How would I pursue this (advice, please)

[teachma]

I am not a homeschooler, and I hope this is not a user violation of any kind. Please let me know-- I do not intend to offend, rather I wish for your opinions/ help.

I have been a public school teacher for 13 years, and with the birth of my third child, I realize it may be difficult to continue my career outside the home. I am looking to remain involved in the education world and thrive in an evironment with eager, academically-stimulated students. I would love to open my home to homeschooled children or groups for instruction in any areas in which their parents would like support. I am educated (Master's degree from an Ivy League university), have raised my own intellectually-focused children and have taught multiple age groups in addition to the private tutoring I have done after school hours. I am open-minded and willing to target the curriculum to the ideals of the parents and even to meet with parents for planning sessions.

Would you hire someone like me? How would I advertise myself to local homeschoolers? Do you have any recommendations as I attempt to start off?

I can use all of the suggestions you're willing to give, and again, if this post does not belong here, please let me know! Thanks so much.

[Fujiko]

Hmm. Well, I'm not a homeschooling mom quite yet (my oldest is 2), but I'll bite.

First of all, what do you teach? Early ed, or secondary? If it's secondary, what subjects? It seems as though many homeschoolers have this weird fear of advanced science and math. But not always; I am a science and math lover, but I dread upper level literature! If you have areas like this that you are proficient in teaching, you may market yourself as a tutor in those areas.

But I don't think that the majority of hs'ers will necessarily be impressed by your Ivy-league education, because if they were worried about the quality/quantity of education the educators have, they wouldn't be homeschooling because they'd feel underqualified.

As I don't have any first-hand experience hsing, I will now pass this off to other, more experienced posters...

[Momma Aimee]

In Iowa one of the homeschooling "options" legally is to work under a supervision teacher...you could do that. I would have to assume Iowa is NOT the only state with that option.

Personally -- if i had access to a "mentor" like you -- with a degree / experience in special ed -- I'd love jsut to be able to pay for a hour or two or whatever of "advisment" for ME in dealing with education and special issues iwht my son. I like the degree and all that jsut me -- PP is correct some HS get defensive when you talk degrees as if YOU saying you have X Y r Z implies they don't know _____ cuz they don't. this is not a debate about THAT.

I would push your expereince more than your degree, though, because being with kids is a lot differnt than learning about teaching them. My Aunt is a great Prof in a school of Ed, but she can hardly handle my 4 yo

Let me think

Aimee

[aran]

I will probably use services such as yours at some point, because I work part-time and intend to continue doing so. I am happy to farm out select bits and pieces of my kids' education. We also belong to a rather large co-op that hires outside instructors to run targeted courses when there is an interest among the kids, but insufficient expertise among parents to teach that particular topic.

I have little kids right now and am looking to farm out art, music, and foreign language to other instructors. I get two of those covered at the co-op by other parents and the other one by my kids' nanny. As the kids get older, I will probably look at other topics for extra assistance.

I would more likely choose a tutor who would come to my home, though, rather than bringing them out, if possible - just to make it easier for me to work during the kids' learning time.

ETA: Oh, and I (and many people I know in my area of the country) would be pleased to know you have a graduate degree from an ivy league school. Knowing that would make a difference to me.

[lach]

I used to work as a private tutor and ended up specializing in homeschooled kids. It was very interesting, and there's definitely a market out there. Parents looking for a break, or who want something taught that they don't feel comfortable teaching themselves. Some just want their kids to have experience being taught by someone else.

I'd go into people's homes and I charged $25 an hour. I did have one family that I usually "forgot" to bill because I knew they were struggling and their kid was a sweetheart.

Discussion groups seemed to be popular with many of the families. You might want to look into that. Basically a book group led by the teacher in her home, with the families paying per child. You could really do this for any subject.

I always found people on Craigslist. Check the education section daily, or the gigs section if you live in an area where you have to pay for a help wanted ad. Make your own posts, too. Once you get started, word of mouth spreads.

[luv-my-boys]

I think that you will find that there is definately a "niche" for your services and how you market yourself. My BFF turned to HS families after her university let her go due to downsizing her dept. She focused on creating workshops (lit.) and sort of classes and then sent out numerous advertisements to local HS groups and places that HS families would be (local book stores,teacher supply stores,local advertising) She foudn that for her a lot of older (she does high school age) HS were looking for a discussion type group for themselves and so she created one that met that need. She also offered one free "class" seminar so the kids could get to know her and the parents as well and in fact that is what really caught the attention of a lot of families.

I would take a look at what you "specialize" in and see what niche you can fill or meet and then go after that market. For instance if you are a science teacher creating a weekly science lab class would be great or whatever you want.

Advertising and word of mouth is usually how I hear about great opportunities for my kids. Advertising dosent necessarily have to be very expensive. things like craigslist,yahoo groups, and sending them flyers to HS groups

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee

I would push your expereince more than your degree, though, because being with kids is a lot differnt than learning about teaching them.

Yes, when people used to contact me about running ads in the local support group newsletter, I always advised them that they'd be better off focusing in the write up on just what they're offering. We didn't want people behaving like professional teachers with our children, because the children were used to people relating to them person to person rather than teacher to student. It's fine to list your degree - that just shows that you know a lot about it - I just wouldn't emphasize the teaching credential.

I think there are lots of people in various communities who are interested in creative help with specific subjects, but not just in general. I set up a few fun-with-math days with a local teacher who specialized in creative ways to approach it. Some of us also hired him to come out and do the sort of exciting whiz-bang science experiments we weren't equipped to do - not for learning so much as just plain excitement for science. We hired a well liked drama teacher to lead a small group in drama activities and a simple performance. We also had a mom in our group who spoke Spanish, so she met with a small group of children once a week in one of our homes and did cooking and crafts with them while introducing some Spanish words and phrases and songs they could learn in the process. I never personally knew any families who were looking for structured academic classes - our older kids usually just signed up at the local community college during their teens when they wanted that - but that's something that probably differs from area to area.

But there are occasionally people who have not had any particular desire to homeschool but feel a need to get their children out of school and can't quit work to pull it off - so you may be able to tap into that need.

What you can do is contact local support groups and ask to run an ad in their newsletter. You can also hang ads on bulletin boards and other places in the community that are frequented by homeschoolers. It won't usually help to contact individuals and ask them to tell people about you - they're not usually interested enough to put any effort into that. From what I've seen, the more fun and casual and unique your activities are, the more likely that you'll attract people to them.

- Lillian

[annethcz]

Another idea would be to research local homeschool co-ops in your area. We used to attend a co-op that offered science, drama, and art classes. All of the classes were taught by professionals. The drama classes were taught by members of a local theater troupe, the science classes were taught by someone from a local science center, etc. Classes were held once a week and it was more of a classroom setting.

[RiverSky]

Where are you exactly? I think the services you might successfully offer would vary depending on the laws of the state (or province) that you are in.

In Florida, for instance, I think the way you described your skills above would drop like a dead weight in our group and no one would be interested. If they wanted a teacher to teach their children, they'd likely have them in school.

BUT I think the best way for you to get your foot in the door would be to offer a class for homeschoolers. Start off by offering an 8 week group class in say, math, or a form of science, for a variety of ages, like, say grades 2-4, or grades 5-7, and offer it through parks 'n rec or using a library room as a location. Once people start knowing you, you can offer more and more, including personalized services. In our state, there is a great demand for teacher evaluators, but the average charge is just $30 for about an hour, once a year, per child. Parents also look for homeschool-knowledgable and friendly teacher evaluators, not your regular school teacher, that is for sure.

There are also businesses in our area that offer tutoring after school to kids (perhaps in math, or general areas, etc.) and during the day, they sometimes offer homeschool classes. You could offer a class through a business like that, too.

hth

p.s. I do suggest you do a lot of research and learn about homeschooling, by reading John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, Linda Dobson, etc., to learn about different homeschool philosophies.

[mamakay]

Would you hire someone like me? How would I advertise myself to local homeschoolers? Do you have any recommendations as I attempt to start off?

YES I would hire you, especially for a group class. I'm kind of a homeschool group class junkie, though. lol.

You might want to offer a variety of classes and services, with slightly different structures, to appeal to different types of homeschoolers. The Children's Museum here offers homeschool science classes, and they also have online supplemental worksheets and stuff we can use to prime the kids for the class, and reinforce the info at home, which I like.

Mine id only in kindergarten, but I'd imagine higher math and chemistry, etc, tutoring and classes might be useful to some families with older kids.

I'd suggest making a website, and advertising on craigslist. A LOT.

[oceanbaby]

You would definitely be hired here. I, along with other homeschooling parents, have been looking for a teacher to run a two day a week, 9-1 sort of co-op deal for our kids. Very tough to find.

[jlpumkin]

Ditto, I would totally hire you as well. Probably for a group class that compliments a subject that we are either under exposed to or challenged with. Depending on where you are located I know some states require portfolios to be reviewed by a certified teacher. You may want to check that out as well. I also second the idea of looking into co-ops. Each has their our criteria and vary in their "professional" status. Some really are hard charging on that and I can imagine they would be thrilled to work with someone of your credentials =)

[teachma]

Wow, you ladies came through with a wealth of encouraging and informative words! Thank you so much. Thus far, I have just skimmed the responses and have seen many good ideas-- later this afternoon, I will have an opportunity to more carefully read through your posts. More ideas are still welcomed; I will be making use of all your suggestions.

After a 9-moth maternity leave, I will be teaching my public school job from January until June (and I have family providing free childcare of my littlest one until the end of this school year) but I would like to work on getting something else in place for me starting this summer or Sept 2010.

oceanbaby, a 9-1 type of gig would be ideal and is, in fact, just the kind of work I am hoping to eventually attain. To start, though, I am certainly willing to offer some "sample" classes for no charge, to speak for free at homeschool parent gatherings (if such groups exist), and to advertise wherever I can.

[Momma Aimee]

I don't know how you would offer it or word it -- but i know that i personally (new to home school with a young child) would welcome jsut having a pro-homeschooling teacher / epereinced educator to consult with ....with or without the kids there --

also I totally see if my boys stay home long enough a once-a-week math tutor to "teach" then math ...one day with tutor a week to go over new stuff and really expalin .. 2 or 3 days at home with me to pratice and master a skill. Same maybe with Science .... so i can really see us as a long term homeschooling family who will be accessing tutors (like like a weekly pinao lesson )

And I also vote (LOL) for teh book discussion hosting ...

[Aeress]

I would be open to working around several counties, because, you might find that during Fall semester one group is looking for xyz, but in the spring, they may not.

I like my children to experience various teaching styles and personalities. I would want to meet with you for a free workshop before hiring you, so that we would both know if it was going to work. Once and awhile, personalities clash so much, that it won't work.

[LauraLoo]

I would hire you!

Some other very random thoughts/suggestions:
It seems that I see a lot of posts here about problems with finding math programs that work (so any expertise here on making math *fun* while learning would be good,) and farming out extracurriculars like foreign language, art & music is pretty common. It seems like most LA is well covered on the basic side, but a book discussion group/activity group would likely be welcomed.

Also -- I just want to plug that my ds is involved in a once a month boys club that does all sorts of fun projects (building marshmallow shooters, model airplanes, geo-structures, etc.) It's free (except for the cost of materials) but I would gladly *pay* for this since it frees me up to focus on other things. These activities are not necessarily academically focused, although with a little tweaking you could definitely provide a bit more "substance" and still keep it fun. I know that science clubs have been popular.

Originally Posted by teachma

oceanbaby, a 9-1 type of gig would be ideal and is, in fact, just the kind of work I am hoping to eventually attain. To start, though, I am certainly willing to offer some "sample" classes for no charge, to speak for free at homeschool parent gatherings (if such groups exist), and to advertise wherever I can.

I would definitely locate the strong and large homeschooling support groups in your area and talk to one of the leaders to see if they have suggestions. They might let you poll their members, and our HS group does have a Mom's Night Out that would welcome a speaker.

Librarians might also have some ideas for you, since a lot of homeschoolers are frequent fliers at their local libraries - lol! You might also be able to use a library room to host some of your classes and it's definitely a place that you'd want to post some fliers.

If you do teach at a co-op, it might be a very good way for you to get to know some of the local homeschooling families and build up a base to provide additional services, such as tutoring, outside of the co-op.

GL!

[Roar]

In my opinion it all depends on where you live and what you can teach. People get paid very, very little for teaching most kinds of group classs here. Most homeschoolers don't have a ton of money and are unwilling to pay for anything they could do themselves. The money is more in private tutoring especially for high school level math.

[AAK]

I know my strengths and weaknesses. I would definitely hire someone for English composition as dd gets older. Also, Spanish. . .I don't speak it. Dd goes to a class for that (she loves languages).

But other options include: finding the co-ops in your area. I know of two that hire teachers to teach their kids certain subjects. I think the teachers love it! They get a small classroom, parents that want to participate, and virtually no behavior problems. Also, they get a better pay with several parents participating--most of us wouldn't be able to afford much hourly.

My sil tutors both high school and homeschool kids in Spanish.

Also, if I were a teacher and wanted to stay at home instead, I would get certified as a Barton tutor (look up susan barton reading) and would use her program to tutor children with dyslexia. In our area the closest tutor is 30-40 minutes away.

Amy

eta: in our state many people use a virtual school--I ran into one of the "teachers" for Columbia Virtual Academy while my dd was at piano. She loved her job because it was more consulting and assisting the parents and she was able to do most of it at home--from her computer. Later I ran into another CVA teacher--she was in charge of creating social opportunities for the virtual students. (that day she was the contact person at a theater performance--I saw her in the lobby as I was the contact person for our homeschool group). She also loved her job. She said it was great to be around people who loved they way they got to learn.

[zeldamomma]

Well, for me, a 9-1 kind of deal would be too much, too much time, likely too much money, and too much of my kids' academic life taken over by someone else. Homeschooling parents tend to have VERY STRONG opinions about how their kids should be taught, and they expect the teacher to take their opinions into account. If you did offer a 9-1 kind of deal, I would try to spell out your goals and methods as clearly as possible. It would be very much like starting a school.

If you wanted to start smaller, you could contact local homeschool coops. There are several in our area that are always looking for new teachers. You could also look into offering a class for homeschoolers through the local park and rec department. If you went that way, I would contact local homeschooling groups to promote it.

The homeschooling community in my area can be a little insular, and parents might hesitate to drop their kids off at your home unless they or their friends know you. If you're planning to offer classes for kids, rather than teens, you might want to plan for at least some parents to stay and observe at least the first few classes, and perhaps all of them, and recognize that they may have younger siblings in tow. (If you prefer not to have younger siblings tagging along, I would mention that specifically at some point early in the registration process).

[Momma Aimee]

another thought
Iowa has like 3 or 4 yahoo groups for homeschoolers -- that might be a place to post in your state.

Aimee