As parents we agonized over the decision of choosing a school for our children. The schooling model hadn’t evolved much since we were kids, but the world that our children would be entering would be wildly different. Was endless homework, frequent tests, and sitting behind a desk all day really the best way to prepare them for the 21st century world that they would be entering?
We didn’t think so and we yearned for something different. A place where meaningful skills are taught through real-world scenarios, where good character is rewarded, and where developing a problem-solving mindset is the goal instead of an afterthought. We couldn’t find a school in our community that matched what we were looking for but, through our journey and exploration, we found Acton Academy – a network of over 300 learner-driven communities across 25 countries. This was the model that we wanted for our kids so we decided to join forces to bring an Acton Academy to the east-side of Seattle and Creator’s House was born.
If you too are ready to reinvent education for your family then we encourage you to connect with us and see if Creator’s House may be a good fit for your young hero.
Here’s to a more meaningful and joyful future for our children!
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Creator's House, an Acton Academy, is centrally located at 14520 100th Ave. NE, Bothell, WA 98011.
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Our team is made up of innovative minds each playing the role of a Socratic guide dedicated to empowering young people to take ownership over their own learning. While we all have different backgrounds, we are brought together by an unwavering belief in the capabilities of young people and our dedication to what education can and should be for each learner.
Name: Carrie
Superpower: Storyteller
Current Book: Tribal Leadership
Passions: Travel, Biohacking, Reading
Background:
Name: Christy
Superpower: Patience
Current Book: The Flight Girls
Passions: Outdoors, Art, Family
Background:
Name: Mary
Superpower: Creativity
Current Book: The Man Who Could Move Clouds
Passions: Music, Rock climbing, Community
Background:
Name: Mike
Superpower: Learning New Things
Current Book: The Alchemist
Passions: Travel, Innovation, Space
Background:
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."
Begin a Hero’s Journey.
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
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.
