Forming Learning Pods

Parents are struggling right now. We all got a taste of distance learning in the spring, and we still have a sour taste in our mouths. We learned that sometimes, the parent just needs to parent. We want to leave the teaching to the teachers.

With the pandemic still raging, more and more school districts across the country are using hybrid models or full virtual models this fall. That leaves parents donning the teacher hat again, grudgingly, all while struggling to find time to work!

What is a learning pod?

Learning pods are a new concept that can help ease the strain in the parent-child relationship during hybrid model learning or full virtual learning. In a pod, a small group of families commit to pay a teacher to facilitate the children’s digital learning, taking the burden from parents. A learning pod is unrelated to the school providing the distance learning and does not intend to offer instruction. The teacher will motivate the children and hold them accountable for the assignments given by their school.

I recently formed a pod for my children, and I'm going to share the steps I followed to do so. I hope they'll help you get rolling with one of your own!

1. Don't panic. Breathe. You do not need to form your pod in one day. It's a slow process and rushing may lead to bad decisions.

2. Decide on the size of pod you feel comfortable with. 

Smaller pods = smaller risk. Larger pods = larger risk. Where is your comfort level?

3. Select a peer group. There’s lots to consider here.

Age and gender of students. 

No one wants to be the only boy in a group of girls, right? Or the only five-year-old in a group of ten-year-olds. Think about it from the kid’s perspective. Aim to find families with kids near your kids' ages, but not necessarily the exact same age.

Grade level

Don't worry about this. We are going for a one room school house system here. Remember, the kids will all have different online assignments anyway, since they will have different teachers, classes, and even learning choices. Mix up your grade levels as needed.

Interests

You are going to schedule some serious play time into your pod. Do the kids have shared interests? Can they go outside and shoot hoops together during recess? Or can they play with dolls during their free time? I wouldn't stress too much about this one… kids can always find a way to play together. However, if your child has an intense interest, or aversion, be thoughtful about who you pair him with. I mean, don’t pod your bookworm with the football team. Or if your child is a musical prodigy, find some kids who like music to pod with. Maybe they'll strike up a band!

Intellectual level of students. 

Not important. Don't worry about it. They'll all have their own work and be supervised by your teacher. It's good to have a diverse group and allow for some role modeling.

Behaviors

This one you should put some thought into. Ideally you will want to have had some contact with your child's peers before, enough to know that they are good humans. No kid is perfect. Stop looking for a perfect friend for your child. Not happening. However, this is one of your only chances to pick a peer group for your child, and one which will be spending significant time together. Make sure the influences the other kids are making on your child are good ones.

4. Repeat step one as needed. Don't panic. Breathe. Forming the peer group is the hardest part!

5. Find your teacher.

You will want a teacher or a facilitator to host your pod. This could be a retired teacher, stay at home parent, college student, coach, or family member. You will need to use your network here. Don't be afraid to reach out for help. If you know a retired teacher, ask her to connect you with others. Plenty of teachers choose to stay home once they have children. Find one! If there's a college in town, reach out to the education department. Use social media. People want to help, and they will be glad to connect you to those who can. Some pods even rotate the teacher role between the parents. Older students may need less of a teacher and more of a coach. Whatever works for your pod is the right choice. 

6. Choose your location.

Your pod will need a place to meet. Will it be the teacher's house? Or yours? Maybe a rotation through the pod members' houses will keep everyone more sane? This is a pod-wide decision so make it as a team.

7. Set your hours.

How much distance learning will be required of your children? Ask your teacher once you get assigned. Remember to add in plenty of play breaks and time for lunch. We're not running a boot camp. One of the best things to come of the pandemic is the opportunity for children to play and rest more. 

8. Pay your teacher.

We are pooling our resources here as families, so we can pay our teachers well. They are taking a risk to come into contact with your kids, so they deserve great compensation. If you are getting a person who is a trained educator, they need to be paid more than a college kid who lives down the street. The last thing you want is your teacher quitting because it's not worth it. Remember that they are putting their lives (as well as their family members’ lives) at risk to help your children. Do not skimp. 

9. Set some rules.

Have the hard conversations before you start. Will you mask? Will you social distance? What happens when one family goes into quarantine? What if a family travels out of town? What happens when someone has a known exposure? What about when school opens more, or closes further? Walk through all this together so that when it happens, you have a plan in place. Commit to open and honest communication with one another. Find more information on this step here.

10. Meet face to face.

Schedule an outdoor play-date or picnic and get the gang together. The parents need to meet with the teacher to make sure the fit is a good one. This is the perfect time to go over your rules from step nine and set some expectations. 

Best of luck forming your learning pod. Remember, this is a great opportunity to build friendships for your child and make distance learning more fun for all of us.  Focus on the opportunities this can provide.

I'd love to hear how your experience forming a pod goes! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to share your stories!