I remember standing in the kitchen one day watching our daughter cry while trying to do her homework. Seeing her upset reminded me of myself as a child trying to get good grades and feeling like I wasn't smart.
I recall feeling "not smart" starting in second grade and continuing through college. While my daughter was upset I had the thought, you only are a child once and why should they spend their only childhood not enjoying it!
After that moment I decided to pursue other education options to see if a better way of learning existed. When I heard about Acton Academy I knew to my core this was the perfect fit for my daughter.
My daughter's journey through Acton birthed talents, gifts and creativity that we didn't know she had. Her journey wasn't always easy as she was the only person now responsible for the pressure she put on herself.
She grew mentally, academically, socially and had a new sense of identity. After seeing her blossom I knew I wanted to work in this kind of educational program.
I loved being a guide and felt that season was also transformational for my own journey. Acton Academy's profound transformative impact on our family compelled me to open my own campus, with the desire to extend the invaluable benefits to other families as well.
Acton TriStar is centrally located at 762 Beechcroft Rd., Spring Hill, TN 37174.
Rachel grew up in the greater Sacramento, Ca area. She attended private school from kindergarten through high school. When asked as a child what Rachel wanted to be when she grew up the answer was always the same: a mom and a teacher.
Rachel started babysitting at age 10 and has been working with children ever since. She achieved her goal to become a teacher when she worked for Adventure Christian School for 10 years as an aide and teacher in the preschool with a year in the TK program. Rachel and her husband Dean also served and led in the middle school ministry at their church for 15 years. The desire to help young people grew as Dean and Rachel became certified emergency foster care parents. They loved and provided a home for many young people for 5 years.
While working at Adventure Christian School, she became familiar with Acton Placer Academy. Rachel loved the vision and dream of a school where kids could discover their potential and have the freedom to follow their passions. She knew this was the best learning environment for her two children. When Acton Placer Academy grew, Rachel was hired to create the program and was a guide for three years in the Spark Studio.
The hero’s journey, open-mindedness and freedom to pursue your dreams spoke a lot to Rachel during her years at Acton Placer. Her family decided to start their next great adventure by moving to a new state and opening their own Acton.
Outside of Acton, Rachel loves spending time with her husband, son Aiden and daughter Imagen. Rachel enjoys the beach, traveling, reading, dancing, movies and spending time with loved ones.
Imagen was born and raised in sunny California. As a young girl, she always loved being around kids and volunteered in the children’s ministry at her church. She was also very involved in youth ministry.
In her free time, Imagen loves to sing and song-write. She also enjoys going on trips and adventures with her family. Imagen performed in many musical theater productions with Destiny Performing Arts and Christian Youth Theater as well as directed the Acton Academy Placer production of Peter Pan.
Imagen attended Adventure Christian School through the 5th grade and attended public school for her 6th grade year. Traditional school was challenging for her because sitting in a classroom and being lectured was not how she learned best. Imagen was ready to get her hands dirty and experience the world. Imagen joined Acton Academy Placer in middle school and immediately loved hands-on learning, working with fellow heroes and the freedom to work at her own pace.
In the five years at Acton Placer, Imagen participated in business fairs, leading events, and volunteering in other studios. When the opportunity to be a guide came about she knew it was her calling. She loves guiding the heroes and giving them the amazing opportunities of growth like she had.
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
