An exciting new chapter is opening up for Maple Key Tutoring for the 26′-’27 school year —
a high school program!
Schedule and Offerings
Here are the details for our first year:
Location: Tuesdays at High Point Farms, 1:00pm – 5:30pm (class times vary)
Grades: Students (boys and girls) in grades 9-12
Classes offered for ’26/’27: 3 Credits – Art I or II, Agricultural Science, English I-IV
Optional Weekly Tutoring: For an extra fee (click here for details)
Optional Extracurricular Opportunities: Museum trips, Film Club, Theatre, Agricultural and/or Entrepreneurial Projects
Calendar year: Mid-August 2026 to Mid-May 2027
Cost: $300 per month for 10 months for all 3 classes or individual prices for each class
– $90 per month for Agricultural Science @1:00pm – 2:00pm
– $90 per month for Art 1 @ 2:00pm – 3:30pm
– $120 per month for English I-IV [literature, grammar, and composition] @ 3:30pm – 5:30pm
+$25 non-refundable registration fee
$300 per month includes:
– 33 weeks of instruction at High Point Farms
– 1 ½ hour of Art 1
– 1 hour of hands on Agricultural Science
– 1 hour of Literature
– 45 minutes of Composition and Grammar
– Access to tutor via Canvas
– Midyear narrative assessment of strengths and areas for growth from the tutor
– Assignments and number/letter grading given from the tutor each semester
– Optional group learning local field trips outside class hours + entrepreneurial focused opportunities
Optional Extra Fee: – Optional 1 hour, 1 and 1/2 hour, or 2 hours of tutoring time for 33 weeks [group or individual tutoring to be arranged at another time and location outside of Tuesdays at High Point; price per month varies on size of group]
*Sibling discounts are available [Take $15 off per class for each additional child signed up]
REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE to register for the 2026/2027 year classes
Meet Your Instructors
Iris Luce (English I-IV)
Iris graduated from Lee University in December of 2024 with a degree in English Writing. She is currently enrolled in Vermont College of Fine Art’s MFA program in Writing, and has written nonfiction, poetry, academic essays, and new articles. Since last August, Iris has had the privilege of teaching English grammar and composition to homeschoolers between 6th and 10th grade. Her experience over the last several months has helped her discover a passion for education, and she aims to cultivate a cheerful, yet still challenging classroom environment. She is thrilled to continue her teaching journey with Maple Key this upcoming school year.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This weekly course will cover grammar and composition for high school, with a focus on cultivating students’ writing skills and reading comprehension. The class will study primarily classic literature, but a few assignments will incorporate modern works to introduce students to multiple styles and approaches to writing and rhetoric. By the end of the school year, students will have the tools to write a standard five-paragraph essay, understand the different styles of rhetoric, and practice elements of proper grammar.
Pat Clawson (Art 1 and 2)
Pat Clawson is a visual artist who has worked as a “teaching artist” for her entire career. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters of Science in Leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She and her husband Joe moved to Walden six years ago. They love the people and beautiful nature in Tennessee. Prior to their move she worked for The Norton Art Museum, The Center for Creative Education, Hope House, Blue Planet and other non profits in the West Palm Beach area.
Her teaching style is to lead with encouragement and respect, acknowledging that we are each gifted with a unique brain. Each young artist is capable of expressing themselves and building a traditional skill set in the visual arts. The main tool she teaches is problem solving which is useful in all aspects of life. Every student’s portfolio reflects their personality and the individual God created.
In addition to loving art and children, she is passionate about gardening. She loves to watch her garden bloom and grow into beautiful plants to eat and admire. It takes a great deal of learning, planning, nurturing and determination to have real success. She enjoys the challenge and the rewards!
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will learn and use the elements (line, shape, color, value, form, texture, space) and principles (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, proportion/scale, unity, variety) of design through a nature lens given we are located on a flower farm. We will work on various art projects throughout the year using different media together as a class, but also have individual art assignments to be done at home during the week.
Ashley Tanis (Agricultural Science)
Ashley Tanis loves already being part of the Maple Key team for middle schoolers! She has a B.A. in English with a minor in Biology, and experienced homeschooling both from a student and a mom/teacher perspective. She grew up on a farm in New Jersey bordering the Appalachian Trail and spent most of her free time exploring their 10 acre property or buried in a book. Her daily chores included tending to chickens, sheep, pigs, horses, and one wayward cow, and in the summer, she was sent out to their 100 year old asparagus patch to harvest their side for dinner. Watching the streams, rocky mountains, marshy lowlands, forests, and grassy hills of her hometown cycle through each season gave her a lifelong curiosity about the interconnectedness of our world and the creatures that inhabit it.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Using the farm as our lab each week we will engage with scientific principles, concepts, and methods necessary to understanding the natural world. Our hands-on projects and experiments will be continued during the week through assignments designed to have them considering their own backyard environment and thinking critically about the way humans interact with nature. The unit studies will give students an introductory knowledge to foundational environmental concepts such as biodiversity, topography, soil health, and the water cycle by engaging through physical lab activities, on-site gardening, nature journaling, and roundtable discussions about current and historical
environmental issues and how they have shaped our world.
The Program’s Philosophy
A big component of Maple Key is for learners to be responsible for their own learning. We guide them and present material for them to ponder and work at individually and collectively as a group, but the outcomes are always individual as each student tracks their growth through the things we do together and what they choose to pursue on their own.
In order for this to happen, that means as educators we have a responsibility in how we teach and tutor. Here are some key principles for learning that I (Rachel) have already been striving to do in educational practice for almost 20 years, but have language for it now (thanks to Global Learning Partners):
– Accountability (holding myself responsible for appropriate student curriculum and prep)
– Autonomy (giving students choices/agency)
– Congruence (modeling what I am asking them to do)
– Engagement (no passive learning)
– Equity (recognizing not everyone is at the same starting block and adjust accordingly)
– Humility (not having a know-it-all posture)
– Immediacy (the learning can be used right away)
– Inclusion (making sure all voices and viewpoints are able to be heard)
– Reinforcement (finding ways to integrate learning into other areas)
– Relevance (making the learning connect to everyday things)
– Respect (valuing the learner)
– Safety (create a an environment that helps they feel seen and heard)
– Transparency (being upfront and clear about schedules and expectations)
– Vulnerability (be willing to share openly and appropriately with them)
FAQs
Q: What makes your program stand out for high schoolers?
A:
– We are committed to our educational principles (see above) that support each learner and can accomplish this by a small group setting in a very peaceful environment (because the environment is the student’s “3rd teacher” after parents and tutors).
– We incorporate creation care and critical thinking through all our subjects as we integrate what is already happening on the farm into our subjects each week.
– We are able to be very intentional and give pointed student feedback because of our small size. It allows us to help students feel seen, known, and heard which facilitates personal growth for the student (and us!). We believe each student is a worthy investment.
– Everything we do is part of our mission to create educational content and meaningful educational experiences that support a holistic view of the student. We offer practical skills, but most importantly facilitate a way of being for them to discover, unique to each student, that they will carry with them as they continue on in life.
Q: Are these classes co-ed?
A: Yes!
Q: Can you take classes a la carte?
A: Yes! Pricing is as follows:
English I, II, III, IV – $120 per month for 10 months [3:30pm – 5:30pm]
Art 1 – $90 per month for 10 months [2:00 – 2:30]
Agricultural Science – $90 per month for 10 months [1:00 – 2:00]
Q: Where does learning for the program take place?
A: Tuesdays at High Point Farms from 1pm to 5:30pm (see above for individual class times) from mid-August to mid-May.
Q: What is the breakdown of time spent on Tuesdays?
A: 1 1/2 hours for Art; 1 hour for lab Agricultural Science; 2 hours broken up for literature, reading, discussion, composition, and grammar, and a small break for an English (I through IV) credit.
Q: How much work does this require if you’re only meeting one day a week?
A: We like to think of this as a hybrid program similar to other one day models already in existence in Chattanooga. One day of very enjoyable concentrated learning and outside assignments for reading and projects will be given with the expectation that they will be finished by the next class date. If your student does not demonstrate accountability outside of classroom time, this particular program might not be the best fit for them.
Q: What is the smallest class size and the largest class size offered?
A: We need a minimum of 5 students to run the program and maximum is 10 students
Q: Can I pay for other tutoring from Maple Key outside of classroom time?
A: Yes! You do not have to be signed up for a class to receive tutoring. See page on individual tutoring and associated fees here.
Q: Will the instructors provide a grade for each high school credit?
A: Yes. Assignments will be given on Canvas and a grade is given each semester to the parent to record.
Q: Are you willing to barter for a discount on tuition?
A: If you have a teaching skill or partnership that would be useful toward Maple Key, we are open to talking about it. Email maplekeytutoring@gmail.com to discuss further.
Q: Where do I sign up?
A: CLICK HERE to register for the 2026/2027 year classes
Maple Key Tutoring 