Special Education Teacher

If you believe the best learning happens through trust, consistency, and individualized support, this is an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of two exceptional students and the family who loves them.

We're seeking an experienced educator to provide intensive, in-home academic support for two brothers as they transition into a homeschool hybrid program. Rather than serving as their primary classroom teacher, you'll become a consistent educational partner—meeting with the students multiple times each week to reinforce learning, strengthen routines, and help them build the confidence and independence they need to thrive.

This role is equal parts educator, coach, and steady presence. You'll personalize instruction, adapt learning from the students' homeschool program, and provide the individualized support that allows each child to make meaningful academic and personal progress. Because one student requires significant behavioral support, this role is best suited for an educator with a strong special education background and/or substantial experience supporting students with complex behavioral and learning needs. Just as importantly, you'll help reduce family stress by bringing consistency, expertise, and thoughtful collaboration into their home.

Student Profile

You'll work with two brothers who are beginning a new chapter in their educational journey through a homeschool hybrid program.

The older student benefits from highly individualized instruction, predictable routines, and an educator who can thoughtfully navigate transitions and behavioral challenges without becoming reactive. He thrives with flexibility, calm leadership, and consistent expectations, and learns best when instruction is tailored to his unique pace and learning style.

His younger brother is easygoing, hardworking, and genuinely enjoys learning. He responds well to calm, encouraging adults and flourishes with predictable routines and positive reinforcement. While generally very compliant, he benefits from an educator who recognizes when he needs support regulating emotions and can gently redirect him back to learning.

The brothers have distinct personalities and learning needs, making this an engaging and deeply rewarding opportunity for an educator who enjoys personalizing instruction, building meaningful relationships, and celebrating progress in all its forms.

What You'll Do

• Provide individualized, in-home instruction for both students multiple times each week.
• Reinforce and adapt curriculum from the family's homeschool hybrid program to meet each student's learning profile.
• Build consistent routines that strengthen executive functioning, independence, and confidence.
• Provide proactive behavioral support by anticipating challenges, implementing positive behavior strategies, and helping students successfully navigate transitions, frustration, and emotional regulation.
• Respond to dysregulation with patience, confidence, and sound judgment, using evidence-based strategies to help students safely return to learning.
• Differentiate instruction for two learners with very different personalities, strengths, and support needs.
• Monitor academic, behavioral, and social-emotional progress, adjusting instruction and supports as students grow.
• Communicate regularly with parents, sharing observations, progress, and recommendations.
• Collaborate with the family's broader educational team to create consistency across learning environments.

What Makes Someone Successful

This role is about much more than academic instruction. Success requires an educator who understands that meaningful learning and behavior support go hand in hand. You're comfortable viewing behavior as communication and know how to respond with consistency, curiosity, and confidence.

You'll thrive in this role if you:

• Have a strong background in special education and/or significant experience supporting students with behavioral, developmental, or learning differences.
• Bring experience implementing positive behavior supports and confidently responding to challenging behaviors while maintaining a calm, regulated presence.
• Understand how to proactively prevent challenging behaviors by establishing predictable routines, clear expectations, and individualized supports.
• Can confidently de-escalate challenging situations without engaging in power struggles or unintentionally reinforcing behaviors.
• Have experience supporting students with diverse learning profiles, executive functioning challenges, and social-emotional needs.
• Build trust quickly while balancing warmth with clear, consistent boundaries and expectations.
• Communicate proactively with parents and enjoy collaborating with specialists and other educational professionals.
• Find genuine fulfillment in helping students build confidence, independence, self-regulation, and meaningful progress over time.

Requirements

• Special education teaching experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting students with significant behavioral needs is highly preferred.
• Experience implementing Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), ABA-informed strategies, or other evidence-based behavior support approaches is highly valued.
• Experience providing individualized instruction in private, home-based, clinical, therapeutic, or specialized educational settings is preferred.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with families and multidisciplinary teams.

This role is likely not the right fit if you become easily flustered by challenging behaviors, are uncomfortable providing direct behavior support, prefer highly scripted instruction with little flexibility, or are uncomfortable working closely with families in an in-home environment.

Logistics & Compensation

• Location: In-home instruction in the Nashville area.
• Schedule: Multiple daytime sessions each week supporting both students.
• Days: Flexible. The family is building their homeschool schedule around the right educator and is open to creating a schedule that works well for everyone.
• Time of Day: Morning and mid-morning hours are preferred, as both students are typically most engaged earlier in the day.
• Compensation: $60 - $95/hour, commensurate with experience.
• Employment Type: Independent Contractor.

Benefits

Compensation

Tutors in the Thrive network earn $60 - $95 per hour, depending on subject area, experience, and session type. There are no platform fees, no bidding on students, and no race to the bottom on rates. We set fair compensation and stand behind it.

What you get as part of the Thrive network

• Consistent client matches with families who value education and show up prepared
• A team that handles intake, scheduling logistics, and family communication so you can focus on teaching
• Flexibility to build a schedule around your availability
• Access to a community of professional educators who take their work seriously
• Priority consideration for Private Teacher Placement opportunities as they become available (our highest-tier offering for families seeking a full-time private educator)

A note on selectivity

We're selective about who joins the Thrive network, and that's intentional. The families we work with have high expectations, and we only make introductions when we're confident in the match. If you're accepted, that means something.