I have no idea what issue Cathy G is talking about...I've been a facilitator with Seattle Free…read moreSchool for two years now and I love it! I've never once had a bad experience, either as a teacher or as a student. Seattle Free School classes are totally free, easy and casual to teach, and can be anything- from craft classes to life-improvement classes to job skill classes to investing to all sorts of things. I love the fact that the emphasis is on sharing knowledge of any and all types. I only wish more people were brave enough to teach, as there is so much knowledge to go around!

The classes may be great. The person who answers the phone is distracted and brusque. If you are…read moreconsidering teaching a class here, my advice is go somewhere else. Send in a proposal to the UW Experimental College. Give a class at the Y. You have to make all the arrangements to find a location and facility and you have to deal with Ms. Curt distracted with noise and laughing in the background as she snaps your head off. Maybe it is de rigeur to hold business conversations in a noisy background for some. It is not for me. ** The other 5 star reviews are likely friends of Ms. Curt.

I just completed the fall class at the Alliance (French 201) and am happy with the experience. I…read morehad also taken the French for Travelers course there. Before starting at the Alliance, I had some previous private French lessons with a tutor. If you have had any background in French and don't want to start at square one, you can take a placement test. Fill out the form online and then you will be called by the Alliance director who will have you come in for an assessment. The assessment (about 30-45 minutes) is a made up of a multiple choice test and a couple of short essays. Based on your results she will place you in the appropriate class. If when you start the class you find that you are not comfortable at that level, you can always change classes (which is what I did). The teachers at the Alliance are mostly native French speakers, some are native English speakers who spent a lot of time in France and are completely fluent. The two teachers I have had so far were great - very patient! My only gripe is that you can't really choose your teachers i.e. depending on who is teaching that particular course during any particular semester, you may end up with a teacher from Quebec or another Francophone region outside of France and therefore you are learning French with their accents, which are different from the accent of the Motherland and often the difference is huge. I like that the classes are not big (up to 10 or 12?). The classes are not high-pressure and it is ok if you miss a class here and there. These are adult classes in the evening after all. Almost all of the students have full time jobs. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed. The curriculum includes a mix of grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and culture. It's not like your dry high school French textbooks. Once you reach the 200+ level, the entire course is taught in French, with complicated grammar rules explained in English if required. It's a great way to immerse yourself in the language, if only for a few hours a week. The Alliance is located at the Good Shepherd Center (built in 1906) in Wallingford, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The classrooms are nothing fancy but it is cosy in an old-school kind of way. I plan to continue with the next level course at the Alliance. There is ample free parking outside the school. There is a library where you can borrow French books, DVDs, CDs.

I have visited in person the local Alliance Francaise in Seattle several times over the years. The…read morestaff is pleasant enough, especially the French director. I did find that the courses would be too easy for me. There seemed to be several volunteers possibilities as well. * * * * * Does anyone in school learn --not even actually speak--a foreign language any more? There are insanely ugly languages--Cantonese with its braying, cacophony, American English with its outlandish diphthongs and tendency to be grunted or shouted (compare Jamie Foxx to Ralph Fiennes), Spanish. And then there is French (Parisian, Swiss, or Belgian, but not Quebecois). ...Certainly not on a par with the Alliance Francaise in Boston or San Francisco (or New York, which I have not visited but assume is the largest in the U.S.), the Alliance Francaise de Seattle is a cozy outpost located in Wallingford. It offers classes in conversational French at various levels as well as a program of social/cultural activities for mostly beginning learners. Particularly good for those who want to brush up on the French they took in high school or college, as well as for those planning a trip to a Francophone country. A small staff headed by the directrice Misa Bourdonneau is gracious and welcoming ensures that the classes are small and personalized. Whatever the global reach of the U,S. is in the decades to come (as well as the concomitant dominance of the English language), the French language will always maintain its peerless reputation as the the language of culture in the traditional sense of the word (America obviously dominates pop or mass culture). It is important to live in a multi-lateral world, politically speaking, and to have a counterweight, culturally, to the United States. **** Why study French? Once you fall in love with this language, it lasts a lifetime. It is spoken by an estimated 200 million people around the world and one of the six official languages of the U.N. and one of the two working languages of the Security Council ('English being the other). Guyana (once French Guyana) in South America is actually part of the European Union, with representation in the French National Assembly (it is actually a part of France in the same way that Hawaii or Puerto Rico are part of the U.S.). Language and culture are inseparable, and I am tempted to believe that if Americans had less distrust for nuance, less certainty that we are "sui generis" as a nation, we would have less of a "bull in a china shop" approach to world affairs. It should come as no surprise that the French over a century have been attempting to restore Angor Wat and other ancient Buddhist temples in Cambodia to their original splendor. Compare to the early days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq when the soldiers ostensibly guarding the National Archaeological Museum in Baghdad did NOTHING to prevent the shocking looting and pillaging taking place right under their very eyes. The respect the French have for their language is in sharp contrast to the general sloppiness with which Americans employ their own (how many Americans could profess a love of the English language?). **** Maybe if the U.S. (George W. Bush) had listened to France, which, with Germany, refused--on principled grounds--to "go along" with the invasion of Iraq, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today. Former prime minister Dominque de Villepin's speech to the United Nations Assembly before the U.S. invaded Iraq was extraordinarily eloquent ("Yes, I come from an OLD Europe, one that has known great suffering...We believe war is an admission of defeat and ought to be used as the last resort" brought tears to my eyes. (This was also the occasion, as I recall, of Colin Powell's infamous "Saddam has uranium enrichment..."). http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&from=fulltext&full=Dominique+de+Villepin+&num_notice=2&total_notices=158 On the other hand, many, if not most Americans truly believe that freedom actually began in the year 1776. However, the American Revolution was followed by another equally important revolution 13 years later. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/opinion/28furstenberg.html?em&ex=1193716800&en=6fe9bb653edfa0b5&ei=5087%0A French chateaus (Chenonceau, Chambord, et. al.), museums, cuisine, art, and cathedrals are also magnificent repositories of its rich history and culture. And yes, many French have a rather distorted, knee-jerk anti-Americanism combined with a doltish love of the worst aspects of American culture (hip-hop, Sylvester Stallone, etc.). Republican Party strategists interpreted the victory of Nicholas Sarkozy over Segolene Royal, the socialist candidate, to the presidency of France as a blueprint for them to win in 2008. Sarkozy was the successor of a very unpopular president (Chirac) from his own party, in the way that GWB has become an albatross for the Republicans.

What a wonderful language school. I'm taking my second class this winter…read more This place is so cute! (And many of my classmates work for a living and fit the class into their lunch breaks, just fine!) The buddy system is also great. This is not an easy class, but it has really improved my confidence in speaking, helping me be less self conscious. I have a degree in teaching and Amanda's style works well for me as a kinesthetic learner -- lots of whole body motions, songs, and exaggerated expressions to help the language "stick". The online resources are also very helpful -- to match a variety of learning styles. This class is a very good value and pace. It is a commitment, but learning a language requires daily practice. I've had a lot of fun and can see my progress week to week. I've also enjoyed getting to know my classmates. I wear a mask in class, but not everyone does. There are online options for some levels, too.

I found these classes useful for refreshing and expanding my little knowledge from a long time ago…read more The generally unstructured conversation in class and between classes with our assigned buddies was very helpful compared to learning, say, conjugations by rote. Like any class, the more you put in the more you get out. I needed more practice with verb tenses than was officially allotted, even with the homework, but various online resources were suggested for that. All-in-all, a pleasant way to learn.

There are no words…read more If you enjoy and benefit from massage therapy - BOOK and GO! I have done monthly massages for almost 20 years and Joe is someone special! I've been lucky to have worked with a few therapists whom I would describe a soul level connection with their clients and Joe is one of them! did I say GO yet?

We've taken two of Joes massage workshops now and both have been amazing. Joe creates a welcoming…read moreenvironment that's easy to relax in, and shares lots of great ideas on how to give your partner a great massage without straining or hurting yourself. The workshop had a light structure, so you got to all the parts of the body, but you had a lot of opportunity to experiment and see which of the techniques worked best your partner. Joe and his wife (a physical therapist) were rotating around often offering tips, and providing specific ideas based on what either of us needed. The personalized attention was super impressive. You can tell they both truly love what they do!

I wish I could give Off the Wall 10 stars. I've been taking lessons there for 2.5 years and it's…read morethe highlight of living in Seattle. I started out just taking voice lessons but eventually my teacher Josh inspired me to try piano again after 8 years of avoiding the keys. I'm so glad he did because in the last 6 months, I've been working hard to accompany myself while I sing and it's made me a much stronger musician! Even though I've taken lessons for over 10 years, I never performed in public until Josh convinced me to sign up for an adult open mic. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had and I've since done two of their public recitals. You won't find a more supportive or welcoming music community anywhere. All of the teachers are kind and adept at meeting the students where they're at in their comfort and experience level. Chris, the owner, and my teacher, Josh, are super encouraging of everything and I've never felt more comfortable as a musician. Going to Off the Wall is my favorite time of the week. For anyone looking to get into music or looking to expand their skills, I can't recommend Off the Wall enough.

Great communicators and wonderful teachers! Their free lesson allowed us to get a feel for the…read morespace and teachers before committing. They didn't pressure signing up afterwards, either or try to reel us in with gimmicks. My daughter said that the 30 min flew by and looks forward to future lessons!