An Online Learning Solution For Kids At Home

This has been an unprecedented year in education. Many kids lost the opportunity to have fun with their peers while learning at school together. There is no doubt that many youth felt lost in a time of such unexpected change. We needed a solution for the pandemic – and that was online learning.

However, if we can shine a light on some of the best edtech companies, especially those that bring young kids together to have fun while learning, we must do so. There are very few companies that provide online learning to kids in a live and engaging way.

To help youth grow, laugh, learn, and be prepared for the future, it is critical to assist kids in finding those classes that build relationships that with teachers and their peers—while learning, having fun, and staying engaged.

I had the opportunity to interview Wei Hunter, the founder of ClasShare. Wei is bringing a unique online learning strategy to the education field, meeting the intersection of the entertainment industry and education.

Skills-Based Classes For Young Students

Before the pandemic, many schools didn’t offer classes that focused on entrepreneurship, marketing, acting, communication or leadership. When funds are low in schools, most of the time, classes such as music, art, and drama are the first ones to be pushed aside.

Given the rapid changes in education, especially with online learning, many valuable skills that students gain from the creative side of education were either put on hold, lost due to lack of funds and in-person learning, or may not have been part of a standard curriculum at all.

Students can learn valuable skills through various creative means–from a basic art class to entrepreneurship, and even within the world of acting, Improv, and preparing and putting on a show.

Right now, and probably more than ever, kids need fun and creative outlets to learn, grow, and thrive. They also need the chance to connect with like-minded students to help form the relationships that were lost during the Pandemic.

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Robyn Shulman: Wei, can you please give me a high-level description about your offerings?

Wei Hunter: ClasShare is an online education platform that revolutionizes after-school enrichment experiences by providing creative and workforce skill-based classes for youth 8-15.

Shulman: What sets you apart from other edtech companies?

Hunter: What sets us apart is our unique approach to education—through entertainment. We want to engage, entertain, and educate kids. We focus on real-world skills kids need for future success.

Shulman: Why did you launch ClasShare? What was your motivation behind creating it?

Hunter: Last year during the pandemic, I was searching for online classes for my 8 year-old-son. I couldn’t find many courses that were worth the time and money, especially for skill-based activities.

I feel younger kids—especially those in their tween and teenage years have so much time after school, and they should make use of that time and be productive. Kids learn fast, and they can learn just like adults.

Shulman: How are you approaching to teach high-level skills through creative means?

Hunter: Young students don’t need to wait until college to learn marketable skills. While most of the online companies out there are for higher education, many of them are solely offered for young adults. There is a gap in this industry we are filling. Our courses target kids age 8-15, training them to be competitive now for the future. I want to fill this gap. I want my son to be able to make a good income when he is 13. Kids can be actors, Influencers, entrepreneurs, You-tubers, or become strategic marketers when they are young.

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ClasShare Classes Bring Kids Together Again

“There are no such companies exist, and I want ClasShare to be the first one to help our future generation to build skills for a better future.”

Shulman: You have a unique niche that targets the intersection of education and the entertainment industry. Can you tell me more about it? Why did you bring these two areas together to support youth?

Hunter: We all know younger kids want to have fun. We also need to motivate them to learn. The best way to learn is through having fun. That’s why we offer live, small group (8 maximum per class), which makes for highly engaging courses.

We also want to provide a platform to showcase their talents.

Our YouTube channel is constantly uploading videos from our class. We have many shows and commercials, which lead to growth and unique skills that set them up for the future. I hope we can establish a multi-channel network, which in the long term will benefit our students.

For example, here is one of our great shows. ClasShare Improv, Competition Show-Game: Conducted Rants.

 

Shulman: Can you share more about your curriculum, and why do you believe these unique classes will help youth in their future endeavors?

Hunter: Our curriculum is designed for different subjects to target and enhance communication skills. These skills include public speaking, making presentations, creative writing, and even sketch comedy. All of the acting courses help kids build their communication skills in different ways. Finally, communication skills are the top skills all industries are looking for in the workforce.

We are also developing a curriculum for entrepreneurship as well as leadership.

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Shulman: ClasShare focuses on different specific areas of growth and development. These areas include acting, leadership, entrepreneurship, and communication. Why did you choose these particular topics, and how do they help students gain the confidence they need for their futures?

Hunter: These are the most marketable and must-have skills for their future success, and they are all result-based.

Shulman: For the topics above, you built a way to tie them together by focusing on creativity, workforce, and essential skills that students need most (especially now).

Can you tell me about your two most popular classes?

Hunter: For now, Improv and Acting, and Public Speaking are the most popular courses.

Shulman: You also have a monthly Improv show online. Please share more about this exciting experience.

Hunter: Since our Improv class is the most fun and popular class, we can see how so many kids have unique talents, and they are really funny! Therefore, we want to show people how much joy acting can bring to their lives and showcase their talents. We Livestream on Facebook, and we will have sponsorship opportunities in the future from enterprises.

We want more people to support and work with us.

Shulman: Your company is also building a multi-channel network to showcase students’ talents via social media outlets. Can you tell me more about that specific program? What results have you noticed by providing these opportunities?

Hunter: Most of our students have Instagram accounts. We showcase all of them on social media outlets such as Instagram, Facebook, and via our Youtube channel. We are building a community where kids can make friends with each other and follow each other.

We help them to grow their followers too. We have about 2,500 followers on our social media outlets.

Shulman: Also, you are creating a way for students to become Influencers at a young age. What does that look like now, and how do you think this will affect their futures regarding college and potential careers?

Hunter: Since we offer acting classes, we found many kids dream of becoming actors. However, we want to guide them to establish their own brand now, so their names will be their assets for today and in the future.

We want to empower them with the skills and provide them with the tools to become Influencers. This strategy, beginning early, can help them build their portfolio and support their future careers.

Shulman: At this time, you stated you also have career opportunities. Can you please tell me more about those offerings?

Hunter: We are already offering a role-model and brand ambassador program. Students can even begin to make their own income from our platform.

Once we grow, we will have job opportunities for our students from different companies and enterprises. After that, we will provide these potential opportunities to our students. They can think of us as an agency, or MCN-we will represent them.

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Shulman: How many teachers do you have on board so far, and are you looking to hire more?

Hunter: We have about 10 teachers on board now.

We are looking for teachers to host our online learning summer camps.

Shulman: Also, can you share a bit about your teachers at ClasShare?

Hunter: We have high requirements for our teachers. They need to have at least five years of teaching experience, and most of our current teachers have master’s degrees. They need to be familiar with online teaching, which means they have to be very engaging.

They love what they are doing.

Shulman: Please tell me about your individual class offerings and ongoing packages. Do they change each month? Are you building out different curriculum sets based on the results you have so far?

Hunter: We design our own curriculum. Some of these offerings include ice breakers, warm-up games, key terms, takeaways, and exit tickets. Each class is 50 minutes long, so kids won’t feel bored, and they smile the whole time.

Shulman: How about pricing? Tell me about the cost of your offerings.

Hunter: Our prices are very affordable. In the acting industry, classes are usually expensive. We want every kid to have the opportunity to learn acting at a low cost.

Our prices are probably the lowest in the industry. Our average price for a single course is $75 for 5 weeks, and each class is about $15.

We want to focus on membership-only offerings shortly since we provide good customer service. It’s an after-school program, so we want to have enrollment for memberships.

Shulman: And finally, are you currently looking for investors? If so, what is the best way for them to reach you?

Hunter: Yes, for us to grow fast, we need funding to help more kids, parents, and teachers to provide more career opportunities. We are doing great things to impact our future generation.

We are looking for investors to help provide kids with more opportunities to prepare them for the future.

Shulman: Where and how can potential investors, schools, and teachers reach you?

Hunter: You can reach me via my email at wei@classhare.com.

• On Linkedin, you can find Wei Hunter at this link.
• You can learn about ClasShare and the instructors at ClasShare-AboutUs.
• Visit ClasShare’s Course page to learn more about the classes they offer.
• Their YouTube channel can be found at this link.

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ClasShare’s Courses Bring Joy To Students Again (Virtually)

One thing that caught my eye as an educator is having the ability to bring students together through online learning in areas where they share the same passion. With the pandemic affecting these types of relationships and connections, I believe ClasShare is providing an online learning opportunity for students to not only have fun, but to bring back significant relationships that were lost. Gaining new skills, enjoying a class and connecting with former or new classmates with like interests is critical for social and emotional development.