Why 9th-12th Grade

When I first started teaching, I thought I would always teach elementary students. I ran a once-weekly onsite program for homeschool and online students for multiple years. I tutored elementary students in reading and math. I taught Kindergarten students for multiple years in a brick-and-mortar school. Then I started working with high school students. I discovered that there are not a lot of options for secondary school. I worked with students who had made it all the way to 9th grade without every really learning foundational math, reading, or vocabulary. I met many high school students who were just trying to find the easiest way to complete assignments and meet bare minimum requirements for their grades. They had lost all sense of wonder, excitement and love of learning. I wanted to offer students something more. I wanted to see students want to push themselves, to want to try new and hard things, and to find things they love to learn about. Thus, Forest Dell Institute for Learning was born. It provides a chance for all of these things in a safe and wholesome learning evironment.