• Following are expectations that were partially taken care of when you agreed to teach at Homeschool Connections and provided us with your class information.
  • You are a private contractor and not an employee of the facility or the planning board of Homeschool Connections.  The parents pay you directly, and you are responsible for your own taxes, insurances, etc. as may be required of a self-employed person.
  • You establish the course of study and select the curriculum to be used.  You recommend an acceptable minimum and maximum number of students per class.  The Connections’ board will communicate with you if we would like to alter the information you provide.
  • You set the cost of your class including copy/material fees, text cost, etc.  You may want to establish a policy for NSF checks and communicate it to the parents.  Do not add fees once the classes have been published.
  • For high school level classes, two written items are required:  a) an overview or description of your class objectives, and b) grading criteria for any students that desire a grade for the class.  Please distribute these items to the students and/or their parents the first week of class.  We would also like to suggest that you provide the parents with a written evaluation of the student’s progress to be distributed in January and May.  Any or all of these items are also appropriate for lower level classes, but not required.
• Do not promise entry into your class.  Your facilitator will keep track of students that desire to be in your class.  Once the class is full, your facilitator will keep a waiting list.  Refer all requests to your facilitator.  This is the only way to assure fairness.  If there is a student you do not want in your class, communicate this to your facilitator.
• Do not change your maximum class size.  Be aware room assignments may change.
• If a student drops a class, any copy/material fees are non-refundable.  Solely at the teacher's discretion, such fees may be transferable to another student on a waiting list.  Be prepared to tell your facilitator if those fees are transferable. 
• Checks for tuition and material/copy fees will be sent to you the second week of June, along with a class list current to that date.  You will receive additional checks the first week of August.  On the first day of class, you will receive a current class list and any remaining checks.
• If any of the classes you are teaching requires a textbook, and the details were not included in the course description, please give the purchasing information to your facilitator who will relay the information to the parents of your students.
• Homeschool Connections cannot guarantee the use of audio visual equipment for your class(es).  We do not have our own inventory, and our church facilities cannot maintain equipment solely for Connections.  If you require the use of an overhead on a regular basis, we recommend you purchase your own.  You may ask a board member for suggestions on how to go about acquiring one.  If you require a TV/VCR/DVD unit on a regular basis, please let a board member know this before classes begin.  Occasional use will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  You will receive information about how to schedule equipment prior to the start of classes.
• Please be aware of the following rules concerning the serving of food in classes.  On Mondays, prepackaged foods may be served according to the polices listed below.  On Wednesdays, there is no eating allowed in classrooms without permission (ask your facilitator, who can get permission from a board member).  If you receive permission, you must still abide by the policies below.
  
  The following would be allowed:
  • Pre-packaged cookies, crackers, etc.
  • Soft drinks or juice not requiring refrigeration
  • Cakes or cupcakes, pre-packaged and purchased at a store
  • Bagged chips, popcorn, or candy
  
  

  The following items may not be served:

  • Any protein based food requiring refrigeration (meat, cheese, milk, eggs)
  • Any salad or side dish requiring refrigeration
  • Any homemade baked goods, such as cakes, cookies, and cupcakes
  • Any fresh fruits or vegetables
  
  
• Please be aware class field trips are not endorsed, sponsored or sanctioned by Homeschool Connections.  We do not carry liability insurance to cover activities outside of class nor transportation to or from any such activities.  As an independent contractor, any event that takes place outside of Connections' time or off-site of Connections' facilities falls under your responsibility regarding liability.  We suggest you contact your own insurance agent to discuss the best way to protect yourself.  In addition, it is your responsibility to inform your class of these facts.
• Endeavor to start and end your class on time.  Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before your class starts so you are prepared for arrival of the students.
• Give your facilitator as much notice as possible if your class needs to be canceled since students will need to be contacted.
• The teacher is responsible to set the standard of behavior in the classroom.  Parents are responsible to help the teacher uphold the standard.  Discuss any chronic disciplinary problems with your facilitator.  Teacher and facilitator will then need to communicate the situation to the parent and come up with a plan to deal with the situation.  A viable option is to require the parent of this student to sit in on future classes.
• There needs to be at least two adults present in each class.  Your facilitators have been asked to make sure there is always another adult in each of your classes.
• Any teacher committing an illegal act toward a student will immediately be asked for their resignation.
• Please bring your own supplies to class, (i.e. dry erase pens, chalk, erasers, overhead pens) as we are not at liberty to use the consumable supplies at the church.  Also, our agreement with each facility is that we will not make use of their office staff or equipment, so please make your copies before arriving at the facility.
• Please cash your checks in a timely manner.
• On a weekly basis, check your mailbox folder for any updates or news concerning Homeschool Connections.  Notify us if your email address changes.  We know many of you do not want to be bombarded by email, so our policy is to email out information only directly related to Connections.
• Since the needs of our students change from year to year, the organizers of Homeschool Connections reserve the right to offer classes, which reflect that need.  As a result, please do not take it personally if you are not asked to teach again next year.  We will contact you in March to let you know whether or not we will have the space available for you to offer a class/classes for the following school year.

Last Updated: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 12:21:27 PM