Your K-12 ESL school can run so well that you don't need to be there.
You need the right materials.
At the Kid-Inspired Classroom, we have been developing our ESL teaching materials for over 14 years. We started from scratch and reworked them over and over again until they became the absolute best materials available for teaching English in the classroom. If you want a school that can run on its own, you need to put easy-to-teach, effective materials into your teacher's hands. Your teachers need to get great results consistently and efficiently across the board. The better your students learn, the happier your parents will be. The happier your parents are, the fewer problems they give your staff. The fewer problems your staff have, the less you have to be there.
You need to provide the right training.
Training is paramount to your success as a school. Everyone needs to know what to do in any given situation so that they can handle it appropriately. The biggest problems are the result of things that were handled poorly, when the teachers or the staff are to blame. When a teacher messes up on correcting homework, when a staff member forgets to tell parents important details about taking days off, parents know they have you backed into a corner. The better systems you have and the better trained everyone is on using them, the fewer problems you will have. Teachers need to be trained on how to teach, how to help weak students, how to challenge strong students, how to communicate with staff, how to work together, and how to support each other. Staff need to be trained on how to communicate clearly with parents, handle conflict, communicate with teachers, work together, and support each other.
You need the right systems.
Technology can take the place of multiple staff members and enormously increase the productivity and efficiency of both the staff and teachers of your school. At the Kid-Inspired Classroom we have also developed all of our own systems on the Filemaker platform, tying together all of the information on students, parents, teachers and staff from the library books students borrow to the teachers' calendars to the school's finances. Everything you need in one incredible place.
You need the right work environment.
You have to create an environment that is team-centered. Your people have to know how to work together, give each other feedback, encourage and support each other. They have to know how to work hard but also enjoy the freedom to take breaks and chat with each other. The school vision of doing what is best for the children has to always be at the forefront of everything they do. Everyone should have to chance to grow and be challenged with new things, have a say in how things are done, and contribute in meaningful and recognized ways.
You need the right consultant.
Over the last fourteen years, I have built an ESL school from the ground up to be one of the most successful schools in our area. Our reputation is first-rate. Our teaching is unparalleled. We get more done in less time and enjoy ourselves doing it. And when I show up, I get to enjoy watching everything run like clock-work because I am no longer needed. If you are interested in getting your school running so well that you don't need to be there...
