SCIENCE: Biology, Human Health, Living Things, Plant and Animal Life, Heredity, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Space Science.

MATH: Review of Number Sense and Operations, Algebra I and II, Polynomials and Rational Expressions, Data Analysis, Functions.

I hold a double BA degree in Social Sciences with an Education Concentration and in Criminal Justice. Additionally, I possess a MA degree in Education with a Curriculum Specialty and a Doctorate in Philosophy.

I have over 11 years of experience teaching home high school students in grades 9 through 12. My teaching methods include live online sessions through Skype and asynchronous messaging on discussion boards. I have covered a wide range of subjects, including English, Language Arts, Writing, Sciences, Social Studies, Mathematics, and elective courses. Throughout my teaching career, I have consistently guided students to achieve above-average grades. These students have successfully navigated their state's approved home education laws and have seamlessly transitioned into college.

In my teaching approach, I draw upon various educational theories, including education-based constructivism, humanism, realism, and idealism. I also integrate principles of brain-based learning. My methods have been informed by rigorous academic study and empirical research, making them effective in both traditional and online educational settings. My background includes master's and doctoral programs in higher education, further enriching my teaching expertise.

I prioritize differentiated instruction, tailoring my teaching to the unique abilities and needs of each student. I am known for my kind, accommodating, friendly, compassionate, and flexible approach. My classroom model adopts the "flipped classroom" technique, encouraging students to complete assignments before engaging in live meetings. During these sessions, students take on an active role, sharing their newfound knowledge, discussing intriguing discoveries, and highlighting important insights. I actively participate in these discussions by providing additional information and asking relevant questions.

My teaching philosophy aligns with the principles of the "open classroom" method, emphasizing shared learning experiences. In these collaborative settings, we collectively explore what has been learned, analyze the material, and draw conclusions from assignments. I conclude live meetings by providing a brief introduction and guidance for the following week, including homework assignments for the next chapter in each subject.

In line with modern educational practices, I avoid lengthy lectures and encourage interactive, engaging discussions. I recognize that students benefit more from interactions than from passive listening. I consider myself more of a coach, guide, and mentor, working both with individual students and the class as a whole. My aim is to facilitate meaningful discussions, prompting students to share their newfound knowledge and insights at the right moments.

The classes I teach are advanced and accelerated, requiring students to develop excellent time management skills and strong motivation to succeed. My approach extends beyond imparting subject matter knowledge. I also focus on teaching students how to learn effectively. When students pose questions, I often guide them in conducting internet research to find answers. This method encourages critical thinking and research skills. I also extend this approach to homework assignments, asking additional questions that necessitate independent internet research. By employing these strategies, I empower students to take control of their education, fostering their desire and ability to learn as adults. This approach recognizes that students have the power to direct their own learning when equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Homework Offered
🕔 If a student must miss a live video meeting or needs to turn in homework later due to illness, family situations, or other circumstances, I completely understand. I kindly request that the parent sends me a direct private message at least 2 hours before the live online class, if possible. I can still post their homework for the day(s) they miss. It's important to note that, as per Outschool's policy, there are no refunds for a student missing a live meeting. If the student doesn't join within 10 minutes of the live meeting, the meeting will be canceled for that day. Unfortunately, I don't conduct makeup sessions for missed live meetings, but I'll continue to assign homework in the Outschool classroom for them to complete by the due date. Given the nature of homeschooling, there will be a substantial amount of homework, and parents should be actively involved.

🧑‍🏫 Students will receive instruction, guidance, coaching, learning, and homework assignments from me through live online sessions. I'll also post weekly guidance and homework assignments in the Outschool Classroom. Full participation in the live video meetings and the Outschool Classroom is crucial for effective learning.

⏩ This is an accelerated semester class. Students will work independently from me most of the time, engaging with the textbook, crafting essays, creating videos or other projects, and completing lesson reviews for both subjects. ✨ Heavy parent involvement is absolutely necessary to help students manage their homeschool schedule for homework and to provide support to their teen. ✨

🎒 Weekly Assignment Homework:

Although I'm available seven days a week via private message to assist your teen with questions, provide additional guidance, coaching, and more, parent help and involvement are not just allowed but required because this is homeschooling, and most state laws hold parents legally responsible. Parents will need to assist their teen in planning their schedules to complete homework on time, help them with their assignments, and ensure all homework is completed each week. Homework includes the following:

All Homework and Reviews are OPEN BOOK.

1. We cover one full chapter per week in both subjects. Each chapter contains 3 to 7 lessons, and students must complete a lesson review for every lesson. The lesson reviews include vocabulary words, skill practice, skill review, and sometimes writing practice, typically featuring 8 to 15 questions per lesson. Students can write their answers on notebook paper, in a Word document, or they can print out the lesson reviews from the PDF of the textbook that I provide. Students will read their answers during our next live meeting, and these assignments are due within one week. This applies to both subjects, and these assignments are graded. However, if there are issues with this method, some lessons can be turned into projects (see #3 below).

2. The Chapter Review at the end of each chapter must also be completed, either by writing answers on notebook paper, a Word document, or a printout of the material from the PDF textbook. Your teen will read off their answers in the next live meeting, which means this is due in one week. This is open book and graded.

3. Most weeks, but not all, your teen will be assigned a project. This might involve writing an essay, a short story, or a poem (on a Word document), creating a video slideshow (via Canva or Adobe Express), or a digital photo collage. This allows for creativity and fun. Only Canva or Adobe Express may be used for video slideshows. Both programs are free. Google Docs and Google Slides are not permitted. You can find free document programs such as Open Office, Libre, and more via an internet search. This work is graded. Please refer to the Supply List section for more information.

After reviewing your teen's homework answers verbally, we will engage in in-depth discussions about the chapters studied. I'll pose questions to your teen, and they can reciprocate. This approach greatly helps in fully absorbing new knowledge, connecting it with prior knowledge, ensuring comprehension, and fostering analysis. We will then introduce the next chapter, the new homework, and, if time allows, I'll initiate the first lesson with them.

One of my teaching philosophies is to teach students how to learn. In many assignments, students may be asked to answer extra questions based on their initial responses, requiring them to conduct research on the internet and share their findings.

During the final week, a comprehensive semester exam will be administered for both subjects. This exam will account for 20% of your teen's final grade, but it's important to note that the exams are open book. The exam can be tailored to your teen's preferred method of learning and demonstrating their knowledge. The purpose of this exam is to gauge their ability to comprehend, analyze, infer, discuss, and make informed conclusions about the material.
4+ hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
🗃️ Your teen will have their lesson reviews, chapter reviews, slideshow projects, and writing assignments graded each week for each subject.
Grades Offered
🗃️ I send grades for this class every week through private messaging to parents, along with comments, to facilitate parental monitoring of their student's progress. I highly value and appreciate weekly feedback from parents. At the very least, parents should acknowledge the receipt of the grades I send. Parents and students can reach out to me at any time through direct messaging, and I'll respond the same day or, if not, by the next morning, seven days a week, except on holidays.

🎓 I award 2 full-year high school credits for Science and 2 full-year high school credits for Math, as well as an overall grade for both subjects at the end of the class. Four certificates of completion will be sent to the parent via private message (2 certificates for each subject, each showing 1 credit). Depending on your homeschool laws or charter school requirements, you can use this class as 4 year-long credits, as the class is accelerated and packed with educational content. The overall grade is based on the following criteria:

1. The level of participation in discussions during weekly lesson reviews, chapter reviews, discussions of the chapters read, bonus projects, and essays in the live meetings.

2. The number of correct answers on their lesson reviews and chapter reviews while taking into account their individual learning abilities and needs.

3. The degree of participation and thoroughness in their work and research on projects and essays (if assigned).

4. A final semester exam, accounting for 20% of your teen's final grade, will be administered for both subjects during the final week. These exams are open book and can be adapted to your teen's preferred learning and demonstration method. The purpose of the exam is to assess their ability to comprehend, analyze, infer, discuss, and arrive at informed conclusions about the material.

The certificate of completion will include the student's first name, "Outschool," the course name, the course end date, my full name and title as the Outschool teacher, and a final letter grade ranging from A to D-. It's important to note that I do not fail any students, as I believe that regardless of their level of involvement, they have learned something from the class.

A = Excellent
B = Great
C = Satisfactory
D = Needs Improvement

📁 For your homeschool portfolio teacher evaluation in your state, I highly recommend keeping PDFs of the textbooks to demonstrate all the subjects learned from each textbook and your student's graded work from me. These are crucial items to retain, including their written textbook material in Word documents, videos, projects from the Outschool classroom, and all saved assignments on your student's computer, in addition to the saved PDFs of the textbooks themselves. I strongly advise your teen to save everything to a Flash or Zip drive rather than their computer, as I won't be able to send you any of the material once the class is over.

I support unique learning needs by incorporating various teaching methods, offer flexible assignments, flexible due dates, additional resources, & fostering an inclusive environment. I also communicate regularly with students & parents.

Students must have completed my 1st-semester class of English and Social Studies for 11th & 12th grades before enrolling in this class. My 9th & 10th-grade semester classes are not required to participate in this class. 

All sources are independently scholarly peer-reviewed, based on truth and facts, highly researched by the teacher for truthful evidence, secular, and unbiased. This especially includes the textbooks. The textbooks from McGraw-Hill are from the revamped and more challenging Adult Basic Education classes for the GED along with other sources.