homeschool enrichment classes

[EmilyGF]

Have you ever taught homeschool enrichment classes?

 

 

What was your experience like? Would you do it again? What went wrong (or right)? How much did you charge?

 

I'm thinking about offering an afternoon enrichment series this fall. It would probably be 12-14 weeks long in the fall (and 12-14 weeks long in spring if it ended up working out for me as well as the students). I would offer upper elementary science and upper elementary math team/math circle.

 

I'm thinking about doing this because I know most homeschool moms don't feel at home in math and science and I do. I'd also like to work on building more homeschooling community where I live. I think I would only offer the classes if I could get 6 students and I would cap the students at 10. I would plan on hiring a baby-sitter for my littles. I would call it a club and offer it out of my home. I call it "enrichment" here for lack of a better word, but the science could be an elementary core. I'm not sure if I would require the parents to stay or not - that might become an insurance issue.

Thoughts?

 

Emily

 

[EmilyGF]

Evening people? Anyone?

 

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[8filltheheart]

I tried to form a math counts group.  I had lots of people say they were interested, but then 1 boy showed up.  That was fine with me b/c Kathy's dd and then Kathy took over the group and my ds and that other young man had an amazing experience.  But, finding other people actually committed to high levels of achievement and willing to commit time has been a very limited experience.  Honestly, Kathy's family is the only family we have ever met (and lived near) that has been interested in the same sort of things we are.  We have known other families who are academic, but they have been school at home families using programs like Seton and they have had a very different approach and mentality toward school than we have.  

 

Good luck. I hope you can find others interested.  I am excited for my 2 teenage dd's b/c they have recently become part of a teen advisory board for a local bookstore and there are other teens involved who love books as much as they do.  That is pretty much a first.

[EmilyGF]

Karen, when we spent the winter in on the coast in CA, ds and dd were in the sort of classes I am envisioning. I don't think I'd otherwise think it even possible! I do plan to charge a fee and to only do the class if a certain number of people sign up.

 

It sounds like your daughters have found a neat situation.

 

Emily

[8filltheheart]

Karen, when we spent the winter in on the coast in CA, ds and dd were in the sort of classes I am envisioning. I don't think I'd otherwise think it even possible! I do plan to charge a fee and to only do the class if a certain number of people sign up.

 

It sounds like your daughters have found a neat situation.

 

Emily

 

I can picture them based on posts like Arcadia's.  Hopefully you can find a like-minded group!   

 

My dd's situation is fabulous for them.  Their group is responsible for reading pre-pub copies and providing reviews, organizing and hosting author events, etc.  We live close to a very wealthy artsy niche-focused town and this is a local bookstore (not a chain).  The entire town is oriented around its "feel."  (Can't really explain it!) They are also getting ready to start a young writers' club. My 8th grader has been working on her own stories, so this is going to be a double whammy benefit for her.

[Samiam]

I'd never sign up for it...and from similiar offerings that I've seen posted locally...not many others do either.   I've seen various people,using other homeschooling Mom's offer this, and later cancel cuz not enough signed up.

 

Here's why:

1.  We have several co-ops around here...both the kind where the whole family is involved, and mom stays and helps...and the kind where you pay higher fees but you basically just drop off and pick up.   So if I'm looking for a drop off/pick up scenario, I'd must prefer it in an organized group setting where there is a whole organization/board/several people accountable for it all.   The one I signed up my 7th grader for this coming fall is a drop off/pick up type of "Academy" that offers several midde school/high school level classes...but it's run like a business almost...so there's a whole accountability, someone in "charge" other than the teacher.

 

2.  I don't like to pay someone, a parent, that will do a class in their own home, with their children present.  If something happens in your house, to your children, of course, that will instantly become your priority, regardless of who else is sitting there.   As it should be....EXCEPT I paid a chunk of change for my child's science to be your priority...so yeah.   What happens if you become sick, your child is sick, etc etc...class canceled?  Class reschedule...which means I have to reschedule my life most likely. 

 

3.  There's no accountability for you, on my end.  And I am not saying this about OP specifically...but it has been my experience in the past, that a teacher can either be AMAZING or totally incompentent...but I won't know until I paid you, and once I've done that, I have no repurcussions if it's bad.   We once paid for a co-op style class for high school Spanish.  The teacher never provided a syllabus....didn't require the curriculum workbook (I kinda feel that one needs to be doing that type of work along with verbal exercises to consider it a high school class), very little homework, and my son said alot of class was spent with students just talking amongst themselves, or teacher talking about herself...and he knew alot about her life..so I had to assume he was being truthful.    Basically it was a waste and not worthy of a credit.  I discussed it with the leader of the co-op, who had already had similiar complaints.  The leader talked to the teacher (who was paid, not a volunteer, but also a homeschool mom as it where), and we all tried to salvage the class for the year by adding in things at home on our own....but I chose to PAY for this class so I wouldn't have to deal with it at home..fail.   That teacher was not invited back the next year.  BTW, after talking to a few others...that same teacher/mom had in the past tried to offer the class at home, to a group of students...and those families had pretty much the exact experience..so this was her way of doing it, and it was bad.  Personally, I feel that just because one is a good homeschool mom, and maybe even has a degree in a certain field, it doesn't mean they can teach a group of students, and teach it well.  

 

4.  I'd never do this for elementary level...I don't want to have to leave the house for a science class......elementary science is too easy for me to pay someone else to do that.   Math....I NEED to be involved with that EVERY DAY to see where my child struggles and where he doesn't.  I cant farm that out in elementary.  And to do that in a group...where every child walks into the room with different abilities in math......NOPE!  I mean, we are homeschoolers....take 5 third-graders, and get five kids that are all using different curriculum, at different points, and even different grade levels.  Who gets the extra attention?  The child with the lowest math abilities....the child with the highest math abilities..????   Just can not even imagine how that would be worth my money.

 

5.  I wouldn't want to leave my child in someone else's home, with just one parent/teacher.   In a co-op setting, there is usually two seperate adults in the classroom, and various people around the halls, etc.  Very rare for any adult to be alone with any child that is not their own.  And I don't think that you are any sort of weirdo...but unless I know someone and their family very well, I 'm  not keen on my child  being in their home without me present.  Cuz sometimes it's not the person in charge that ends up being the weirdo, but someone else that was on the premises at the same time.

 

I'm not trying to be negative, but just honest in how I feel about it.   Honestly, if you are really interested in teaching these types of classes, you may be better off joining a co-op, and volunteering to teach there.  THey are usually eager for parent teachers, and your own children would be able to participate in other classes....usually co-ops even have nurserys and preschool classes for younger siblings.

[8filltheheart]

Lol! I would never do anything through a co-op, so that is a personal preference. What I tried to start as a Math Counts club was free. What I ended up with was a PhD math teacher who was (and is :) ) incredibly awesome. She changed my ds's life for the better forever. What could have been viewed as a failure was a huge blessing, so I am very glad I tried. It just wasn't what I had envisioned. That is ok bc what our family got out of it was even better.

[fourisenough]

Sounds fabulous to me. Wish you were in my area!

[lmrich]

I did and kind of still do this. I am now teaching core class at my home. I first offered free 'club' classes so I could build a reputation. I started with book club and nature club. Then I taught science out of my home two days a week. Then I started a homeschool day at our local art's center and taught there. By the time my youngest was in 4th grade, I had a great reputation as a teacher and a tutor. I had no problem finding students and still teach out of my home and at a hybrid school. I do have my degree in education. 

[snowbeltmom]

I started offering math workshops and individual tutoring last year in the evenings to both the homeschoolers and traditionally schooled students.  The tutoring and workshops are held in a club, not my home, though.  I have had a great response and the business has really taken off.

 

I had a couple of the homeschooling parents ask me to offer a program during the day for this upcoming school year.  I have formed an academic club for homeschoolers.  The club will meet twice a week from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  We are offering math problem solving enrichment and writing instruction in the mornings, and tennis/swimming/paddle and art/music in the afternoons.  I am teaching math and have hired additional staff to teach the other classes.  The interest in this program has exceeded my expectations.  When I began homeschooling, I did not know a single family that homeschooled.  That has changed in the last 8 years as more families in my area are leaving the public schools and homeschooling.

[EmilyGF]

Hi Samiam,

 

These are exactly the things I've been pondering... here's what I've thought of so far.

 

1. There are no co-ops within 45 minutes, so there aren't really any alternatives. The closest one to the south has incredibly low standards. The closest one to the west is only preschool-4. I have no desire to start a co-op for a number of reasons.

 

2. I plan to hire a babysitter for my younger children and to have them out of the house. I think the house argument isn't really an issue because it would be an issue wherever one taught. If you were a teacher and something happened to your classroom, that would become your priority. (Remembering when the classroom flooded growing up....)

 

3.That is completely unprofessional. A class should offer a syllabus before requiring payment. Secondly, the math class my son went to offered a trial class at double or triple the normal price that could be applied to the rest of the year if one joined long term. Finally, I would probably charge a very low fee (basically to cover the babysitter, whom I'd be splitting with a friend) since it would be my first time offering the class. The fee would be for two reasons: to pay the sitter, and to make sure people actually showed up when they said they would.

 

4. Math - that's not a problem at all. That is the sort of math class my son was in. They explored all sorts of questions outside the normal curriculum. He'd come home each evening from math (which was 4-6 graders at multiple schools) and we'd end up getting into long discussions about computer programming, statistics, number theory, and sequences. My daughter did a class for 1-3 graders that covered different topics that basically never involved numbers and were appropriate for kids who were curious. It is only a problem if you stick to what text books cover.

 

5. I thought of doing a hybrid drop off/stay behind - the parents rotate who stay behind. So if the class is 12 weeks long and there are six kids, each person stays twice.

 

Emily

 

 

I'd never sign up for it...and from similiar offerings that I've seen posted locally...not many others do either.   I've seen various people,using other homeschooling Mom's offer this, and later cancel cuz not enough signed up.

 

Here's why:

1.  We have several co-ops around here...both the kind where the whole family is involved, and mom stays and helps...and the kind where you pay higher fees but you basically just drop off and pick up.   So if I'm looking for a drop off/pick up scenario, I'd must prefer it in an organized group setting where there is a whole organization/board/several people accountable for it all.   The one I signed up my 7th grader for this coming fall is a drop off/pick up type of "Academy" that offers several midde school/high school level classes...but it's run like a business almost...so there's a whole accountability, someone in "charge" other than the teacher.

 

2.  I don't like to pay someone, a parent, that will do a class in their own home, with their children present.  If something happens in your house, to your children, of course, that will instantly become your priority, regardless of who else is sitting there.   As it should be....EXCEPT I paid a chunk of change for my child's science to be your priority...so yeah.   What happens if you become sick, your child is sick, etc etc...class canceled?  Class reschedule...which means I have to reschedule my life most likely. 

 

3.  There's no accountability for you, on my end.  And I am not saying this about OP specifically...but it has been my experience in the past, that a teacher can either be AMAZING or totally incompentent...but I won't know until I paid you, and once I've done that, I have no repurcussions if it's bad.   We once paid for a co-op style class for high school Spanish.  The teacher never provided a syllabus....didn't require the curriculum workbook (I kinda feel that one needs to be doing that type of work along with verbal exercises to consider it a high school class), very little homework, and my son said alot of class was spent with students just talking amongst themselves, or teacher talking about herself...and he knew alot about her life..so I had to assume he was being truthful.    Basically it was a waste and not worthy of a credit.  I discussed it with the leader of the co-op, who had already had similiar complaints.  The leader talked to the teacher (who was paid, not a volunteer, but also a homeschool mom as it where), and we all tried to salvage the class for the year by adding in things at home on our own....but I chose to PAY for this class so I wouldn't have to deal with it at home..fail.   That teacher was not invited back the next year.  BTW, after talking to a few others...that same teacher/mom had in the past tried to offer the class at home, to a group of students...and those families had pretty much the exact experience..so this was her way of doing it, and it was bad.  Personally, I feel that just because one is a good homeschool mom, and maybe even has a degree in a certain field, it doesn't mean they can teach a group of students, and teach it well.  

 

4.  I'd never do this for elementary level...I don't want to have to leave the house for a science class......elementary science is too easy for me to pay someone else to do that.   Math....I NEED to be involved with that EVERY DAY to see where my child struggles and where he doesn't.  I cant farm that out in elementary.  And to do that in a group...where every child walks into the room with different abilities in math......NOPE!  I mean, we are homeschoolers....take 5 third-graders, and get five kids that are all using different curriculum, at different points, and even different grade levels.  Who gets the extra attention?  The child with the lowest math abilities....the child with the highest math abilities..????   Just can not even imagine how that would be worth my money.

 

5.  I wouldn't want to leave my child in someone else's home, with just one parent/teacher.   In a co-op setting, there is usually two seperate adults in the classroom, and various people around the halls, etc.  Very rare for any adult to be alone with any child that is not their own.  And I don't think that you are any sort of weirdo...but unless I know someone and their family very well, I 'm  not keen on my child  being in their home without me present.  Cuz sometimes it's not the person in charge that ends up being the weirdo, but someone else that was on the premises at the same time.

 

I'm not trying to be negative, but just honest in how I feel about it.   Honestly, if you are really interested in teaching these types of classes, you may be better off joining a co-op, and volunteering to teach there.  THey are usually eager for parent teachers, and your own children would be able to participate in other classes....usually co-ops even have nurserys and preschool classes for younger siblings.

 

[Mommee & Baba]

I am a teacher for tutorial classes. Last year I was just a teacher, this year I'm now a teacher and the Administrative Director. We started out last year with 20 families, since taking over and advertising and organizing it...we are up to 60 families.

 

I taught Preschool-High school classes last year. This year I'm teaching strictly to upper elementary through high school. Our enrichment program is once a week. The math we offer is twice a week. We are at a local church who has amazing class rooms. We use the space for free because the Pastor's wife and I are co-Administrative Directors of the program. We offer several classes, a total of 7 instructors who are all certified instructors or degree teachers.

 

Most of our classes start at $5/student per class per day. The math is more expensive for obvious reasons--1.5 hours long & they meet twice a week. The IEW classes I teacher are just a bit more than that but it's because the classes are 1.5 hours each instead of 1 hour each like all the other classes.

 

If you have any direct questions, let me know. I might be able to help you out.

 

We have a study hall, childcare for the teachers, and structured lunch. It's been a LOT of work!!! But so far been rewarding. 

[EmilyGF]

Ooh, snowbeltmom, I love the idea of math workshops in the evenings. I keep on thinking of doing a Math For Love style math salon at a local coffee shop. I should probably just go and ask the coffee shop for permission. We live in such a weird location geographically, which adds some difficulty in figuring out some of this stuff.

 

Emily

[snowbeltmom]

Ooh, snowbeltmom, I love the idea of math workshops in the evenings. I keep on thinking of doing a Math For Love style math salon at a local coffee shop. I should probably just go and ask the coffee shop for permission. We live in such a weird location geographically, which adds some difficulty in figuring out some of this stuff.

 

Emily

 

The math workshops have been a huge hit.  Last year, I held workshops for 3rd-5th graders, 6-8th graders, which focused on Mathcounts/AMC8, and then a workshop for high schoolers which focused on the AMC 10/12. 

 

This school year, in addition to those workshops, we are offering classes for the pre-school aged and K-2nd graders using Montessori materials.

 

Holding the workshops in the evenings, obviously increases the number of students who can participate.  Last year, around 85% of the students were traditionally schooled.  That percentage will decrease this year as more homeschoolers discover our programs.

 

[Arcadia]

 I love the idea of math workshops in the evenings. I keep on thinking of doing a Math For Love style math salon at a local coffee shop. I should probably just go and ask the coffee shop for permission. We live in such a weird location geographically, which adds some difficulty in figuring out some of this stuff.

 

I organized a few math gatherings for kids at the neighborhood library for free.  There are a few meeting rooms in the library that we could booked without charge.  When I polled my neighbors, those interested were mainly free on Saturday and/or Sunday afternoons.  Those interested were afterschoolers and some were double income families so weekday evenings were hard for them.

 

My kids have been happy with the classes they are attending so far. Only their science class is for homeschoolers but is project based and very hands on.   None are co-ops though.  Plenty of lovely family own book stores too with great book clubs and such. 

 

I think the problem with charging is that too low and parents don't respect it.  Too high and parents will opt for private centers. 

 

I have parents asking if I want to tutor their kids for MathCounts.  I don't mind organizing and gathering materials but I am bad at group teaching.