Hello and welcome to the Hybrid School Builders Podcast. I am your host, Rebecca Foley, and I am so glad you are joining me today. I am a fellow grassroots founder who is hoping to make your journey toward founding a sustainable hybrid school a little bit easier. If you are dreaming of starting a hybrid school, or perhaps you've already gotten started, you are in the right place. Join me as we dive into real stories, practical tips, and hard-won lessons I’ve learned to help you launch and grow your program with confidence. Remember, building a hybrid school is not just about creating a business or creating jobs. It’s not even just about serving the children who attend the program. It’s about reshaping the landscape of education—and we can do that one community, one entrepreneur, and one program at a time. --- Hey guys, welcome back. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about teacher training. Hopefully at this point—if you’ve been listening in order—you have a pretty good handle on the nonprofit setup. I know I did a lot of episodes on that, as well as some of the basic operational overviews. We’ve talked about hiring, admissions, and a lot of nonprofit structure. Those are the things you focus on in the months right before opening. Now I want to look ahead—not just to opening—but to that first year and really all your years: how you train and supervise your teachers. This naturally follows the hiring process. Let’s say you did your hiring in April or May of the previous school year and you’re opening in September. You interviewed people who understood your mission, who were open to the hybrid model, who had energy for kids—and you picked the best people. I’m a big fan of not relying solely on a checklist of qualifications on paper, because it often comes down to the person. You can have someone with amazing energy who loves kids but has no formal experience managing them—and with a little training they’re incredible. And you can have someone with years of experience who is burned out or simply not gifted for working with groups of children. That’s why I get on my little soapbox about hiring for heart and fit. If you’re hiring for older grades, you still want them to love kids, but subject-matter expertise becomes increasingly important in middle and high school. --- Now you’ve offered the job, they’ve accepted, and there’s usually a pause before school begins. In future years—once you’re established—the best training you can offer is shadowing. If you hire in March or April, have new teachers observe an experienced teacher for a day, two days, or even a couple of weeks. That is incredibly valuable training. If you require that level of time, you’ll likely want to offer a stipend. This may not be feasible in your first year, but it’s something to plan for in your budget as you grow. You can also build in mentorship—pairing a new teacher with an experienced one for periodic check-ins over the summer. Even a small stipend makes this feel valued and intentional. --- But let’s go back to the first year, when you don’t yet have classes running. You’ll need to do more structured training yourself. Once teachers sign contracts and know their timelines and compensation, you enter the summer preparation period. I recommend setting aside at least 10–15 hours for training. Don’t shortchange this. The quality of your program depends heavily on your teachers—they are the heart and face of your school. Training needs to include: • Logistics (building use, safety, procedures) • Curriculum training • Classroom management training Start with logistics—walk through the building, discuss safety, bathrooms, shared spaces, cleanup expectations, and anything students should or should not access. Then move into curriculum and management. You can do group sessions to cover philosophy, scheduling, expectations, and shared principles. Two or three group meetings of a few hours each works well. --- When it comes to classroom management, you want consistency across the program—but not rigidity. Give guiding principles rather than overwhelming teachers with an entire philosophy. Distill things down. Maybe assign a short article, a podcast, or a few pages of reading and discuss together. Talk through scenarios. Let them ask questions. Don’t overwhelm them with theory. And if no one asks questions, that’s usually not a good sign. You want dialogue. You’re building culture, not just delivering information. --- Curriculum training follows a similar format. Discuss schedules, lesson pacing, and expectations as a group. Then give teachers experiential learning. If narration is part of your model, have them practice narration themselves. If nature study is central, do a nature walk together. Let them experience what students will experience. You may also want one-on-one meetings with each teacher to walk through their specific curriculum. This is time-intensive, but very valuable in year one. Try to get materials into teachers’ hands early in the summer so they have time to absorb them. --- Additional training pieces often include: • First aid / CPR certification • Clearances and background checks • Mandated reporter training (if applicable) Altogether, this easily reaches 10–15 hours of preparation. --- Scheduling can vary. In the early years, you may need to hold evening meetings. Later, I recommend building an in-service week into contracts—the week before school starts, when teachers come without students and you complete deeper training, team building, and final logistics. Think of in-service not just as onboarding, but as ongoing professional development for returning staff as well. --- After launch, training shifts into support. Your role is not to disappear and evaluate once a year. You want to be present—popping into classrooms, helping, observing informally, chatting at recess, supporting teachers in real time. That presence builds trust and allows you to address issues early rather than letting them grow. You can still hold a mid-year evaluation—formal or informal—but it should feel like a continuation of an ongoing conversation, not a surprise inspection. Self-evaluations from teachers can be especially helpful. They open the door to honest dialogue about strengths and struggles. --- You may also consider: • Monthly check-ins with individual teachers • Monthly staff meetings (focused and time-limited) • Alternating logistical discussions with professional development • Occasional morale-building moments—celebrating wins or sharing encouragement These meetings should be purposeful, not meetings for the sake of meeting. --- So to summarize the rhythm: Summer → Foundational training School year → Ongoing presence and coaching Mid-year → Evaluation and feedback Throughout → Regular, focused staff connection Training is not a one-time event. It’s the beginning of building culture. --- Thanks so much for listening today. Don’t forget to subscribe, and make sure you check out the resources I am developing at startahybridschool.com. Send me an email anytime—I would love to hear from you. Until next time.