Welcome to Trailblazers!
Instructor: Amy Sachs
Classes for 7 to 8 yrs
Our Teaching Philosophy
As your child’s teacher, my primary goal is to engage each student by making the content I teach meaningful and relevant to their lives. I believe that learning should be active and dynamic, so we spend very little time seated at desks. Instead, students are up and moving—interacting with their peers and the world around them, exploring concepts, gathering information, analyzing findings, and engaging in lively discussions about their discoveries!
In our classroom, students are encouraged to make connections and express their opinions freely, without fear of criticism. I believe that children must feel safe and heard in order to thrive. At the same time, they are taught the importance of caring for one another and putting others’ needs before their own.
We view a child’s social-emotional growth as equally important as academic development. To nurture this, we strive to create a classroom community where every student feels valued and invested in. Each child is assigned a job that contributes to the smooth functioning of our class “family,” helping distribute responsibilities and build a sense of ownership.
Understanding that children learn in many different ways is essential to fostering a lifelong love of learning. We work to provide enough structure so that students know what to expect, while allowing flexibility to follow their curiosity and explore new, uncharted territory when the opportunity arises.
Make Friends!
The Treehouse is passionate about providing a classroom environment where homeschoolers can not only learn and grow, but also make lasting friendships with peers their own age. Offering extended class days allows students to form deep connections with others, communicate effectively, learn humility, resolve conflict, and how to lead others well.
Build Character!
Each lesson taught in our Trailblazers class focuses on a specific theme and includes a character education component. Concepts like perseverance, gratitude, cooperation, self-control, integrity, and forgiveness are modeled, taught, and practiced in every class! Often times, a fun game or activity is used to demonstrate a specific trait to give students a more concrete understanding of the skill.
Learn Fun Stuff!
All Trailblazers lessons are based on themes that kids love! Some favorites are Young Writer’s Workshop, Curious Minds S.T.E.M., Extreme Weather, Adventures Around the World, Oceanography, Fun with Figures (math games), Astronomy, Sailing Through Stories, Amazing Animals & Insects, and many more! Lessons are taught using a cross-curricular approach and are designed to appeal to all types of learning styles including: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.