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 fields.

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

Foundations in Writing

Master Teacher: Charmayne Rush
Classroom Teacher: Brittellen Luciano
Classroom Teacher: Kristen Slone
Classroom Teacher: Devon Kelly

English 1: Exploring Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Caleb Nelson
Master Teacher: Andrea Hardy
Classroom Teacher: Linda Davidson
Classroom Teacher: Brittellen Luciano

English 2: World Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Emily-Rose Cockerham
Classroom Teacher: Lindsay Hill
Classroom Teacher: Karin Morin
Classroom Teacher: Ruth Henderson

English 3: American Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Emily-Rose Cockerham
Classroom Teacher: Thomas Lubben
Classroom Teacher: Amber Drew

English 4: British Literature & Writing

Master Teacher: Leilani Mueller
Classroom Teacher: Graham Jackson

AP^® English Language and Composition

Classroom Teacher: Kristen Slone
Classroom Teacher: Amber Drew

AP^® English Literature and Composition

Master Teacher: Cory Grewell, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Caleb Nelson

Mathematics

Pre-Algebra

Master Teacher: Heather Kipp

Algebra 1

Master Teacher: Angela Ellis
Classroom Teacher: Paige Jackson
Classroom Teacher: Sharon Fisher

Algebra 2

Master Teacher: Angela Ellis
Classroom Teacher: Laura Priano

Geometry

Master Teacher: Angela Ellis
Classroom Teacher: Paige Jackson

Pre-Calculus & Trigonometry

Master Teacher: Elizabeth Shimada
Classroom Teacher: Amber Knapp

AP^® Calculus AB

Master Teacher: Newton Quan
Classroom Teacher: Amber Knapp

Science

Biology w/ Lab

Classroom Teacher: Lilli Ann Miller
Classroom Teacher: Noelle Stillman
Classroom Teacher: Emily Payne

Chemistry w/ Lab

Master Teacher: Kerri Adkins, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Ed Gomes
Classroom Teacher: Holly Cozzie

Physics w/ Lab

Master Teacher: Newton Quan
Classroom Teacher: Elizabeth Shimada

Government & Economics

iCitizen Live

Master Teacher: Jeremiah Lorrig

Constitutional Law

Master Teacher: Peter Kamakawiwoole, JD

AP^® U.S. Government and Politics

Master Teacher: Miriam McElvain

AP^® Microeconomics

Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine
Classroom Teacher: Sandra Miller

AP^® Macroeconomics

Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine
Classroom Teacher: Sandra Miller

Foreign Languages

Spanish 1

Master Teacher: Kate Blevins
Classroom Teacher: Sara Hall
Classroom Teacher: Sara Harllee
Classroom Teacher: Heidi Jones
Classroom Teacher: Angela Stoltzfus

Spanish 2

Master Teacher: Eric Arthurton
Classroom Teacher: Silvia Petit
Classroom Teacher: Sara Hall

Spanish 3

Master Teacher: Eric Arthurton
Classroom Teacher: Alyssa Downs

Latin 1

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Andrew Eenigenburg

Latin 2

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Andrew Eenigenburg

Latin 3

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Kelly Freestone

German 1

Master Teacher: Faith Cruz

German 2

Master Teacher: Faith Cruz

Logic, Life Skills, and Business

Logic & Critical Thinking

Master Teacher: Benjamin Guido

Business

Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine
Classroom Teacher: Sandra Miller

Personal Finance & Accounting

Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine
Classroom Teacher: Jessica Hines

History

U.S. History

Master Teacher: Brian Trimmer
Classroom Teacher: Anna Layer
Classroom Teacher: Cally Henrichs

AP^® European History

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Megan Bowman

AP^® World History: Modern

Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD
Classroom Teacher: Megan Bowman
Classroom Teacher: Brian Trimmer

AP^® U.S. History

Master Teacher: Robert Spinney, PhD
Classroom Teacher: James Peterson Brown, PhD

SAT^® Test Prep

SAT^® Prep Genius

Classroom Teacher: Arthur Ricciardi
Classroom Teacher: Sean Welsh

Computer Skills

Computer Skills

Master Teacher: Michel van Essen

Graphic & Web Design

Master Teacher: Michel van Essen

Computer Science

Master Teacher: Michel van Essen