4 Reasons I'm Now Charging for Language Classes
Here’s a few reasons why I'm taking an approach to charge money for *some* language courses/classes:
1.) Commitment is always extremely low when the classes are "for free". The responsibility is typically on the instructor to motivate others to attend. If there’s a cost taken by the learner, it’s their own responsibility to make their investment worth it.
2.) Planning a course, building curriculum, and then teaching it takes a lot of time and effort. I believe we should value this work just as much as we would anything else.
3.) The language belongs to all our people and should always be accessible for our people. I’m taking this approach now for a specific set of opportunities to learn the language. I very much intend to offer lower-cost events for community members and families to engage in the learning -- but by paying this cost and dedicating the time, you’ll go much farther faster.
4.) The course I’m offering in the fall is still really affordable. It comes out to $2/hour of instruction. If you hired a math tutor, a history tutor, or a second-language tutor, how much would they charge? You are hiring someone to pass on knowledge. Speaking a language and teaching a language are two different skills.
In the coming months the Skwomesh Language Academy will be announcing more and more opportunities for the Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation to come learn Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. We're planning monthly single day language immersion days that cost $15 per person with childcare for $5/per child. We’re planning a six-month adult immersion program where program participants are given a $1000+ living allowance. We’re planning more and more ways to increase the # of language speakers. I just hope people are ready to support and show up when the opportunities come knocking.
