What should I teach for Splash?

If you could talk about anything for an hour, what would it be? Is there a topic you can go on and on about? What did you want to learn about when you were in high school?

The beauty of Splash is that it is designed for teachers to feel comfortable teaching about their own interests and hobbies. The goal is to have an audience of highly interested students listening to you talking about what you know best.

Really? Anything? That seems a bit broad...

Of course there are a few restrictions on what we allow people to teach, but we really do have classes on a huge variety of topics. For instance, the topics below were all taught in just one recent Splash:
Drawing Music Hands-On Chemistry Political Science
Sewing Knitting Marine Biology Economics
Medicine Pottery Movie Making Magic and Illusions
History Physics Origami Law
Psychology Poetry in Modern Songs Materials Engineering Writing

and many more!

Here are some past course catalogs for inspiration.

I have a great idea, but I'm not too comfortable being a teacher...

That’s also fine! Splash is meant for you to grow as a teacher and communicator. To this end, we’ll provide professional teacher workshops so you can see how to develop a lesson plan and how to teach a class effectively. We can also work with you to design course materials so you and your students can get the most out of your Splash experience.

If you’re not comfortable teaching alone, you can co-teach a class! We’ve had many successful co-taught classes in past years. Feel free to sign up as a pair or in groups.

The Fine Print

We aim to create a safe place where kids can feel inspired and excited about learning. As such, you can't exactly teach anything at Splash. Here are some examples of classes we do not allow:

  • Classes that include activities that pose any sort of physical or mental danger to our students.
  • Classes that are illegal, or that explicitly promote illegal activities (e.g. How to Deal Drugs 101).
  • Classes that promote only a single viewpoint on a sensitive topic (e.g. a pro- or anti-abortion class).
  • Classes that exist to advertise an outside organization, service, or product.
  • Classes that gather data for outside research purposes of any kind.
  • Classes that promote religious proselytization or disrespect a person's religious beliefs.
  • Classes that discriminate against students of a certain gender, race, or religion. (See Stanford Nondiscrimination Policy)
  • In general, adults should be positive role models for minors and all members of the Stanford community are expected to follow the University’s Code of Conduct, Stanford Risk Management Guidelines, and the Haas Center’s Principles of Ethical and Effective Service.
Please know that the Splash team and Stanford University reserve the right to reject or cancel any class. In addition, Splash teachers must be Stanford affiliated and at least 18 years of age.


Last modified by mattding on March 29, 2023 at 11:16 a.m.