My inner niña would have LOVED to take so many of the courses offered on Outschool. This partnership is súper in alignment with our mission to center children's interests and needs in their lives. We believe wholly in self-directed enrichment opportunities and education that inspires and celebrates learning for our future ancestors. We celebrated the launch of this partnership by speaking with Sara Youngbar, an Outschool teacher over on Instagram live recently and I am honored to introduce her below as she shares more about herself as well as her work with Outschool.
Thank you Outschool and maestro Sara!
—La Jefa, Leslie
Hola! I’m Sara Youngbar. I am a former brick-and-mortar teacher and a stay-at-home mom since March 2018. I am grateful for spending so much time with my girls, but I missed teaching and wanted to make some money on the side. My eldest child was also getting more interested in school and interacting with others, so we decided to try Outschool. Today, I am going to share my experience using this website from a parent and teacher’s point of view!
What is Outschool?
Outschool is a community marketplace of online classes for students ages 3-18. Their focus is on small-group, live online classes, but they offer other class formats as well. In early March 2021, my oldest child and I started our Outschool journey. I took advantage of their free introductory webinar for parents to learn all the basics of Outschool, including how to find the right class, how to use Zoom during class, how to successfully prepare for class, and more! It was a game-changer!
Outschool Has High Standards
Privacy and security is huge for parents. Thankfully, Outschool contains a rigorous teacher screening process which includes a detailed application and background check. Outschool staff carefully reviews each class submitted by teachers before they are published to confirm its quality and adherence to Outschool's Class Content Policy. For more information related to safety, visit this link.
Having a Passion in the Class Topic Goes a Long Way!
As a new Outschool teacher, I wasn’t sure what subjects to focus on. My inner light bulb turned on one day during my umpteenth watch of Selena! I ran to my laptop, logged in to Outschool, and immediately started searching keywords such as “Latina”, “Latinx”, or “Latino”. No results came up. Looking back as a kid, I was disappointed in the lack of Mexican-American or Latinx representation in my social studies curriculum. With that in mind, I got to work and started researching my new topics and Outschool eventually approved my first Latinx class: Legendary Latinas. Fast forward to today, I now have thirty-five available classes on Hispanic Heritage and Latina/e/o/x history! It’s been a blast teaching kids about my idols and some amazing times in Latinx history that is rarely mentioned. It makes my heart soar seeing students' reactions and thoughts on the triumphs of Sonia Sotomayor and Ellen Ochoa, who faced amazing odds.
The Diversity and Variety of Classes Makes Outschool Stand Out
There will come a time where we as parents may feel stuck on how to approach certain social studies subjects such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Chicano Movement. Thankfully, Outschool can lend a helping hand in this situation. I have seen classes being offered on this platform that I wish I could have taken growing up! When my preschooler gets older, I can’t wait to sign her up for classes related to Asian American History or Indigenous Heritage! Latinx Parenting has a special offer right now where new accounts will earn $20 USD Outschool credits. Go claim that credit and sign your child up for a class! Sara Youngbar is a Latina nerd, mom, writer, and virtual teacher on Outschool specializing in Latinx history. She loves watching anime, spending time with family, and eating sushi in her free time. Follow her on Instagram @superlatinanerd and check out instabio.cc/youngbar.
I never thought I would have this amazing opportunity teaching kids about my idols! (Frida doll is being used with permission from the Unemployed Philosopher’s Guild)
My preschooler taking the Preschool Math in Spanish for Advanced Speakers class.
