plenty of drawer knobs that work well. 

Images from this week's glazing.
I'll charge up the "real" camera for next.
There's just enough light in the Studio for working at the wheel, but not so much at the workbench and glazing table*.

Bowl, where liner glaze has been poured in, then (carefully, somewhat slowly, two or three turns) swirled about so there's glaze right up to the edge, then poured out, wait, wait, then, holding the bowl upside down, dip the edge.
At about two o'clock, there's slight overlap ridge, which past experience says will be almost imperceptible on this white stoneware.
 

Mug, where liner glaze has been poured in, then poured out.
I try to grasp the mug the same way each time; pouring past the handle is almost last, where the angle is greater/greatest and hence the handle doesn't get tagged.
The leading edge of the pour comes around, then follows the initial trailing edge, leaving a fairly uniform coating.
A full "wind up" of the lower arm almost does it; I grasp with the right, steady with the left, then shuffle the grip just afore the end, where the rotation is slowEst.
After outpour, wait, wait, then dip the edge, run the drip around and around, wet a finger and smooth any drips when they are still shiny wet, but the surrounding glaze layer is losing its sheen. A smoothed drip is visible here; again, past experience says it'll be fine.
The top of the handle often gets a kiss of glaze when the rim is dipped - typically I'll just leave it there.
 

Liner glazed jars have been waxed on the rim and down the inside ~3/4"
From there, I run a razor knife around the rim and sponge away remaining liner glaze (credit Tony Hansen's article and video clip on liner glazing).
The chattery marks are filled with glaze or underglaze, which provides some highlight/contrast and to ensure the cuts are wetted with glaze all the way to the bottom.
Aiming for a thicker layer of glaze on and just below the rim, as that's where it seems to thin the most, gravity...
Next, outside glazing!
 
*Picked up a hanging LED shoplight yesterday, that should help.
The pending remodel to include flush mount LED fixtures in the ceiling...

I learned how to dip. pour, & spray but now I mostly just brush, sometimes sponge, unless I want a certain effect like making a spatter. 

I learned how to dip. pour, & spray but now I mostly just brush, sometimes sponge, unless I want a certain effect like making a spatter. 

Much of all of the above from all of the posts, tailored to home studio/low production.  While not a "tool" per se, my most crucial non-pottery-intended item is my  UpCart that "climbs" up and down stairs-a dolly-the econo model can handle over 100 lbs...had it for years and it is essential for getting things in/out of my house & studio. I can barely lift 50 lbs of clay anymore-and even 25 is hard on a bad day, so this thing is a real blessing. 

I learned how to dip. pour, & spray but now I mostly just brush, sometimes sponge, unless I want a certain effect like making a spatter. 

I would have told myself I had less time than I thought and not to wait for "permission" - also to find a doctor who would start treating my Addison's disease IMMEDIATELY and not 40 years later, LOL!

I'm using Squarespace and like it a lot! Easy to use, modern templates.

Seems like a medical question---personally I would want to do some research into the specific condition and choose carefully what type(s) of health practitioner(s) I consulted.  Mainstream medicine did nothing for the type of arthritis I have, in a segment of my neck/shoulder, and in my right hand, but a year of  (insurance-covered) expert chiropractic treatment reduced it significantly, proven by x-rays. It is not gone, of course, but in over 3 years it has not progressed from that reduction and is nowhere near the pretreatment degree of pain and restriction of movement.  I am absolutely not offering a medical opinion--just sharing what has been the case for me, which has been counter to what I was being told by M.D.s., including that progression was inevitable.  Keeping my hand/fingers/wrist moving-including working with clay-is a recommendation for my ongoing flexibility. I do not throw very often; I handbuild. My most significant restriction is wedging, and I have found that the cut & slam method is the best technique for me.