How to Homeschool Without Doing It Alone: The Role of a Private Teacher
For many families, homeschooling offers the flexibility, customization, and pace traditional schools can’t match. But while the freedom is exciting, it can also feel daunting. Between selecting and customizing curriculum, planning lessons, assessing student progress, AND balancing work and family life, many parents quickly realize they are in over their heads.
That’s where a private teacher comes in: bridging the gap between homeschooling independence and professional educational support.
Why Families Choose to Homeschool
Every family’s reason is different. Some want to move away from rigid school structures. Others are seeking stronger academics, more enrichment, or a better fit for their child’s learning style or mental health needs. Increasingly, families are also choosing homeschooling for the flexibility to travel or live seasonally in multiple locations.
Whatever the reason, one truth is universal: parents want their children to thrive, not just academically but emotionally and creatively. And that’s hard to do while trying to be parent, teacher, and administrator all at once.
The Role of a Private Teacher
A private teacher (sometimes called a full-time educator or in-home teacher) is a certified, professional educator who designs and delivers a complete academic experience for your child or children in your home or wherever life takes you.
Unlike tutors who provide academic intervention or enrichment in specific subjects, private teachers oversee the whole learning plan. They bring expertise, structure, and accountability and often collaborate directly with parents to align on philosophy, goals, and outcomes.
At Thrive, our private teachers craft lessons to fit each child’s personality and pace, integrate travel and family experiences into learning, and maintain detailed records.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Every private teaching arrangement is unique, but here’s what it often includes:
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Tailored curriculum: lessons built around your child’s learning style, strengths, and interests
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Flexible scheduling: a school day that marries predictability with flexibility in alignment with family and student needs
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Cross-disciplinary learning: connecting core subjects to the arts and the real world
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Regular communication: Regular updates and progress tracking so parents always know where things stand
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Holistic learning experience: a balanced approach that nurtures academic excellence, emotional well-being, creativity, and curiosity—helping students grow into confident, lifelong learners.
In short: you gain the freedom of homeschooling without losing the professionalism, rigor, and accountability of a great school.
Who We Look For
The quality of your child’s learning experience starts with the quality of their teacher. At Thrive, we’re uncompromising about the educators we bring into our network. Every private teacher we place is selected not just for their credentials, but for their character, reliability, and genuine love of helping young people grow.
Here’s what we look for:
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Deep pedagogical expertise.
Our teachers are experienced educators, often with master’s degrees or higher, who understand how children learn and how to adapt instruction to meet individual needs. -
A proven track record of results.
Families trust Thrive because our teachers deliver measurable growth. We look for educators with a history of helping students make academic progress and rediscover their confidence and curiosity. -
Proactive, reliable, and exceptional communicators.
Our teachers keep parents informed, anticipate needs, and maintain open communication with both families and the Thrive team. -
True passion for teaching.
We only partner with educators who genuinely love what they do. They bring joy, creativity, and purpose into every lesson because when teachers love teaching, students love learning. -
Experience designing curriculum from scratch.
Private teaching often means building something entirely new. Our educators have experience creating customized curricula, integrating cross-disciplinary themes, and adapting materials for unique student goals and schedules.
This combination of expertise and heart is what sets Thrive apart and why our private teachers feel less like employees and more like trusted members of the family.
Why Families Choose Thrive
Our approach is deeply personal. When families come to Thrive, we begin with an in-depth conversation about your goals, your children’s learning styles, and what “success” looks like to you.
Next, we schedule a video consultation to walk through the entire process and answer any questions. Once you’re ready to move forward, we travel to your home for a personalized, in-depth consultation where we learn more about your family’s routines, values, and educational priorities. From there, we draft a customized job description and define the hiring expectations together.
Behind the scenes, our team recruits and interviews dozens of qualified teachers, narrowing the pool to a carefully curated shortlist. We share our top choices with you for final interviews—and ultimately, you select the educator who feels like the perfect fit for your family.
The Result: A Better Way to Learn
Families who hire a private teacher often say it feels like they’ve built a small, high-end school designed entirely for their children. Students gain confidence, motivation, and deeper curiosity while parents gain peace of mind knowing their child is guided by a professional who truly understands how to help them grow.
Homeschooling doesn’t have to mean doing it alone. With the right teacher, it can be one of the most rewarding educational experiences your family ever creates.
Thinking about homeschooling but not sure where to start?
Fill out our interest form to get the conversation started.
