Teachers become independent online educators, give families options for schooling at home
ST. PETERSUBRG, Fla. - The start of the school year has been filled with tough decisions for parents, as well as teachers, leading many to search for new ways to make sure students are still learning.
Parents and educators are connecting online, sharing resources for homeschooling, forming private teaching groups, and there is an increasing demand for tutors.
For the last five-years, Jessica Smith has worked as a middle school science teacher in Pinellas County. Last Thursday, she made the difficult decision not to return to the classroom this year, saying safety for her family and her students was the deciding factor.
“The risk outweighed the reward,” she explained.
There was just one thing Jessica couldn’t get off her mind: the realities of what education looks like while coronavirus is still spreading through our communities.
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“That leaves a lot of our population underserved by no hands-on experiences, all the electives that they love they don’t get to interact with as much anymore,” Jessica said.
It is a gap she wants to help fill. Jessica is now launching and developing a new business offering safe and fun science tutoring and enrichment.
“Not only could they be focused on whatever content they’re struggling with, they could also be tailored to each kid's interest,” Jessica explained. “Which is the real goal, right? To excite those kids about the learning that they’re actually interested so that they pursue it.”
She already has a possible partner; another teacher who resigned her position in Polk County. So far, Jessica says the response and interest in her services have been amazing.
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“It’s definitely telling me that there is a huge community need for some sort of service like this,” Jessica said.
Amy Harris, a longtime tutor in Hillsborough County agreed. She switched to all virtual sessions and says she is getting calls from families all over the region.
“I do think there has been an increase in the demand, part of it is parents feel like they just can’t answer their kid’s questions,” Harris said.
FOX 13 News reached out to Bay Area school districts to see how many teachers chose not to return to the classroom.
Polk County Public Schools says 69 educators intend to resign, retire, or request a leave of absence. In the Pinellas County school district, 252 teachers submitted resignations -- only seven more than last year.