Instructors

Interested?

Are you interested in teaching a class at SCLP? Do you have a passion or hobby that you would love to share with the next generation? Learn more about what we expect from our teachers below.

Be generous with expectations for students as well as aware of and sensitive to the special needs of each student in your class. Remember, SCLP may be the first group educational setting many students have experienced.

  • Be prepared to teach the lesson. Please read through the material before class time and make sure you cover the objectives of the lesson.

  • Use creative teaching methods where possible. Prepare projects that are designed to further learning for autditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners.

  • Be on time. This means you should be at least 10 minutes early to set up your class.

  • Start and end promptly. Plan time for clean-up. Please be considerate of other teachers and their class time.

  • For the integrity of SCLP families, all teachers and assitant teachers must submit a criminal background check.

Please use email to communicate with the parents and other teachers. Each teacher is expected to communicate to parents:

  • Policies on attendance, refunds and class cancellations.

  • Supplies that are needed weekly.

  • Homework, projects or assignments to be completed at home.

  • Lessons needing review if children cannot grasp concepts covered in class and lessons that have been completed.

  • Behavior issues or concerns with students. Remember to preserve confidentiality and respect feelings. Do not wait until conflict grows out of control.

  • Canceled Classes.

Instructors for the Fall 2022 semester must be available to attend all eight (8) sessions, an open house, and showcase as scheduled: 8/29; 9/19; 9/26; 10/3; 10/10; 10/17; 10/24; 10/31; 11/7; and 11/14. Instructors are encouraged to create some type of performance or display to share during the end of semester showcase.

How teacher absences are handled depends on when the teacher knows they will not be able to teach their class. All teachers should keep on hand the emergency contact information for the parents of the students in their class. In case a teacher is unable to make a class, the teacher is to do the following (listed in priority order) to ensure the class will be covered:

If known in advance (up to and including the evening before the class):

  1. Cover: Coordinate a substitute to teach your class. You may ask a parent, or several, or a substitute teacher of your choosing. It is the teacher's responsibility to find their own replacement. Provide a lesson plan or guidance for the day's activities the substitute needs to teach a worthwhile lesson.

  2. Cancel: If, after appropriate efforts, no substitute can be arranged, the teacher should cancel the class. This may pose a hardship for parents; please use cancellation as a last resort.

  3. Notify: Call and/or email the co-director and all the parents of the students of the class to notify them of the expected absence and the day's plan.

For emergencies resulting in a last-minute absence, notify a board member immediately and make sure to receive confirmation.

Teachers are encouraged to adopt cancellation policies that respect the time energy and money families put into SCLP. If more than one week of class is cancelled by a teacher for any reason, the teacher will directly refund the parents of the students in that class for the percentage of the class registration for the week of class(es) cancelled. For example: (cost of class/number of weeks) x week(s) cancelled.

In accordance with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control, face masks are optional for all participants (instructors and members) during the Fall 2022 semester.

You may submit up to four classes for consideration. We will consider each individually and may invite you to teach one or more. Please provide thorough class descriptions. You may attach additional pages, samples of syllabi, planned projects, or anything else to give a clear vision of your proposal.

SCLP is an inclusive community that seeks diversity in its teachers and students.

Application Process:

  1. Complete and submit the online application.

  2. Submit a resume by email (sarasotalearningproject@gmail.com) or upload directly to your application.

  3. Your course proposal(s) will be evaluated upon submission of a complete application. The SCLP Board will evaluate proposals and vote on an initial roster and alternatives. If your class(es) is/are chosen, you will receive a contract offer with complete terms.

  4. You will have a week to submit your signed contract, deposit and background check. If you fail to meet this deadline, the SCLP Board may offer the position to an alternative teacher/course.

Additonal Notes:

  • You are submitting a course proposal as an independent contractor. You will not be an employee of SCLP.

  • If offered a contract to teach your class at SCLP, you will be asked to submit a $100 deposit to reserve your position on our schedule. This will be refunded after the first day of class. In the unlikely event that you cancel the class before then, this will cover SCLP's expenses in replacing your class last minute.

  • SCLP class sizes are a minimum of 4 students and a maximum of 10 students. Classes that do not meet the minimum may be cancelled upon the agreement of SCLP and the teacher. If your class is cancelled for lack of enrollment, your deposit will be refunded.

Designing a Sclp course

Classes last 50 minutes and meet each Monday for 8 weeks. They are multi-age; you decide the age range that works best for the course you are proposing. We will be focusing our scheduling on the following common age ranges:

  • Early Childhood (4-8)

  • Intermediate (8-12)

  • Adolescence (12+)

You are welcome to cross age ranges if it is appropriate for your content (6-10). Classes combining topic areas are often popular. You can view previous class offerings on our website under the Classes tab>Archived Semesters.

We aim to keep our prices low and most courses are between $5-$10 per class period (so $40-$80 per student). You may add an additional materials fee if appropriate. Lower priced classes tend to fill easily, while more expensive options have to be particularly attractive.

It is SCLP policy that families with a student attending more than one class with the same instructor or that have more than one student in the same class will receive a 10% discount on the registration fee.