Don't settle for canned online curriculum.
Get the homegrown version!
Your older students may be more independent with online learning than the little ones. But adolescents' developing executive function capacities are over-taxed by remote learning. Plus, adolescents need peer interaction for both emotional and intellectual development. Virtual or socially-distanced pods provide vital enrichment and stop the erosion of "soft skills," like teamwork & debate, so vital to the 21st-century economy. One-on-one support, meanwhile, lets us focus 100% on your student's unique needs.
Stop worrying that your teen's getting behind. Our mission is to let you focus on your own full plate, without the guilt!
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Get pod leaders with deep expertise across the curriculum & an innovative pedagogical approach. we can re-ignite the fire for learning, right in your backyard.
Anjana Ravi
Anjana attended Anna University,India on full academic scholarship after graduating as valedictorian from her high school. After a year in IT, she realized her passion was teaching. Anjana worked as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science for two years before moving to Seattle, where she began as a long term substitute teacher for kids with special needs at Seattle School District. She went on to teach CTE SNAP Programming for the WANIC program at Issaquah School District, and taught Scratch,Python and Java coding in after school programs. Anjana has to close to 5 years of experience working as STEM instructor at different community colleges, schools and universities at Seattle and Eastside. While not at work, Anjana enjoys spending time with family, surfing the web, swimming, listening to music, and dancing.
Robert McKay
Robert has always loved language, scoring perfect 800s on the verbal SATs, gaining admission to top schools like Amherst, Williams, Vassar, Colby and Wesleyan, in addition to Middlebury where he got his BA. His lifelong passion for writing and education led through numerous outdoor education, urban agriculture and youth development jobs, small-press editing, a book of poems (Cities of Rain, Honeybee Press, 2012) and finally to teaching. Robert taught history and literature for five years in East Coast private high schools, including a startup where he built a new curriculum from the ground up. In 2017 he moved to Seattle and founded Ignite, continuing to work with special education students in Seattle Public Schools and working toward certification in ELL. Robert has helped scores of students score higher on the SAT, ISEE, and AP exams, and has spent almost as much time editing admissions essays as he has working on his crime novel manuscript! Robert's other hobbies include parenting plants and cats, cycling the city, and value investing.
Elizabeth
Ms. Ravi has had excellent rapport with [Building a Bridge coding] students and they came to trust and like her deeply... She was able to tailor our curriculum to
meet the needs of students with widely differing abilities, and work with their individual learning styles.
Ms. Ravi is highly competent, motivated, professional, organized and has a positive, gentle demeanor
which made her very relatable to the students.
Dionne
Anjana... has been my son's math tutor for two years, and have been efficient, detail-oriented and extremely competent. Anjana has a wonderful rapport with my son, and has been excellent in her communication skills, and is readily available for support, even on very short notice.
clients & colleagues say:
Paul
Robert was amazing! If you need help with an essay you are writing he is the go-to guy... I was absolutely blown away by his level of expertise and knowledge.
Pavitra
My son in sixth grade... had a lot of self doubt and lacked confidence when it came to anything related to numbers... Within a few short months, Anjana has worked her magic on him... he has actually begun to care about the work... It's been so wonderful to have his true personality shine even when doing a subject he finds difficult.
Nellie
Robert... brought such a fantastic vibrancy and enthusiasm... his impact on the entire high school... was palpable... Robert's knowledge in his filed (and many other fields) is extensive, but what is most impressive is the passion and care he takes to present these intricate and important pieces, whether it be history or literature... The students... are eager to take up the next question or challenge... that builds upon what Robert has laid down.
Stephanie
He's helping to unlock my child's potential equipping him to be successful... You will not be disappointed by selecting Robert; he's amazing. Highly recommended!
tailored to your needs
The students in your pod have unique passions, goals and challenges. So do the adults! With a lifelong commitment to equity and social justice, we're working to making pods accessible to all and responsive to the whole learner, whole family, and whole community. Find a schedule and plan that works for you!
Academic Vigor
Online school can be rigorous—think rigor mortis—but only live, peer-to-peer & face-to-face learning can be vigorous. By all means, let's raise your grades, prepare you for tests, and get you into the high school or college of your dreams. But let's not kill your spirit while we do it! Discussion, collaboration and joy are indispensable parts of learning.
project-based learning
There's a big world outside the classroom walls. Let's take your school or homeschool curriculum and connect it to the community! With a decade of experience planning and leading safe field trips and service learning programs, I strive to erase the false distinction between "school" and "the real world."
safety & complinance
Pods meet outdoors whenever possible, masked and socially distanced. We get regular COVID-19 tests, and provide results upon request. We will conform to all current regulations and your pod's particular needs around risk mitigation. While King County remains in Phase 2, pod size is limited to 5 students from no more than 3 families.
full-stack, expert support
across the middle- & high-school curriculum
Language & Society
​writing
as actively publishing writers, we give you the tools to hone your papers, creative writing, admissions essays, & more.
social sciences
AP-level expertise in US & global history, civics, economics, & geography, with an emphasis on civic engagement. We transform today's unhealthy news habits and foster curious engagement with current affairs via informed, respectful debate.
STEM
natural sciences
physics, chemistry, life sciences & ecology, with an interdisciplinary emphasis on science & society--especially in light of current events!
applied math
Pre-algebra through Calculus, plus data science basics, data visualization & presentation skills, beginner to advanced Excel, financial literacy and business math.
21st-Century Skills
digital literacy
We bring the full stack of soft and hard skills to thrive in an online world: from screen time management to search skills to coding. Scratch, SNAP, Python (basics and advanced), Java, web design, JavaScript
Teamwork & pbl
Project-based learning in collaboration with peers is a critical part of preparing for college and careers. We restore what online learning has stripped out of school: learning by doing, together.
Personalized Support for the Whole Learner
Social-emotional learning
Caring relationships and nurturing a positive group dynamic are woven into our whole curriculum and approach.
Special education and English language learner expertise
Every pod student has a personalized learning plan. Our experience working with ELLs and students with IEPs and 504s allows us to effectively collaborate with school-based support teams and ensure accommodations, interventions and behavioral supports are translating to the remote setting.
