The Difference A Custom Curriculum Makes

​

A Freeform style of education means that every lesson and every unit of a child's educational curriculum is tailor made for them based on exactly what they are interested in, what is important for them, and what they specifically need to in order to be as successful as possible for the rest of their lives to come.  What this method does is illustrate to students that they can learn about anything and that they can go from knowing nothing or next to nothing to becoming experts on anything.  All they have to do is put in the time and the work and understand how to unlock that information for themselves.  In fact, the growth mindset that this instills in our students is one of the most important advantages the right kind of education can give any child or teen.

​

Too often kids are taught to believe (at least subconsciously) that they are only supposed to be learning specific facts and tidbits of knowledge handed to them fact by fact, date by date, and equation by equation by their teachers- that the ultimate purpose for this information is to pass one test or another.  This misses the point of an education and makes students feel that it is all worthless, boring nonsense and- in that context- they are right.  This turns learning into a begrudged task that one simply has to trudge through for the sake of society's demands.  But learning is a privilege.  In fact, it is the most precious privilege that we have!

​

A custom curriculum done in the Freeform style format focuses on empowering students to create their own long and short term goals and teaches them how to break any task down (no matter how big or small) into the manageable steps needed to accomplish it.  It is an opportunistic approach to education that uses students' pre-existing interests to instill a deep love of learning and gives them all the tools they will need to become creative, intrinsically motivated learners with high self-efficacy and a passionate curiosity.  In short, the skills they will learn with this type of education will serve them in both their personal and professional lives forever.  

​

​

Standard Custom Curriculum Option

​

• I will start by conducting a thorough interview with both you and each child you plan on homeschooling.  If you live in the Chattanooga/Knoxville area this can be done in person.  Otherwise the interviews will be conducted via Skype or phone.  This is to get a sense of who you are both as a family and individually as well as any goals and interests each member of the family has.  This may run up to one hour per person (including at least one parent and every prospective student). 

• Next you will send me all educational/school records of each child included in the curriculum package as well as a list of all extracurricular activities, sports, hobbies, and lessons each child has had along with the date range for each.  If possible, I also recommend sending a short explanation of their progress/performance levels in each activity and the contact information for any active instructors each child is currently working with.  This is so I have the most thorough understanding possible of exactly what each child is currently capable of and what they do and do not have experience doing.

• You'll receive an email summarizing my understanding of where each child is in their various pursuits and knowledge levels as well as their stated goals and interests.  This is to confirm that I have all the necessary information to do the best job possible in creating their personal curriculum. 

• You will receive your first unit overviews and lesson plans for each child involved within one week of the completion of the above process.

• We'll follow up with a Skype chat or phone call (up to 1 hour) every week at a time scheduled for your convenience for both you and each of your children. 

​

​

Ultimate Comprehensive Option

 

Includes everything in the Standard Custom Curriculum Option as well as:

​

• Assistance finding, interviewing, and training a local tutor if your family decides to hire one

• Personal feedback for each child's assignments and progress during a twice weekly check in

• Homeschool record-keeping services

• Direct progress monitoring and 24/7 lesson adjustments for each child as needed

​

​

​

​

​

​

​