About Us

Mission Statement

To create an inclusive community for students to learn from passionate teachers, build their ideas, gain hands-on experience, and form enriching, supportive relationships.

 

Painters brushesAt IfSpace, homeschooling parents are invited to choose the program that best suits the educational needs of their child. We provide hands-on, collaborative, experiential classes taught by passionate teachers to help cement the learning parents facilitate at home in their family’s personal style.  With both our Microschool and enrichment program options, parents may sign up for a single one-hour class, or fill entire days with back-to-back instructional classes and independent time, allowing time for their kids to go to class, complete other assignments, and see their friends.

We believe that IfSpace can complement all homeschooling approaches, from classical to unschooling. Classes vary in intensity and scope, from our preschool ‘messy fun’ sessions to our high school credit-worthy offerings. In every case, families set the pace for learning and retain all freedom to encourage their child to explore the concepts we introduce in our community.

IfSpace is a Community.

Homeschooling can sometimes be a lonely journey.  While it’s true that ‘homeschool’ is often a misnomer because it seems like we’re almost never home, it can be a challenge to find groups and friends that meet regularly in a safe, air-conditioned location unless you participate in religious activities. At IfSpace we provide all homeschoolers with a superior experience in a dedicated environment – their own school, where everybody is welcome. They can meet, hang out, spend time together, and relax, while letting their relationships grow over time.

IfSpace is Hands-On.

The time spent in our classes is designed to be almost entirely hands-on – sleeves rolled, gloves on, aprons tied, hair back, no-holds-barred, experience-based constructionist learning.  This can be hard sometimes for parents to achieve at home, because planning these types of activities takes time, and materials and equipment can be expensive and sometimes hard to come by. IfSpacers will make big messy art, giant erupting volcanoes, oozing elephant toothpaste, room-sized timelines, and stage elaborate productions – all with groups of fellow students, in our own dedicated space.

IfSpace is Collaborative.

There are very few difficulties in homeschooling that can’t be overcome with dedication and hard work – but providing collaborative academic experiences can take some serious effort to arrange.  Learning to work within a group, to listen to feedback and participate in the push and pull of a team environment, is a critical skill.  It helps us see ourselves through the eyes of others, and learn to prioritize, delegate, and follow through with commitments. In addition to these opportunities built into enrichment classes, IfSpace also offers a chance for students to work together during free time to make their big ideas happen.  Whether they want to start a community volunteer organization, write a group novel or play, or build a robot, IfSpace can help provide the resources and time to make that happen for them as a team.

IfSpace is Innovative.

This concept – the university-style hybrid school – is young and growing.  It provides the best of all possible worlds to our students: powerful academic instruction presented by teachers equipped to pass on their genuine love of their subjects, ultimate flexibility in rigor and approach that can be appropriate for all styles of homeschooling, tuition flexibility and monthly billing options suitable for all families and budgets, and a scheduling model that allows students some autonomy from their parents and an opportunity to form new relationships.  In addition to being innovative in concept, IfSpace encourages personal innovation from students.  We want to hear their dreams and goals for the future.  We want to accommodate their unique needs.  We want to help get them there, by standing at their side as caring adults who are invested in their success and happiness.