Minneapolis Community Education

Our fine city’s Community Ed. program can work wonders. They have classes for every possible subject someone would want to improve on. After my classes, I feel like a more well-​rounded person. I loved Polish 1. Despite the class only being 8 weeks long, I felt like I learned quite a bit. The classes I have taken are short and usually started at 5:45 or 7pm. Easy to get to after work. «Tuition» is very reasonable, but watch out for fees that are unreported. Some teachers will add on costs for printing, etc.
I am disappointed that they don’t have classes in the summer. Who knows when I’m going to commit to taking that class «Learn How to Find Your Sweetie After 50»?!

I took a Thai Curry cooking class here and I was quite impressed. Although having to walk through the high school campus really did make me start to feel my age. Wow those lockers looked so short, I swear when I was in high school the lockers were much taller or I was much smaller? Anyways, after the nostalgia was lost and I was extremely lost trying to find my class a bunch of lovely kids help me find it.
At first when I had to park on the street next to the skateboarders I was worried they were going to vandalize my car but they were so friendly and gave me directions. Wow youth these days are very polite (even the skater punks have manners) I shouldn’t have been so quick to prejudge!
Anyways enough about the campus, let’s get to the cooking. My teacher was very enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about the subject. She had the forethought to make curry paste for us so we could start cooking right away and eating since she knew none of had eaten since lunch. While we were enjoying our curries she demonstrated how to make our own curry paste from scratch. BTW the food was delicious and we left with recipe packets and guides on what to get and the best places to buy it.
The class was for vegetation curry but as many students where not veggies and had questions about fish sauce and shrimp paste that she did not use. She followed up with us the next day with an informative email on both products which I thought was very nice.
I’m excited to be taking 2 more cooking classes there this semester, next time for Indian cooking! I would have given this 6 stars except for the kitchen only has electric burners and you have to park on the street but for the price you sure do get a lot of knowledge and I highly recommend it!

The Minneapolis Community Ed. program is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) program in the country. They’ve had 40 years to work the kinks out, and it shows. The huge catalog has brief descriptions of the classes and you can find out about the teachers online. Like Jillian C. says, they have everything: sushi rolling demonstrations, ashtanga yoga, money-​management, kids programs, watercolor painting and Facebook lessons (Dad would benefit).
Years of school have conditioned me into thinking that September is the start of the year, even now, quite a few years after graduation. Point is, I make my «resolutions» in September. Last year I resolved to learn to play the guitar and speak French. I did both for less than $ 100 with Community Ed. [cue infomercial]
I highly recommend Beginning Guitar with Chris. For less than $ 40, I had ten practically one-​one-​one lessons with a great teacher. He even gave us an extra week! When the class was over, I was able to keep practicing using his packet and handouts fairly easily. I wouldn’t say my French 1 class was as impressive because the teacher didn’t get too creative. I didn’t get a lot out of doing flashcards over and over and over again.

My love affair with Community Ed in the fine city of Minneapolis has only just begun. They offer everything imaginable including art classes, fitness classes, how to make homemade soap, cooking, vegan cooking, how to manage your finances, how to operate a computer, foreign languages, writing, how to grow an herb garden in your kitchen… and so forth. Some classes are 8 weeks long, some are three hours in one evening. Take your pick! There truly is something for everyone.
I’ve taken beginner Pilates and French 1 and can only say that I have been very, very pleasantly surprised. 8 weeks of French for less than $ 70 — &)#%??? (Oh, and 8 weeks of Pilates for $ 35, in case you were curious). I was worried that I would be getting what I paid for but was sorely mistaken. If you can deal with taking notes and not having a text book (who cracks them anyway?) the quality of the class so much more than makes up for the lack of supplies and materials. The instructors are fantastic and the class sizes small. To think I considered spending $ 400 on a French class somewhere else…
Pilates is fantastic as well, and I’ve only heard good things about other yoga or dance classes. The spring catalogue is online now!