Many people go to school to get on a track: they go in to get a degree in order to get a good job so they can make good money.

This track for many however, doesn’t necessarily include enjoying the learning aspect of school.

Juliana Hunt, believes that education and learning should be fun. Hunt, having been a teacher for over 20 years and in academia for over 40, expresses concern with today’s learning institutions. Hunt is the founder of an alternative learning style center called the Madison Mentor Center.

The Madison Mentor Center serves to provide a space for those who are truly passionate about learning.

“It’s frustrating to see how limited education really is,” Hunt said. Hunt thinks that many school institutions can be detrimental to those with varying learning styles and in these institutions, so many brilliant people “fall through the cracks.”

Hunt who used to be a teacher of ancient philosophy said, “In ancient cultures, they understood education as being for the whole person, the whole mind and body and now in schools we’re sort of biased toward intellect and math and science and certain things that are really just better for the economy…. We reject in so many ways, so many good thinkers just because they won’t think the ‘right way.’ You know, follow in single file and color within the lines.”

Hunt strives to continue building an environment that embraces learning and teaching of all different styles.

“Nobody is ever done learning and in this culture, we have this idea that if you get a degree, you’re finished,” Hunt said.

“We would really like to encourage people of all ages and all disciplines and all walks of life to think in terms of continuous learning. We would also like to encourage everyone to think of themselves as teachers because everybody is good at something, everybody has something that they specialize in and that they could pass on to others. The intention of this center is to build a learning community that fosters teachers and gives them the ability to teach the things that they love.”

About a year ago, another business called Matrix, which is centered around helping entrepreneurs in their endeavors, gave Hunt space in their building to fulfil her fantasy of an alternative learning community. The space granted by Matrix has allowed Hunt to get the Madison Mentor Center started.

The way that the center works is that freelance teachers can rent out spaces in the Matrix building in order to teach their own independent classes. This center has lots of unique spaces available for rent, from meeting rooms to recording studios. The Madison Mentor Center is funded by these freelance teachers who rent out these spaces in order to teach their own classes.

Hunt estimates that an instructor teaching 10 classes a week could make about $1,000.

Hunt’s hope is that the teachers using this center can function more like mentors. She feels that often, the personal connection between students and their teacher is lost.

“A mentor is different than a teacher,” she said. “Teachers in our culture are so overextended and they typically don’t have time to really get to know their students. A mentor is more personal and committed and can be more of a coach and someone who gets to know the whole you.”

All in all, the Madison Mentor Center is intended to be a real positive space for students and teachers of all ages to be inspired to learn and teach together. Hunt has poured her heart into the center and she has great hopes of what it is going to continue to grow into. She believes that learning is the most fun that anyone can possibly have in life and she wishes to share this belief with everyone.