Historic Durango Walking Tour
Ann Butler
Fee: $24, 1 tour (choose one)
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
August 29 or September 12
Please Note: This tour is identical to the walking tour portion of Durango 101
Take a relaxed and fun walking tour of downtown and East Third Avenue visiting landmarks and hearing about Durango history from lifelong resident and journalist, Ann Butler. Learn more about the town we all share, and fascinating facts about some of the places you pass every day. Ann Butler, who grew up in Durango, has a personal and professional interest in many historic sites in Durango. She presently writes the Neighbors column for the Durango Herald.
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Basics of eBay-Selling
Olen Batchelor
Fee: $ 99, 1 class
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
September 12
Learn to make a supplemental or full-time income from an eBay-trained Certified Education Specialist. This multimedia course will include eBay University's own training materials and will cover selling basics and beyond, including research, opening and using a Paypal account, improving your listings with better descriptions and digital photography, security and post-sale activities such as billing & shipping. Save yourself from frustrating hours of poring over tedious instructions. Trial and error is error. Learn from a long-time successful seller.
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Durango 101
Ann Butler
Fee: $49, 2 classes
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
September 19 (lecture)
September 26 (walking tour)
Please Note: The walking tour portion of this class is identical to the tour which is offered separately in our Historic Durango Walking Tour.
Whether you're new to La Plata County or have been here for a while, this is a chance to learn more about the history of the community, key issues that confront us and “how things work.” Learn about vital organizations and activities that will deepen your connections, aid in building a social life and friendship network here and help you make more educated choices about how you spend your time and money. The second class will include a walking tour of downtown and East Third Avenue to visit early landmarks. Ann Butler, who grew up in Durango, is involved with many diverse populations in La Plata County through her work as the Neighbors columnist for the Durango Herald.
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All of Shakespeare in One Play: The Tempest
Sam Eliot
Fee: $99, 4 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 22 – October 13
The Tempest is a valuable introduction to Shakespeare for beginners and a useful lens for scholars to view all his plays. Is it a history? Comedy? Tragedy? Romance? The answer is yes. Through discussion, dramatic readings, and performances of selected scenes, the class explores the ways in which Shakespeare’s final play illuminates and recapitulates themes from most of his earlier works. Sam Eliot, a teacher of literature and writing for five decades, has taught Shakespeare courses in college and secondary school. He has been a college vice president, a school headmaster, and a teacher in several colleges and secondary schools.
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Philosophy of Tao Te Ching, Introduction
Ty Crow
Fee: $89, 4 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 22 – October 13
Study this ancient text and apply its wisdom in your life. The Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu is a Chinese classic written in the sixth century. In this class we will discuss its historical context, meaning, themes, concepts, and the relevancy of its message to us today. Recommended Textbook: Tao Te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell; optional (available at Amazon.com). If you have a different translation please bring it to class. Ty Crow has a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine and has been studying and practicing Qi Gong lifestyle, Taiji Quan, and traditional healing including Asian and American herbs and nutritional therapy, for more than ten years.
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Talking with Teachers: Effective Communication for Successful Education
Kim Beach
Fee: $49, 2 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 22 – September 29
Your stomach tightens. Your palms are sweaty. You’ve been called to your child’s school and now you must face their teacher, possibly the principal! You feel like a 9 year old again. It doesn’t have to be that way. Talking with your child’s teacher is easier when you develop a strategy for important conversations such as Parent/Teacher Conferences, Individual Education Plan Meetings and even discipline meetings. Kimberly Beach has served the past two years as the Even Start Family Literacy program coordinator for Durango 9R Schools and one year as a Parent Education teacher within the same program. She has received training for the National Center for Family Literacy, the National Even Start Association, and the Colorado Parent Information Resource Center. Kimberly graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1991 with a degree in English Literature.
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Beginning Bridge
Jean Walter
$129, 8 classes
Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 23 – November 11
This course is for people who enjoy playing cards and want to learn to play bridge, but who have either never played or who played long ago and want to become re-acquainted with it the way it is played today. The class will follow closely Gary Brown's book Learn to Play Bridge, winner of the American Bridge Teachers' Association 2007 Book of the Year award, which participants may purchase for themselves in advance, if they wish. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are bridge players, and this hobby is great for your concentration, logic, thinking ability, memory and you meet great people. Jean Walter is a 20+ year bridge veteran with extensive social and duplicate bridge experience, including tournament play. Jean has a diverse teaching background, from certified Rifle Instructor for local youngsters to informal computer word processing classes for co-workers. She studied bridge with local expert Bob Somppi until his recent move to the Front Range, and she stays updated with bridge books, columns, and internet bridge training courses. She welcomes anyone who likes to play cards for fun, with the added benefits of keeping your mind sharp and your people skills honed.
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Keats: The Best Poem Ever Written: To Autumn
Sam Eliot
Fee: $49, 2 classes
Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 24 - October 1
What makes a poem good? Students will hone their critical skills in response to a single short poem. No less a critic than Harold Bloom regards John Keats’s Ode To Autumn as a perfect poem. The class considers To Autumn in its context, among the great Keats odes of 1819, and in the light of Keats’ Theory of Negative Capability: “When man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” Sam Eliot, a teacher of literature and writing for five decades, has taught Romantic poetry (especially Keats) in college and secondary school. He has been a college vice president, a school headmaster, and a teacher in several colleges and secondary schools.
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Juggling
Michael Taylor
Fee: $29, 2 classes
Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
October 7 – October 14
Learn to juggle today! An easy, step-by-step method of learning to juggle with an emphasis on fun. The focus will be on basic three ball juggling and simple variations. Juggling balls will be available at the workshop. Michael Taylor has been teaching juggling for over 30 years to people in schools, businesses, public workshops, events, and private lessons. His performance company is Catch It Quick Juggling Company, based in Durango. For more information, please contact Michael at catchitquick@frontier.net.
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Introduction to Traditional Oriental Medicine
Ty Crow
Fee: $169, 8 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
October 27 – December 1
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Traditional Oriental Medicine for students seeking a practitioner for treatment or interested in studying TOM. Students will become familiar with the theories, diagnostic techniques, and methods of treatment. We will explore the main components of this complex medical paradigm: Yin/Yang principle, Five Element theory, the concept of Qi, and the model of the body (energy centers and meridians). We will cover the most commonly applied modalities and their objectives: Qigong; Acupuncture; acupressure; massage; herbal medicine; and nutritional therapy. Ty Crow has a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine and has been studying and practicing Qi Gong lifestyle, Taiji Quan, and traditional healing including Asian and American herbs and nutritional therapy, for more than ten years.
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A Parent’s Field Guide to the IM Generation
Kim Beach
Fee: $49 2 classes
Tuesdays, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
November 3 – November 10
Do you Twitter? Do you Facebook? Does p911 meaning anything to you? It does to your kids! One generation ago, our parents did not know the new technology we were encountering, and that didn’t hurt us. Today, not knowing the technology our children use can be deadly. This four-hour class will provide you with a basic knowledge of media literacy then move on to define the techy terms your kids use. You will also learn how to set-up a Facebook account and access Twitter and other on-line resources designed for helping parents navigate the internet and other electronic media. Kimberly Beach has served the past two years as a program coordinator for the Even Start Family Literacy program and one year as a Parent Education teacher within the same program. She has received training for the National Center for Family Literacy, the National Even Start Association, and the Colorado Parent Information Resource Center. She has also studied under Dr. Peter DeBeneditis in the area of media literacy. Kimberly graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1991 with a degree in English Literature.
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Teach Your Child to Read - YOURSELF
Gwynne Spencer
Fee: $39, 1 class
Saturdays, 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m.
November 14
Reading is the most important skill your child will ever acquire. Learn how to teach it yourself in one session without expensive kits, television hyped materials, or pedagogical puffery. For parents of kids ages 2 to 12, this class gives you everything you need to get the job done. Gwynne Spencer has advocated for parents teaching reading for many years. She is author of Teach Your Children Well: A Guide to Teaching Your Children to Read at Home, available on amazon.com.
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Unplug Your Christmas Machine
Gwynne Spencer
Fee: $39, 1 class
Saturdays, 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m.
November 21
If the thought of fending off the Christmas Gimmies makes you want to stick your head in the oven, come enjoy this class and learn lots of ways to decommercialize your holidays. Based on the ever-popular book by Jo Robinson and Jean Staeheli, this workshop will put the curl back in your elf-slippers and even a ho ho ho in your heart. Gwynne Spencer is very recently the author of a collection of stories, Have A Merry Christmas….Or Else designed to restore holiday cheer to people's hearts.
