WELCOME TO THE INDEPENDENT
EDUCATION PROGRAM
CONSISTENT, FLEXIBLE, EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Many homeschool and alternatively educated families struggle to stay independent in their education programs because homeschooling itself isn’t meeting the growing needs of their teenage students. Many of these families love homeschooling, they want it to work, but they don’t have sufficient access to content that is-
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At the secondary level
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High quality and academically rigorous
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Reliably available year over year
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A la carte
This lack of access puts homeschooling families in a difficult position. On the one hand, they can piece together whatever options exist in their area, i.e. if their local co-op has a great math program, then great. If not, then things get tough. On the other hand, if they enroll their students in a school or program that has more comprehensive offerings, that program will also likely limit flexibility.
This decision between flexibility and quality education is a decision we don't want homeschool families to have to make. Good homeschooling should not be limited to the primary level. We want teens to have great education, regardless of whether they're part of a schooling system or independent.
The vision of the Independent Education Program is to fill that gap by providing consistent, high quality, academic content that gives parents more a la carte options to build out their secondary level homeschool curriculum. We also want to strengthen co-ops or homeschool friendly schools by creating high quality content that can add valuable offerings in their class schedules.
COMMONWEALTHS
AND INDIVIDUALS
We work with all sorts of groups to provide the best education available to independently educated teens. Our model is not only flexible for the student, it's flexible for the group that student is a part of.
A large number of our students are part of a homeschool co-op or commonwealth, while others are enrolled in private or charter schools, or taking classes as part of a completely custom built curriculum.
All of our classes are offered online in addition to in-person, which means no matter where you are, you can access incredible courses in any setting.
If you would like to use one of our classes in your program, find out more with the link below, or contact us directly.
COURSES OFFERED BY THE IEProgram
MATH
Our excellent math program is directed by Gesse Rosa. The aim of this class is to effectively teach math through making math a habit of thought. Students practice small concepts consistently, mastering the principles of mathematics as they would any other skill. As students learn how to be mathematicians, they are better able to handle any problem they're confronted it.
The math program has multiple levels, so no matter where your student is at, there is a class that will work for them. These levels include:
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Fundamentals of Math
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Pre Algebra
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Algebra 1
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Algebra 2
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Pre-Calculus
CONSTITUTION AND
MOOT COURT
Directed by Sam Martineau, this course is about learning the text, context, meaning and intent behind the Constitution. Specifically, students use Moot Court to learn this document inside and out.
Students use real and hypothetical cases in a mock Supreme Court setting to learn the meaning and merit behind everything in this founding document of our nation.
Year one focuses on the body of the Constitution. Year two focuses on the amendments. Students will argue in moot court - both in class and against other students in moot court competitions!
SPEECH AND DEBATE
The speech and debate program (the Wasatch Independent Debate League) has been around for nearly 15 years and is directed by Sam Martineau.
In this class, students learn the skills of critical thinking, persuasion, listening, and effective communication in context of eight speaking and debate events.
The effect of this class on students is incredible, and as a result, students frequently place in national competitions. Not only that, students learn the soft skills they need to be successful at anything they do later on in life.
CHEMISTRY
As the general math and science director, Gesse Rosa also directs the chemistry classes. We offer two levels to students.
Chemistry Fundamentals: This course is for students who have never studied chemistry or understood basic concepts of chemistry. At the conclusion of this course, the student will be familiar with concepts of kinetic and potential energy, the composition of atoms, the history of atoms and periodic table. In addition, students will be familiar with scientists and their major contribution to the advance of chemistry.
Chemistry 1: This class is equivalent to the first year of college chemistry and is for students who understand the fundamentals and beginning concepts taught in the entry-level chemistry course.
BUSINESS AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Students engage in a rigorous business building experience that both deepens their knowledge of business, but also helps them become more creative, as well as better problem solvers.
The aim of the class is to help students build their own business that makes them real money. But also, students learn mindsets that help them be successful regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. Not only do they build a business, they become an owner.
OUR APPROACH TO TEACHING
In the Independent Education Program, we take our classroom approach very seriously to ensure that we facilitate the key experiences we want students to have. Our philosophy has four key elements:
ONE
We are serious about using research-based teaching methods. Specifically active learning. Study after study demonstrates that the most effective teaching methods are methods in which you can observe the learning that the student is doing. We care whether or not our teaching methods produce real results, and that is why students are constantly learning in observable ways that require grit and growth.
THREE
We invest a lot of time and energy into helping students develop mindsets and perspectives that aid them in dealing with challenges and growth. We also dedicate our classroom to teaching students to have a mindset that values responsibility, effort over perfection, risk taking over trophies, and motivating students by the desire for self respect rather than the fear of self degradation.
TWO
We take, as much as is practical and possible, a viewpoint neutral approach in our classrooms. While we are serious about teaching students the concepts and practices relevant to the subject they are learning, we are not interested in using the classroom to promote a specific political or ideological agenda. We believe that shaping student worldviews is a parental prerogative, and we seek to respect that.
FOUR
Finally, we try to cultivate the same mindset in ourselves. We are willing to hear and, in fact, seek out feedback from our students because we are more concerned with doing what is best for them than with being right. We’re willing to learn and always trying to improve. We understand that great teachers are what make the biggest difference in a classroom, and we are willing to do what it takes to be great teachers.
MEET OUR PROGRAM DIRECTORS
SAM MARTINEAU, GENERAL DIRECTOR
Sam has been teaching speech and debate in the homeschool community for fifteen years. He is the founder and director of the Wasatch Independent Debate League, which has been introducing homeschooled students to academic debate for the past thirteen years. He has also seen significant success as a mock trial coach including coaching three top ten teams at the National Mock Trial Tournament.
Sam Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Weber State University with a B.S. and teaching certificate in Communication Teaching and a minor in History Teaching.
GESSE ROSA, MATH AND SCIENCE DIRECTOR
Gesse has been teaching mathematics, chemistry, physics, and Portuguese courses professionally for over 6 years.
His teaching methodology allows students, no matter where they are on their education path, a clear way to help them not only get caught up, but have every skill and ability to master the math and science portions of the ACT/SAT.
Gesse has BS in Chemical Engineering (BYU), a BS in Chemistry (UofU), and a BS in Physics (UofU).