Reaching for Educational Excellence (REX) Reaching for Educational Excellence (REX) Reaching for Educational Excellence (REX) Reaching for Educational Excellence (REX) Reaching for Educational Excellence (REX)
 

Instructors

Mrs. Amy Dandrade

Favorite Bible verse: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
 
REX courses: MS World History
 
Amy Dandrade has been happily married to her husband Paul for over 22 years and has resided with her family in Chesapeake, VA for the past decade. She has been homeschooling her two teenage sons for 14 years.  Most recently, she has devoted much of her time and talents to creating and directing REX.  With an education in Psychology, Amy's homeschool philosophy is centered around her understanding that all people learn differently and realizing the benefit of finding and utilizing what works best for each child in each subject. As an instructor at REX her greatest joy is seeing and fostering the "lightbulb moments" where students show their excitement for understanding a new concept. 

Mrs. Dawn DeMille

Favorite Bible verse: Colossians 3:23

REX courses: MS Literature for the 19/20 academic year; and MS Literature and Writing for the 20/21 academic year; HS American Literature, and MS/HS Logic for the 21/22 academic year

Dawn DeMille has been married since 1991, and has lived with her family in Chesapeake, VA for since 2000. Dawn is an Aggie, a math teacher, and professional educator by trade. She put her career on hold in 2007 to focus her time and talents on teaching her own three children, one of whom she graduated from homeschool several years ago. Dawn is active in her church, teaches Sunday school class, and has taught at various homeschool programs over the years. She is sought out for her tutoring skills and subject expertise. Her approach to homeschooling is mostly Classical and she pours herself into every class God calls her to lead. Her biggest joy in teaching comes from being a part of an engaging learning environment and helping children succeed in mastering difficult concepts. Dawn's goal in instructing Literature at REX is to encourage her students to dig deep, and to instill in them a life-long love of literature.

Mrs. Courtney Jeffries

Favorite Bible verse: John 10:14


REX Courses: HS American History for the 21/22 academic year


Courtney has been married since 2002, and has lived with her family in Chesapeake, VA since 2014. Though formally educated in Elementary Education, Courtney has used her talents to raise her son Jax, who she has been homeschooling since 2019. She has volunteered in Sunday school and church nurseries and runs a successful online business. Her homeschool philosophy is to encourage students to search for true understanding of concepts, and not just memorization of facts. Courtney is passionate about challenging students to think for themselves.

Mrs. Rose Olivier

Favorite Bible verses: Ps 139 and 1 Cor 13:4-8


REX courses: MS Writing in winter of the 21/22 academic year

Rose has lived with her family in the Tidewater area since she was married in 2008. Rose has a BA in Elementary Education from UFL and an MAT in Elementary Education from LU. She worked as a special Education teacher for Virginia Beach schools for 5 years, as a K teacher at London Bridge Baptist Preschool and Kindergarten for 2 years, and as a teacher mentor for 2 years. She also taught English online with VIP KID for 3 years and has recently started teaching an online book club. Rose has two teenage daughters and in 2021 she began the homeschooling journey with them. She likes to teach with a hands-on approach that emphasizes creativity. She likes assignments and activities that help kids make connections between their learning and the real world. Rose believes that one of the most important goals of education is for kids to learn how to think critically and logically, and from a Christian worldview.

Mrs. Jennifer Richardson

Favorite Bible verse: Mark 11:23

REX courses: HS American History for the 19/20 academic year; 11-12 World History, and HS Speech and Presentation Skills for the 20/21 academic year; HS World View, and HS Critical Thinking for the 21/22 academic year

Jen is a Conservative, Christian military wife, and a mother to three children. She has been married since 2002 and homeschooling since 2012. Her eldest son graduated from REX in 2022 and her daughter is a REX senior this year. Her youngest son is not yet in school. Her philosophy of home education can be best described as an eclectic mixture of travel/experience/adventure based, blended with Traditional and Classical methods. Jen studied Political Science in both undergraduate and graduate school and studied in England and Israel. She worked as a civilian Intelligence Officer before forgoing her career for the higher calling of raising her children. She brings to REX her passion for history and politics, and her desire to instill critical thinking, effective communication skills, and a love of country in her students.

Mrs. Leslie White

Favorite Bible Verse: Colossians 3:12-14

Courses at REX: HS Literature for the 19/20 academic year; 9/10 Classical Literature, and 11/12 World Literature for the 20/21 academic year; HS British Literature, and HS Art History for the 21/22 academic year

Leslie White has been married to her husband Chad since 1997. Prior to their move to Chesapeake, VA in 2013, Leslie and her family served as missionaries in Malaysia and Thailand for seven years. She has been homeschooling children since 2004, graduated her eldest daughter several years ago, and most recently graduated her youngest daughter from REX in 2022. Leslie's homeschooling method of choice is Classical, which enables children to "own" the material they initially memorize, as they move through grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric phases of developmental learning. Leslie has taught in homeschool co-ops for eight years. She loves seeing her REX students engaged and challenged by different perspectives; and she pours into her classes her passion for reading, discovering, and exploring textual themes and truths.