Seattle Free School: Education that's Easy on the Wallet
Education isn't always cheap, but the free lessons provided by Seattle Free School make taking a class a lot easier on the budget. The Seattle Free School occupies no official building. Rather, its classes occur wherever there's room and time: in libraries, coffee shops, and other public venues.
Teachers offer classes based on what they want to teach, rather than what they have to teach, and collect no fees. A wide range of possible classes appears over the course of the year: Keeping Chickens in the City, Mosaic Madness (Creating Paper Mosaics), An Introduction to Developing for the Web, Choosing the Right Words for Your Wedding Day, Making Mascarpone Cheese, Beginning Urban Forest Restoration.
The passion-based nature of the curriculum means that the student can't count on what they need being given at a particular time. Instead, potential students may want to scan the offerings on the website and adapt themselves to what's being offered. One class that's always on the schedule teaches how to become a facilitator and teach for the Seattle Free School.
The school is always looking for instructors with skills from a list that includes some topics that seem particularly suited to Seattle culture, such as eating vegan, mountaineering, and making bio-fuels, along with more universal and timely skills like scrapbooking, guitar, and riding a unicycle. Many classes are well suited to those wanting to pick up new skills that will help trim their budget or allow them to supplement their income with part-time or home-based work. Others are more creative in nature, exploring paper art or creative writing.
Plenty of reasons exist for facilitating as well as taking classes: to increase one's experience with teaching and public speaking, to build a resume by adding more credits, or even to help inspire other people in a craft you love.
Founded by Jessica Daily and Cecile Andrews, the school is totally volunteer run and does not ask for donations in return for classes. Children are welcome at classes, although parents should check with instructors beforehand if there may be safety concerns, such as children working with equipment that is unsafe for their age.
Posted on May 15, 2011 by Cat Rambo
