The Beginning of the Outside Academy

Phew...where do I start?

I've been working in education nearing twenty years, and to put it mildly--I've seen some things. Much of what I experienced was wonderful, but there were some major deficits in education, and I'm including public, charter, and private schools in this conversation. As a teacher, there was nothing more that I loved more than connecting with students and helping them succeed, but on the flip side, I also was forced to graduate students from high school who could barely read or write. After a while, I started training other teachers and went on to become a university instructor where I taught future teachers. During this time, I reluctantly agreed to a position as a school principal--a position I never actually wanted, but took for one reason: my mother. When I talked to her about the potential position, I also explained how much I disagreed with some of my past school leaders. My mother said one thing to me that changed my career: "Be the kind of leader you never had." Sold.

As petrified as I was, I became a principal and the learning began. Turns out, I loved the role! However, I disliked working with executive teams. I found myself battling it out with corporate folks who didn't know education from the seat of their pants. I fought tirelessly for the students and teachers against extremely devastating educational decisions, and ultimately, even ended up in litigation (just between you and I). I decided enough was enough.

In order to provide students with what they actually need to be successful, I realized I needed to leave "corporate" schooling...and voila! -The Outside Academy was born. The name is self-explanatory: we teach what schools don't. We offer education outside of typical school settings--hence, The Outside Academy. -Outside of the norm. There is so much that is not taught within the walls of typical schools, and I know what those topics and subjects are, which is why we offer them here. As a teacher, I remember being so frustrated that I couldn't fit everything in; I felt that students weren't graduating with the knowledge and skills they needed to be successful in life. We provide supplemental education so students don't face deficits as they're navigating through their education and futures. We want them to be passionate yet prepared, confident yet disciplined, happy yet responsible, and adventurous yet safe.

That's why I opened this academy and designed each and every course myself; it's an accumulation of quantitative and qualitative educational data over the years, tried and true. The idea is to offer an array of courses that are not typically found in regular school settings, and make it enjoyable for students, of course. There's a list of courses under development, so check back for opportunities for students of all ages. Having taught every grade level (from pre-k to senior citizens), my experiences taught me that every student, no matter the age, benefit from the same basic concepts: high expectations and a caring, warm environment. -That's exactly what you'll find here.