Instructors

HSLDA Online Academy carefully selects and trains instructors who are academically and spiritually qualified to help students grow in the online environment.

Our instructors come from a rich variety of fields, backgrounds, and geographic locations. They include pastors, business professionals, college professors, and full-time high school educators. Many of them are homeschooling parents or graduates. All are fully qualified teachers with practical and specific knowledge of their subject areas.

In our multi-layered application and interview process, we talk with candidates about their Christian faith, their educational background and experience, their skill in the subject they are applying to teach, and their familiarity with the homeschool movement. The instructors we hire have demonstrated excellence in these areas, in addition to their online presence and commitment to student success.

We offer extensive training and development programs throughout the year to equip instructors and help them grow professionally. They have access to webinars, workshops, and discussions with their peers, in addition to live support for educational and technological questions.

Each semester, we conduct a comprehensive review of each instructor’s performance, evaluating live class presentation, interaction with students, and completion of job responsibilities. Student feedback, collected from surveys, is a key factor in this evaluation process. Instructors receive personalized feedback and suggestions for growth on each evaluation.

In most HSLDA Online Academy courses, two kinds of instructors are represented. The Master Teacher is the academic supervisor of the course, responsible for maintaining course content, setting grading standards, and overseeing all Classroom Teachers who deliver the course material. The Classroom Teacher works directly with students, leading live class sessions, grading assignments, and answering questions about course material.

To read more about the instructors for a particular course, please scroll down to the course you are interested in and click on an instructor’s name.

English & Writing

Creative Writing

Master Teacher: Devon Kelly
Classroom Teacher: Tamara Grubbs

Foundations in Writing

Master Teacher: Cherise Curby
Classroom Teacher: Sue Verner
Classroom Teacher: Devon Kelly
Classroom Teacher: Sara Hall

English 1: Exploring Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Andrea Hardy
Classroom Teacher: Leigh Ann Scott
Classroom Teacher: Sue Verner

English 2: World Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Steffanie Schweikert
Classroom Teacher:Jessica Pittelkow
Classroom Teacher: Neil David Mangrobang

English 3: American Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Jackie Horton
Classroom Teacher: Courtney Johnson

English 4: British Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Leilani Mueller
Classroom Teacher: Graham Jackson

AP^® English Language & Composition

Master Teacher: Kristen Slone
Classroom Teacher: Lisha Coles

AP^® English Literature & Composition

Master Teacher: Caleb Nelson

Mathematics

Pre-Algebra

Master Teacher: Heather Kipp

Algebra 1

Master Teacher: Paige Jackson
Classroom Teacher: John Partridge

Algebra 2

Master Teacher: Angela Ellis
Classroom Teacher: Paige Jackson
Classroom Teacher: Amber Knapp
Classroom Teacher: Laura Priano

Geometry

Master Teacher: Angela Ellis
Classroom Teacher: Heather Kipp

Pre-Calculus & Trigonometry

Master Teacher: Paige Jackson
Classroom Teacher: Dawn Pruyn
Classroom Teacher: Amber Knapp

AP^® Calculus AB

Master Teacher: Amber Knapp

Science

Biology w/ Lab

Classroom Teacher: Deneen Dale
Classroom Teacher: Dr. Sherrie Welfel

Chemistry w/ Lab

Master Teacher: Dr. Kerri Adkins
Classroom Teacher: Deneen Dale
Classroom Teacher: Ed Gomes
Classroom Teacher: Sarah Stoub

Physics w/ Lab

Master Teacher: Elizabeth Shimada
Classroom Teacher: Joshua Hulin
Classroom Teacher: Sarah Stoub

Government & Economics

iCitizen Live

Master Teacher: Jeremiah Lorrig

Constitutional Law

Master Teacher: Peter Kamakawiwoole
Classroom Teacher: Amber Gray

AP^® U.S. Government and Politics

Master Teacher: Miriam McElvain
Classroom Teacher: Daniel Hyland

AP^® Microeconomics

Master Teacher: Sandra Miller

AP^® Macroeconomics

Master Teacher: Sandra Miller

Foreign Languages

Spanish 1

Master Teacher: Heidi Jones
Classroom Teacher: Silvia Petit
Classroom Teacher: Shannon Rosales

Spanish 2

Master Teacher: Sara Hall
Classroom Teacher: Heidi Jones
Classroom Teacher: Silvia Petit
Classroom Teacher: Shannon Rosales

Spanish 3

Master Teacher: Sara Hall

Latin 1

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo
Classroom Teacher: Andrew Eenigenburg

German 1

Master Teacher: Faith Cruz

German 2

Master Teacher: Faith Cruz

Electives

Dale Carnegie's Communication & Interpersonal Skills for Success

Master Teacher: Keree James

Graphic & Web Design

Master Teacher: Christopher VanOosterhout
Classroom Teacher: Rebecca Malander

Computer Skills

Master Teacher: Yuki Clark
Classroom Teacher: Gary Bush

Computer Science

Master Teacher: John Partridge

Logic & Critical Thinking

Master Teacher: Benjamin Guido
Classroom Teacher: Amber Gray

Business & Entrepreneurship

Master Teacher: Robert Smith

Personal Finance

Master Teacher: Jessica Hines
Classroom Teacher: Robert Smith

Personal Finance & Accounting

Master Teacher: Jessica Hines

History

Western Civilization and Culture

Master Teacher: Annie Nardone
Classroom Teacher: Cally Henrichs

U.S. History

Master Teacher: Brian Trimmer
Classroom Teacher: Imelda Sierra-Velazquez
Classroom Teacher: Cally Henrichs

AP^® European History

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo
Classroom Teacher: Morgan Geiser

AP^®World History: Modern

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo
Classroom Teacher: Brian Trimmer

AP^® U.S. Government & Politics