Employment

Currently seeking a part-time Learning Guide (licensed Michigan teacher) to join us as we prepare for opening. This position will begin part-time and is intended to transition into full-time once the school officially opens. We are looking for an educator who loves nature, values child-led learning, and wants to help shape a purposeful, outdoor-based educational experience for K–5 students. Review the Indeed posting for details.

If this sounds like you email your cover letter and resume to audrey@copperlearningacademy.com and fill out the initial Google Form Questions. 

Dear Future Team Members,

Thank you for taking a moment to learn about Copper Learning Academy. We are forming a school with a big heart — and a big purpose. If you’re reading this, there’s a chance you’re someone who feels the pull toward meaningful work.

Copper Learning Academy is being built with deep intention. We’re creating a space where childhood is honored, curiosity is trusted, and learning is something joyful, not rushed. A place where kids grow strong roots and bold wings — grounded in nature, connected to community, and supported by adults who believe in them.

We’re not a traditional school. We’re not trying to be.

We’re building something more human, more connected, more experiential… something that reflects what families have been longing for:

✨ Learning outside, in every season

✨ Movement, hands-on exploration, and sensory-rich experiences

✨ Child-led projects, curiosity-driven lessons, and whole-child development

✨ Spanish immersion woven into daily rhythms

✨ A year-round schedule designed to honor family life and reduce burnout

✨ A community of parents, grandparents, and volunteers who show up with heart

✨ A place where kids feel safe, seen, capable, and excited to learn

We believe learning should feel alive. That’s what we’re building.

At the heart of this vision is our commitment to competency-based learning. Here, children grow at their own pace. We won’t teach to standardized tests, rush through curriculum to “stay on schedule,” or force mastery because the calendar says it’s time. Instead, we focus on real understanding — the kind a child can demonstrate, apply, and carry into the world.

If a student needs more time, we give it. If they’re ready to fly ahead, we let them soar. If they show mastery through a project, a conversation, or an experience outdoors, we celebrate that as valid, meaningful learning.

We trust children’s natural timelines — and we honor their individual pathways.

Copper Learning Academy follows a modern one-room-schoolhouse model — a homeschool-style, child-led environment where K–5 students learn together through curiosity, projects, outdoor exploration, and responsive teaching. We honor mixed-age learning, natural developmental stages, and the belief that children grow best when they feel trusted.

As we establish our foundation, we plan to expand gradually all the way to 12th grade, growing into a full learning community that supports children from early childhood through graduation.

Our rhythms are designed with family life in mind: flexible in-and-out times, room for real family vacations, and the understanding that families will take time off just like adults take PTO at a job. We want school to support life, not compete with it.

We deeply believe that the staff who care for our students deserve care, space, and support themselves. Our staff will have meaningful flexibility — time to breathe, think, plan, reset, and honor their own wellbeing.

We want every team member to feel empowered to take care of themselves, to communicate their needs, and to choose rhythms that help them stay grounded and whole. Healthy, supported adults create healthy, supported children, and we intend to model that with intention. Your wellbeing matters here just as much as your work, and we will build schedules, systems, and culture with that truth at the center.

We’re looking for people who will help shape this approach — people who are brave, collaborative, grounded in compassion, capable of vulnerability, and willing to grow alongside us. People who know that good education isn’t about checking boxes, but about creating conditions where children thrive.

At Copper, you won’t just “teach.” You’ll lead adventures. You’ll help kids explore nature, ask questions, make art, try things, fail sometimes, and try again. You’ll be part of a founding team shaping the culture of a school that will serve mid-Michigan for decades.

If you are someone who…

• Loves the outdoors

• Values creativity and child-led learning

• Believes in kindness, respect, and traditional values

• Gets excited about building something from the ground up

• Wants to work in partnership with families

• Believes in giving kids a healthy, wonder-filled childhood

• Feels aligned with competency-based learning and authentic mastery

…then you may be exactly who we’re hoping to meet.

Whether you’re applying for a posted role or simply wondering if there is a place for you here, I want you to know this: You matter here. Your ideas matter. Your presence matters. And if you join us, you will help shape a school that changes lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and thank you for considering the possibility of becoming part of our story. We look forward to meeting the right people — and we trust they’ll find their way here at exactly the right moment.

With warmth, gratitude, great hope, and maybe some muddy boots,

Audrey M Tipper

Founder

If you’d like to be notified when we begin hiring additional positions — including future specials, support roles, and instructional staff — fill out the “Job Notifications” Google Form.

Detailed job descriptions will be released as roles open, and you’ll receive an email when applications go live.