Parents and Teachers Starting 'Learning Pods' Are Done Waiting for Permission

Intellectual Takeout ^ | 8/4 | Kerry McDonald

[AT7Saluki]

These learning pods, or in-home microschools, involve small groups of families coming together to take turns facilitating a curriculum for their children in their homes, or pooling resources to hire a teacher or college student to lead instruction. They are a creative, spontaneous response to uncertain or undesirable school reopening plans that make at-home learning easier, more practical, and more enjoyable for more families.

These pods are also a prime example of what Adam Thierer calls “permissionless innovation,” where new solutions and discoveries are born without explicit regulatory blessings. In his book, Thierer explains: “The best solutions to complex social problems are almost always organic and ‘bottom-up’ in nature.”

[AT7Saluki]

Schools and universities may be signing their own death warrants (without knowing?). Suddenly, all those who've insisted on "professional" schooling (indoctrination) starting from pre-K are now declaring that to be too dangerous. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Americans are well heeled in inventing.

[avenir]

Sounds great. Top Down loathes the “organic” simplicity of Bottom Up.

[EEGator]

Smaller, homeschool groups is the one potential positive to come from Covid.

[KarlInOhio]

These pods are also a prime example of what Adam Thierer calls “permissionless innovation,” where new solutions and discoveries are born without explicit regulatory blessings.

Which is why the left wants a society where everything is either required or prohibited, without room for freedom of choice.

[PGR88]

This is how “public schooling” actually started in the 19th century. The local families got together and hired a “school mistress”

Its time to dump the present format of bureaucratic, political, time-wasting, expensive, and unionized government schools.

[circlecity]

You know they are effective because the left has been branding them as racist.

[metmom]

Homeschooling wins.

[metmom]

Right?

Like we have to have permission to think for ourselves of come up with creative solutions for the problems we face?

Screw that.

[knarf]

Welcome back to the LOCAL, one room schoolhouse.

IMO ... the public school system has died and many teachers are seeing it.

A few smart ones are promoting themselves in their own communities and neighborhoods.

Ther's more to life than financial security .... WAY more.

[jdsteel]

Better education, less political indoctrination, no violence...all they need is to have tax money follow the child instead of the factory government schools.

[MayflowerMadam]

How would someone connect with one of the pods or micros to teach? DH is a retired physicist and we discussed him doing something like this — teaching math, etc., to school kids.

[FoxInSocks]

or pooling resources to hire a teacher or college student to lead instruction

Teachers remaining on the payroll and not showing up to teach at school should be banned from getting paid for tutoring.

[hanamizu]

Nope, sorry. The New York Times has already declared Learning Pods to be racist and an example of white supremacy. It explained how white parents caring for their children is holding back ‘children of color’.

[goodnesswins]

Start with a search of homeschooling groups...or put an ad in local news place? Next door?

[Disambiguator]

Get in touch with your state homeschooling organizations. They should be able to connect you to some local groups.

[MayflowerMadam]

Thanks for the tips. We don’t have kids or grandkids, so we’re totally out of touch with all things school related.

[CFW]

Find your local community or county’s facebook page and post a notice there if you are willing to teach small groups. I’m sure you will receive some responses. For instance, our county has a “for sale/wanted” facebook page, I’m sure there is something similar in your town or county.

[MayflowerMadam]

We don’t do FB, but I think we can ask friends who have grandchildren. Thank you!

[CurlyDave]

Back to those “racist” neighborhood schools.

And I guarantee that every well-behaved minority kid will be welcome, and every poorly behaved kid, of every race, will be sent home.

[zerosix]

Actually my grandson was hired by a large “school” in China to teach mostly boys (they abort their little girls so there’s less of them) English. The Chinese all want their children learning and speaking English but not British, Australian, NZ, etc.

They hire some Canadians but mostly young American males in good health, no tats, no druggies nor boozers, polite well-spoken and in his case, light brown/blond hair, green eyes and a smile with dimples (which I understand Chinese women find adorable) and 5’7!”

After he completed his original contract of two years, some of the moms got together and offered him the same salary, benefits plus a very lucrative bonus, to teach their children in one of the homes and made it possible for him to travel, taking the children on outings and teaching them American games our kids play at school and at home.

Nicholas helped the kids with crafts and they experienced other things that he did as a Cub Scout, played soccer and taught them tumbling and other physical education young boys learn in the U.S.

These parents were all ecstatic that their kids were learning but also having fun (no emphasis on “fun” in China, rolling around on the floor, which no Chinese kids experience - ever!)

If wealthy Chinese parents desire their kids to learn from home schools rather than their very elite schools with lots of perks, why wouldn’t want the same American parents desire the same?