Our Mission
Patina Education is a free adult education library built for students, teachers, and volunteers. Like a true public library, learning resources are searchable and accessible to all who visit this site.
Our mission is both simple and ambitious: to remove the barriers that prevent adult learners from accessing high-quality education and to provide their teachers and volunteers with the best digital education tools available to support their communities.
That starts with ending unnecessary online accounts. From the moment a "free" education website requires someone to provide a password, surrender personal information, or retrieve a login code, a quiet barrier is formed. For adult learners and volunteers, especially those with older devices, language differences, and low digital literacy, even a few extra steps can end access to learning before the class begins.
Paywalls plague the EdTech space for the world's most vulnerable communities. Too often, the strongest curriculum and educational resources are exclusively offered to school systems and organizations that can afford to pay these fees. At a time when adult learning funding continues to decline in the United States, we seek to end this pattern in EdTech, beginning with top-quality citizenship practice, teacher- and student-tested English curriculum, and E-Learning tools that can transform a digital classroom into a multilingual learning environment.
We promise to continue building access by adding more curriculum and tools to this website. If you'd like to get involved, make suggestions, or offer feedback, please email info@patinaeducation.com.
What "Patina" Means
The Statue of Liberty is made of copper.
When copper is exposed to the world, it slowly changes. Over time, it develops a green surface known as patina. The metal underneath remains the same, but its appearance reflects years of growth, experience, and transformation.
Learning is a similar journey. People arrive with their own histories, languages, cultures, and experiences. Over time, they grow, adapt, and find their place in a larger story.
Patina was named after that process of growth.
The best learning transforms us without erasing the foundation that brought us here.
Built With Teachers and Learners
Every lesson, activity, and practice resource on this site began with a real need in an adult education classroom. The English curriculum comes from online ESOL classes, the citizenship materials were developed alongside students preparing for their naturalization interviews, and the volunteer resources grew from observing one-to-one instruction across language barriers.
Patina uses language technology and community feedback to make resources available in multiple languages. We welcome corrections from the people who use them.
Founder
Brian Rafael Kirchner
Brian Rafael Kirchner founded Patina Education through his work teaching citizenship and ESOL classes at the International Center of Catholic Charities Community Services in New York City. The site has grown with the ideas and support of staff, teachers, volunteers, and adult immigrant learners, and it continues to evolve in and outside of the classroom.