Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #17: Go Back To Basics To Get In The Door

Hi, and welcome back to the blog!

I’m on spring break this week, and it feels good to be getting to the blog earlier in the day today. It’s hard to believe we are in the homestretch of what is quite possibly the weirdest school year ever, so I hope that whether you’re on spring break this week or you’re starting 4th quarter, that you find some time to rest because you, we, all of us, deserve it!

Today I want to share a tip with you that’s been especially helpful for me this school year: getting back to basics.

Please share your feedback on this post in the comments (or let me know what you’d like to see me touch on), or just drop a note to say hi: I’d love to hear from you!

Tip #17: Go Back To Basics To Get In The Door

Can you believe we are already one-month into the new year? This means we are one-month closer to the end of the school year, and one-month closer to principals beginning to plan for next year. 

If you didn’t read my last tip on following up with principals, you need to. Now is the time to follow up and begin the process of getting in the door to teach in schools for next school year!

Today’s tip aligns closely with our last one, and has to do with “marketing” yourself to school administrators. 

A while back, I had a conversation with a fellow kids yoga and mindfulness teacher who was already teaching in schools, but wanted to expand her reach. She asked, “How do I market myself to schools?”

This is such a good question because unlike the rest of the yoga industry, typical marketing tactics don’t work with schools. Principals aren’t scrolling on Facebook or Instagram for “kids yoga teachers”. They aren’t going to studios to find teachers. They’re inundated with business cards and emails from outside providers and organizations looking to provide programming to their students, and it’s impossible for them to respond to all of them. There’s no way for them to differentiate between the well-implemented programs and the ones that aren’t worth their while through just an email. 

So, you might ask, how DO they make these decisions? Well, they’re using the original, most basic, and most effective marketing strategy of them all: word of mouth. 

Here’s the thing: principal’s talk. They talk to each other, and they talk to their teachers. They’re more inclined to hire someone to work with their students who they know has worked for or with someone they know and trust. 

How do I know this? Because my principal told me.

He doesn’t respond to cold calls because he gets too many, and there’s no good vetting process, and he simply doesn’t have the time. But if an outside provider is known and recommended by a teacher, or comes recommended by another principal, he’s going to pay attention and explore those options, because those providers and teachers have already been vetted. 

Tip Takeaway: Testimonials from teachers and principals are your new best friend. Have a friend who is a teacher, counselor, or staff member at a school? Share what you do with them, whether it’s inviting them to observe a class, or sharing student sound bites and testimonials from your program. Ask them to spread the word. Whether or not there is a need at their school, they will know someone, or know someone who knows someone else at another school. 

The world of education may be large, but it’s also really small. Teachers know other teachers, principals know other principals. Leveraging this knowledge by sharing your program with school-based staff is the biggest marketing tool you have, so don’t be afraid to go back to basics to get in the door!

And, if you’re seeking help with expanding your reach or figuring out how to get in front of school leaders, I’d love to support you through my private mentorship program!