Colleen Hroncich
Colleen Hroncich
“We can do this better,” thought former public school teacher Rachel Frevert when she saw her children’s assignments during the pandemic. Her oldest son has autism, and she knew the back and forth of sometimes being at school and sometimes virtual wasn’t going to work for him. He needed more consistency and something more engaging than what his school was doing.
She decided to homeschool her kids, and a neighbor asked if her kids could join them. A few friends heard about it and asked if Rachel could include their children in her group. She launched a microschool in her home with nine kids and soon outgrew the space. Her Integrative Learning Academy is now operating out of a separate house on an acre of land that she and her husband purchased in Peoria, Arizona. She has 32 kids this year and expects 38 next year, which is getting close to the maximum she feels will work in her space.
“Somewhere along the journey, it really turned into this inclusive model, where neurodivergent students can learn alongside neurotypical peers,” she explains. “We strive for a healthy balance to allow both sets of students to really learn and grow together in a space that fosters kindness and community and engagement.”
To meet the varied needs of her students, Rachel organizes the schedule so everyone is doing subjects like math and reading at the same time. This allows kids to go to the class that best fits their academic needs. She adds that they all study the same theme, which encourages discussions and enables kids to move in and out of groups as needed. For example, they’re currently studying geology. Different classrooms may be focusing on different areas of geology, but they’re all doing the same general topic.
The students also spend a lot of time outdoors. » Read More
https://www.cato.org/blog/friday-feature-integrative-learning-academy