AUGUST 27 • 2020 | 21

aimed at helping families 
through the process of starting 
one and educators looking to 
offer their services. 
Lindsay Sikora, an attorney 
and mother from West 
Bloomfield, recently launched 
findmylocalteacher.com, a 
website that helps connect 
parents and educators.
Sikora, who 
is working on 
the site with her 
sister-in-law 
Natalie Mazza, 
called it “a 
white-glove style 
service,
” providing 
parents with access to pre-
screened local teachers. 
“I’
ve heard from a lot of 
parents looking for teachers 
to do either one-on-one or 
pod-style teaching or to follow 
their school’
s curriculum. This 
is especially true of working 
parents who want a teacher to 
guide their children through 
virtual learning,
” said Sikora, 
who plans to hire a teacher 
for her 4-year-old daughter 
because she isn’
t comfortable 
sending her to preschool. 
Similarly, after 
seeing all the 
pod discussions 
on social media, 
attorneys Julie 
Trepeck Harris 
and Amanda 
Rosenberg 
decided to offer their legal 
services to educators and 
families when forming a 
learning arrangement. 
Harris said that often, 
parents don’
t think about the 
financial liability if a child 
drops out, agreeing on a 
curriculum, thinking safety 
precautions inside and outside 
of the pod, or what to do if 
someone gets COVID. 
“People are so flustered 
right now because families are 

feeling the pressure to have 
something in place before 
school starts,
” Harris said. 
One mom, who asked not 
to be named, said she felt 
parents were in a frenzy to 
hire teachers without much 
thought about their children’
s 
needs but felt pressure to get 
on board out of fear that their 
children would be missing 
out. Others have criticized 
pods for benefiting students 
from affluent families who can 
afford to hire the extra support. 
Fees can range anywhere 
from $250 to $400 per student 
per week for a teacher. Non-
teachers charge $75-200 per 
student per week. Nanny/
sitters charge $15-20 an hour. 
Susie Aisner is a mother of 
three and an associate principal 
in the West Bloomfield 
School District. She recently 
commented on a Facebook 
moms’
 group page that what 
schools had in place last year, 
when COVID forced schools 
to quickly switch to an online 
format, was more “crisis 
schooling than best practices 
remote learning.
”
She went on to say, “I believe 
all schools will have more 
robust remote learning this 
fall with significantly more live 
instruction. Schools have had 
the opportunity to improve 
technology, train teachers, 
and plan, all of which was 
impossible last year. 
“I’
d suggest giving schools 
and your child a chance. If, 
after the year starts, you still 
feel extra support would 
benefit you or your student, 
you may find you do not need 
a certified teacher but more 
of an encourager/supervisor. 
Many college students are 
staying home and might be a 
good, less expensive option if 
you’
re staying with your local 
school.
” 

Lindsay
Sikora

Julie Trepeck 
Harris