Micro Schools: Many Parents Considering Bringing Teachers Inside Homes For Learning 'Pods'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As parents and students await the governor's decision about school this fall, many are looking into a new phenomenon for education.
Instead of kids going to school, some families want to bring teachers to the kids.
"The requests that are coming to us from parents are: we want one teacher who we know is just with our pod," Laura Davis said.
Davis is the owner of College Nannies and Tutors.
She said micro schools or pods are popping up on the West Coast, and now families here are getting an education on what that might look like.
"I have two family friends that have fourth graders. Or we have a small social circle. We are not comfortable going to school if it's even optional, we'd like to have our three or four fourth graders form a little mini classroom, a micro school," said Davis.
Davis said a micro school would be in a home. She said even if kids go back to school a couple days a week, families want the pods to fill in the blanks: education and social interaction for students. Childcare and peace of mind for parents. And even for teachers that tutor who aren't comfortable being in school.
"I think that is a piece that is very appealing to a lot of my friends and other moms out there that are going through this, too," said Amy Summers.
Summers lives in Minnetonka and is a mother to five boys. Distance learning was a challenge. She thinks a micro school could bring back some normalcy.
"I think that the reason a lot of people are going that way is because it did not go well with the mom being the teacher," said Summers.
Davis said the cost for a tutor to teach a pod of six students would be about $45 an hour per student, with a minimum of three hours a day. The ideal number of kids would be six, within a couple grades of each other.
"My number one piece of advice is: we are all going to be OK," Davis said. "We will take the guidance that comes from the governor and from the district and we're all going to work together to support our children."
