Teacher

I want to start a pod…

Stand out: What is going to make your pod stand out against other opportunities? What are you offering that is different and unique? Is there a market in my area for what I am building or do I need to change my approach based on the demographics?

Space: Do I have a space available to operate out of? How do I find a space? The quickest way to start a pod is to build one out of your home. This can be a great start, but eventually you will want to expand into a larger space. What are my obligations to this space?

Be Prepared: Get first aid certified, get a background and vulnerable sector check done, make sure you have your teaching certification available for parents, have proof of insurance to show parents.

Be Flexible: You work for the parents, and if you want them to support you, you have to support them. Be flexible with payment and availability options. Try to work with parents around what they want. This can be a challenging transition for educators.

Curriculum and Schedule: Parents want structure but they also want social time. How will you achieve this balance? What kind of curriculum will you use? How are you going to accommodate multiple grades and students at different levels? Look into options online for what is available to support students at different levels and create a weekly routine that reduces the amount of workload for you, but increases productivity and work value for the student. Check out resources like Evan Moore, Jump Math, and others. There are many options that offer full year curriculum at a reasonable price. Make sure it aligns with what parents want.

Grade Levels: Consider what grade levels you want to support. Most curriculum packages don’t go past Junior High. What grades can YOU support? Do you need to bring a second specialist in?

Take the leap: At some point you are going to have to take a leap of faith. Set a hard date so parents know you are serious about starting something. Start with what you have. Whether it is two families or ten, you have to start somewhere. More parents will be open to the idea once they hear it is working from other parents. You have to provide proof of concept and commitment to parents in order for them to trust that this process will work. It will grow quickly, if you have something that parents are interested in.

Additional resources:

https://www.alberta.ca/home-education.aspx

https://www.evan-moor.com/

https://jumpmath.org/ca/

https://thecanadianhomeschooler.com/using-complete-canadian-curriculum-books-in-homeschool/

For higher grades https://castlerockresearch.com/ab-books