Ever wanted to teach a skill but thought you weren't qualified enough? Have you wanted to learn something but didn't have enough time to spend a whole paycheck for a series of classes?
Seattle Free School's is just that, a free school where you can both teach your tricks of a trade without having to worry about being 100 percent knowledgeable or finding someone who can teach you a skill and introduce you to your hidden talent all at the cost of nothing.
First started last March by Jessica Dally and Dani Scar, they individually learned about the concept from a Portland based free school called Olympia Free School. The two were then coincidentally interested in creating a similar school and then introduced to each other to collaborate in starting a school in Seattle.
Seattle Free School's mission is to "come together within the community to share knowledge, skills and experiences so the joy of learning and learning together can be kept alive."
"Everything is voluntary," Dally said. "We're not an official association but we're like an organization. Right now we're offering what people are voluntarily willing to teach. What we have done is if somebody wants to learn something we let past and present students and teachers of the free school know what people are seeking to learn and find who's willing to teach it because they possess that skill."
Like a traveling school, the free school does not have an official location but has been using various Seattle public libraries as their home base when instructing different classes. Seattle libraries offers free space to anyone who does not take monetary donations, are free of charge and offer something to everyone.
West Seattle's Highpoint Neighborhood House, the Giving Tree in Westlake and Cascade People's Center in South Lake Union has also been generous in offering space for the free school.
Classes free school has or does offer are usually taught in one class to accommodate people's busy schedules. Skills offered are things such as cheese making, soap making, canning, beach volleyball, assertive communication, time management and how to raise chickens in the city just to name a few.
"I think I would love to see it (Seattle Free School) just grow, I don't think I or anyone has a set idea of what we want to be," said Dally. "It's growing at a rate that's sustainable and it's growing organically. We're learning at the same time."
For more information on Seattle Free School or a full list of classes or skills seeking teachers visit www.seattlefreeschools.org.
Allison Espiritu may be reached at 783-1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.
