To view a PDF flyer to print and hang up or hand out, click HERE.
Class topics we would like to pursue include 3D printing, architecture, ASL, CAD, collaborative music (jazz band, orchestral ensemble, rock band), cultural appreciation, dinosaurs, entrepreneurship (especially TSSP merchandising), food science, nutrition, sports math (strategy, stats, fantasy leagues), spycraft and white-hat hacking, STEM kit sampling, strategy card games (poker, Pokémon, Magic the Gathering), theater/improv, and zoology (entomology, herpetology, marine biology…). Your idea for a class does not need to be limited to this list.
What learning experience would have delighted you as a child or your own child if only it were offered?
Or, maybe you would prefer to start with our unused curriculum and make it your own.
We would also like to expand upon our popular classes and academic competition teams by offering complementary curriculum or greater depth for older students. These class subject areas include career explorations, data analysis, Python for a purpose, robotics, and sewing.
TSSP is put on by a volunteer-run 501c3. We do, however, pay our teachers. Teachers may set a lab fee to cover their costs for materials. TSSP will cover both tuition and the lab fee for financial-aid students. To make it easy for teachers to focus on their curriculum, TSSP handles marketing, registration, payment, facilities, and more. As an added benefit to teachers, TSSP posts teacher biographies to our website with links, and we share teachers’ relevant events via our Google calendar, email, and social media. Our community is glad that we share these events with them.
A class consists of six, two-hour lessons. Teachers may choose to teach an AM and/or a PM class in a term and may choose to teach one, two, or three terms per school year. Co-teaching and class sharing are options, provided each teacher is pre-vetted.
Currently, we offer classes for ages 4 to 14. The minimum and maximum age for each class is decided by the teacher. Most classes have an age range spanning three years, some two, some four. Broader age spans can be a turn-off for students. A few of our teachers have an AM class for younger students and a PM class for older students or vice versa. Other teachers rotate age ranges term to term. Some teachers structure their classes in a series with the prior class as a prerequisite for the next.
Class enrollment is caped at 12 students and may be reduced in size for new teachers. Parents may be asked to stay and assist in the classroom, and a teen earning community service hours as a trained teacher’s aide can be assigned to the class. We have a substitute teacher on-site every Saturday in case of teacher illness or emergency.
Strictly speaking, TSSP does not do field trips to avoid liability issues. Rocketry teachers reserve a suitable location for students to launch their finished rockets. Chess class students are invited to come to the Queen City Chess Tournament. There may be past examples. These optional outside events are included in the course description. So, there is precedent for families understanding when signing up for particular classes, there is an event for which they will need to transport and supervise their child.
To begin the exploration process, please submit an application through our online teacher portal. You will be put in touch with one of our Teacher Coordinators who will be happy to answer all of your questions and guide you through the next steps. One step you may want to take is to schedule a time to visit classes.
Important Dates
The deadlines are based upon how long it takes to get a background check, ready our registration system, and create marketing.