How it Works

Why KidTeacher Was Started

Thoughts from the Founder

The inspiration for KidTeacher came from a combination of experiences that have had a lasting impact on me.

When I was in third grade, a representative from NASA spoke to our class about rocketry and space flight. I was fascinated by his presentation, and it sparked in me an interest that later developed into an opportunity to work with NASA as a member of the Space Shuttle medical support team. That wonderful experience was the result of the NASA representative’s willingness to visit our classroom and speak to us about his profession.

I further witnessed the value of KidTeacher each time my sister, an elementary school teacher, invited me to speak to her class about being a soldier and a doctor. Seeing firsthand the impact I could have on the future leaders of our country made me want to continue giving back and to find a way for others to give back to our communities by inspiring our students. KidTeacher does just that!

Spencer Price, MD, MBA, MPH

The Purpose of KidTeacher

KidTeacher serves as a resource for educators to invite people of various professional backgrounds to come to their classrooms and supplement their lessons with real-life, hands-on type learning experiences.

Here’s How It Works

Anna, a 5th grade teacher, is preparing her lesson plans for the following month. Her science class will be discussing weather patterns, and she believes it would be so inspiring for her students if a meteorologist would visit her class to talk about his profession.

So, Anna logs into KidTeacher.org, creates her own private profile, and searches for meteorologists in the area who have registered as volunteers. Glenn, a meteorologist at a local news station, had recently registered as a KidTeacher volunteer because he believed it was the perfect way to give back to his community. Anna finds Glenn’s profile and emails him through KidTeacher's secure messaging system. They discuss Glenn's presentation and confirm plans for his visit.

Anna's students are fascinated by Glenn's presentation and enjoy the change of pace in their daily routine. Later, the students score significantly higher on the weather patterns section of their science test and Glenn, seeing the impact his presentation had on the students, looks forward to visiting another classroom.

Steps to Inspiration

.Teacher creates a profile

.Professional registers as a volunteer

.Teacher connects with volunteer

.They discuss details through secure messaging system

.Professional gives presentation to class

Students are inspired
Teachers are supported
Professionals are encouraged

Testimonials

I’ve seen many different teaching styles during my 40 years in education but one thing remains the same – kids learn best when interested in the subject being taught. Having a real person come into a classroom to talk about their profession captures children’s imaginations. I wish KidTeacher had been created a long time ago! I would have used it regularly.

Joy P.

Thanks KidTeacher! You make teaching easier for me and more fun for my kids.

Kristin T.

My students love it when I have guest speakers come talk about their careers, especially if they bring visuals – their favorite was a veterinarian who brought in several different animals. I never would have found her if it wasn’t for KidTeacher.

Ryane M.

KidTeacher opens doors for me as an educator. No more struggling to find a person from a particular profession to come speak to my class. It makes lesson planning much easier and makes lessons much more interesting for my students.