Equity Pods for Greater Houston Area

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. 

The Problem: Underprivileged children will fall further behind academically, increasing the achievement gap, and exacerbating educational inequity. 

Our Solution: Begin to bridge the gap and create equity,  by providing "highly effective" educators to teach these children after school. 

When? Teachers will work with children after school for 2 hrs/day from October  thru December. 

Where? Currently working on reaching out to churches, community centers, and organizations servicing same demographic of child. 

Why? We can not passively await change in the equity of our children's education. Our implying "ALL". 

How? By starting with something small, by donating and sharing this page as much as possible. By connecting this page with any potential groups, donors, news outlets, etc. 

As an individual trying to raise a significant amount of funding I understand the  illegitimacy, and potential skepticism that may come from you as a potential donor. Because of this, I am working to create this into a non-profit business. I also plan to publish how all funds are managed and spent. My promise is to keep all donors informed of the progress this program as it evolves and takes shape! 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, you can email: [email redacted]. 

Now for my story .... :) 


My name is Charisse Lyman. I am a passionate educator concerned for the socioeconomically disadvantaged youth in America. I was born and raised in the beautiful state of Washington, and currently reside in the wonderful state of Texas. During these unprecedented times I am acutely aware of the negative impact a lack of face-to-face learning will have on our socioeconomically disadvantaged children. I want to be a part of a solution. I have dedicated my 15+ years as a Teacher, Administrator, and Instructional Coach specifically to supporting students of color who have been caught in the “still separate, still unequal” educational system we have in this country. With the current decision to continue virtual learning (a necessity for the safety and health of everyone) I realize something has to be done to provide additional support for those that don’t have the means, and resources to do so themselves. I’ve read so many articles about families coming together with other families to hire a tutor or teacher. Well, what about the children who need teachers and tutors the most? What about the children whose parents are not able to help/support their learning because they work, or they are not able to access the content themselves? Who is supporting them? This is precisely what this Go Fund Me page has been created to do. 


So what is my vision? How can we all help? My vision is to create the same opportunities that many affluent families are providing their kids to our kids whose parents don’t have the means to do the same. The purpose of these funds is to create a network of many learning “pods” for our most vulnerable students, so that they don’t continue to get left behind. These funds would pay for 50 teachers, with pods of up to 5 students, with a goal to support at least 250 students with a beginning focus on  3rd graders. (After 3rd grade, curricula no longer focus on learning to read, but reading to learn, leaving illiterate students further and further behind.) Students would be chosen from schools with the greatest need (Improvement Required campuses, 100% Title I schools, etc.). Every teacher would be an effective, certified educator. Teachers would be paid $50 an hour to meet with students at least twice a week for two hours. Teachers would commit to supporting their cohort of students for the next 3 - 4months.  I believe that effective teachers should be paid at the same rate of any other profession and $50/hr is the lowest rate any effective teacher should ever make. The more funds raised, the more students we will be able to serve! 


I have worked in the public, private, and charter school sectors and have been fortunate to have worked alongside incredible, passionate, resilient educators who share my same purpose and hope. Hope for change, hope for equity, hope for a better future for ALL of our youth. I have seen the transformation of students and parents from hopeless to hopeful. I know that equity is possible but I also know that I cannot do it by myself. 


I have always told my students that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. That you can accomplish any goal, any dream. That challenges are merely obstacles that present themselves to further develop your character and make you think most critically. So, I remind myself of these same convictions as I write to each of you requesting your support and your donations. I remind myself that, “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. 


And so I am asking, if you can, please: donate, and share this page. If enough of us do small things, inevitably great things are bound to happen! 


Articles that may be insightful: 

https://www.vox.com/2020/7/28/21340222/learning-pods-covid-private-pandemic-education-school
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/fall-remote-private-teacher-pods/2020/07/17/9956ff28-c77f-11ea-8ffe-372be8d82298_story.html


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/many-parents-want-it-few-can-afford-it-amid-school-n1233977


https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/the-learning-curve-the-dystopian-future-of-learning-pods/


https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-16/latino-and-black-students-hard-hit-with-disparities-in-their-struggle-with-online-learning