So assume in an effort to create third places as well as to help teach the public useful skills, the government decides to offer free community college classes to any adults. The classes aren’t graded or require study outside of class (unless you want that), the goal is just to help people meet and teach them useful life skills.
The classes may not be entire semester classes. They may be structured to just take up a few hours on a saturday and offer free on site daycare.
What classes do you think they should teach, and what classes would you want to take?
Class that would be good to teach include:
Media literacy
Critical thinking
Interpersonal communication
Sociology
First aid
Unbiased civics (general education about how the government works)
Abnormal psychology (to educate people about mental health)
Classes I’d like to take aside from the ones above would probably include:
When I want to dive into a new subject, I head straight to The Great Courses by The Teaching Company—I subscribe to their streaming service. The lectures are top-notch, taught by professors from some of the best colleges and universities out there. It’s like auditing an Ivy League class without the student loans.
But if I were taking a live community college course, I’d go for something more hands-on and artsy—something where I could learn a new skill and socialize a bit. A class like “Fly-Tying for Fly-Fishing” sounds like a blast (even though I don’t fly fish). Creative, practical, and just the right mix of finesse and fun.
That’s farmers’ market day. Much of the year I can’t do anything else on a Saturday.
Out of that list I’d choose the history classes. How about archaeology, modern and ancient information about different cultures, tractor repair, small-town planning – I could go on. Maybe languages. The cooking classes might or might not be interesting – I don’t need a cooking basics class, and I don’t much want one using ingredients I can’t afford, or using a lot of highly processed stuff.
Apparently nothing, because this is a perk that I already have access to through my job, and I’ve never taken advantage of it. I keep thinking I should take Music Appreciation one of these days, since I know almost nothing about classical music, and I probably should sign up for a refresher course in Spanish, but I never actually do.
Community college classes are already pretty cheap and often have classes scheduled for working adults. The difference between pretty cheap and free, for someone on a tight budget, might be a deal breaker, but if you’re middle class+ I think it’s a great option for new skills.
Generally, if you’re of sound mind you can always learn a new language.
It won’t be as easy as if you were seven years old, kids do have an advantage in that respect, but it is doable
I think the biggest two factors in language learning 1) motivation and 2) an environment in which you can use that language.
If you start at 80 you’ll never have a native type accent and achieving fluency will be difficult, but you can certainly learn something and the mental challenge is good for your brain.
I’m not so sure about that. I suspect that ability to learn a language other than your birth one (assuming your parents are not bilingual) is rather genetic. Just as some people have a talent for art, math or music etc.
I have known people who seem to be able to soak up languages almost effortlessly.
Whereas I can, with effort, get to the point where I can just about communicate basic essentials…?
I was like you, until my divorce, when eating out every night wasn’t an option. My advice is to jump in with both feet and plan a meal that both you and your wife would enjoy. Next, google some recipes and find ones for what you are planning to cook. Scan the recipes to make sure the instructions are clear, and make a shopping list so you don’t forget what you need to pick up at the store. Give yourself plenty of time since rushing only makes things worse. Once you’ve accomplished your goal, pick another night and repeat the process with different recipes and ingredients. Don’t worry if something doesn’t come out perfect. It takes a lot of practice to get everything perfect. Taking a beginning cooking at your local community college is also a good idea. You can ask as many questions as you want, and it’s well worth whatever they charge you to take it.
Same. I teach at a community college. My wife and I could take anything we want there for free. We’ve never done it, but we’ve considered taking a basic woodworking class.
I’d definitely like to take Spanish, and would like a class which teaches some basic home-improvement skills (in which I am sorely lacking, despite growing up in a hardware store!)
I also think that offering a class in meteorology and weather, geared towards helping laypeople understand weather, how it works, and when to (and not to) be concerned and take precautions, would be an excellent idea. I’d even volunteer to teach that one.
