| From The Hustle |
| It’s a matter of pods and pod-nots.
Jason Calacanis, a tech investor in the Bay Area, tweeted that he’s hiring a teacher to lead a microschool of up to 7 kids in his backyard. He promised to “beat whatever they’re getting paid.” To sweeten the deal, he’d toss in a $2k UberEats gift card as a referral bonus. He wants to deliver… what??Think of microschools -- AKA pandemic pods -- like premium homeschooling. One expert said private teachers could earn $60k to $125k a year to lead a pod. The pod’s made up of students whose families (probably) take the same COVID precautions. But microschool angst is a big moodSome critics say Calacanis should keep his UberEats card -- they wanna eat the rich. “‘Microschool’ does a really good job of making ‘governess’ sound fresh and modern,” one tweeter shot back. Others say microschools could leave kids from low-income families and students with disabilities behind. Not everyone thinks it’s microfoolishOne teacher tweeted that pods could personalize instruction: “No bureaucracy. Know your students better. Teach broadly. More tutoring. Better feedback.” Calacanis said he’ll offer merit-based scholarships to families who can’t afford to pay, and he’s interested in investing in microschool platforms. A handful of them are already forming: Winnie, a day care search platform, now shows whether a facility accepts school-age children. CareVillage lets families share costs for tutors and other resources. Wonderschool helps preschool instructors open early child care centers. It just launched a program to create microschools. |
