Our Story
The concept for Homeschool Learning Pods started in 2015 in Orlando, FL when we were seeking a Waldorf-inspired homeschool program for our own children and did not find what we were looking for locally. We started our first homeschool enrichment program with a group of amazing teachers and students. Students would attend one day a week for gardening, yoga, science, music, art, drama, and language arts.
We grew from 19 students to over 50 students in six months. We offered a second day to our program the following year and grew to almost 100 students. Realizing the great need for Waldorf-inspired homeschool programs, we opened five in-person programs in Florida and Georgia over the next few years. We offered consultations to people across the United States, teaching them how to open these programs for homeschoolers. The friends and memories we made along the way are forever treasured!
In 2021, we decided to open our online program, Lotus & Ivy, that would share our Waldorf-inspired homeschooling passion to even more people. Lotus & Ivy continues to offer live and interactive virtual classes to students on 5 continents, in 29 states and 7 countries…and we are growing!
Our vision for Homeschool Learning Pods is to continue to offer the highest quality Waldorf-inspired, in-person homeschool enrichment to children in a safe and inclusive environment, while offering core curriculum online through Lotus & Ivy. Many of our students will attend both; however, families may decide what program or combination works best for them.
Our wish is for fellow homeschool families to find a welcoming community and experience the richness of Waldorf education with their children no matter where they live. The homeschooling journey goes by fast, but the moments are treasured forever.
Lotus & Ivy Administrators
About Sarah
Sarah Barrett founded her first homeschool enrichment program many years ago in Orlando, FL. She had been seeking a homeschool enrichment program for her two children that combined hands-on, nature-inspired, whole-child learning with Waldorf philosophies. After envisioning what an ideal program would look like and not finding one nearby, she decided to open a school in Orlando that offers this unique program for homeschoolers. In 2016, she opened a second homeschool enrichment program in the southwest Orlando area. Both programs are still active under new ownership.
In 2018, Sarah and her family relocated to Atlanta, where she opened a third homeschool enrichment program to continue her passion for bringing Waldorf education to homeschoolers. In 2019, her family relocated back to Orlando (the nature of her husband’s job!) where Sarah opened The Dreamers’ School Orlando. All four of these Waldorf-inspired programs gave Sarah and her children numerous treasured memories and lifelong friends. In 2021, Sarah & Heather decided to bring this concept online for homeschoolers. Like so many folks around the world, Sarah knows what it is like to desire a Waldorf school for your children, but to live in an area without a Waldorf school. Lotus & Ivy Virtual Classes brings this education philosophy to you, while still allowing the flexibility and freedom that homeschoolers love.
Sarah’s educational background is in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a degree from Georgia Tech. Upon graduating, she started her career with Walt Disney World. Math and science were always Sarah’s favorite subjects in school. In college, she took math classes beyond Calculus-6 along with numerous science and engineering courses. She also had an interest in physics, taking several physics courses outside of her major, collecting data on two stars, presenting her findings to the American Astronomical Society, and teaching a physics undergraduate lab. Disney recruited from GA Tech, and Sarah went on to work in various engineering roles for Disney including managing a team of engineers and statisticians.
After leaving Disney, Sarah followed her entrepreneurial spirit to open a consulting company that primarily worked with internationally renowned health & fitness brands and functional medicine doctors. She has organized conferences and ghost-written articles, presentations, curriculum, and health programs for many clients including two NY Times best-selling authors, medical doctors, and various business leaders. She has also served as editor for two magazines, founded the Waldorf Homeschool Conference, and, in the last three years, taught Waldorf math and science classes to homeschoolers in-person and online. Sarah taught science main lessons at the Dreamers’ School, was the 4th grade math instructor, was a tutor for the Jamie York Math Academy and taught multiple Waldorf classes and camps to online students. Sarah currently teaches in-person at the largest brick and mortar Waldorf school in the United States where she has taught main lessons and specialty classes to students in grades 4 - 7.
Sarah homeschooled her children with Waldorf methods for 9 years. Sarah enjoys reading, specialty restaurants, all things Disney, traveling with her husband and kids in their RV, and she is currently enrolled in the Sacramento Waldorf School’s Waldorf Teacher Training program.
About Heather
In her first high school paper, ”My Credo,” Heather wrote about her ambition to become an entrepreneur. She loved the idea of creating a business from the foundation up and watching it flourish. Heather is no stranger to hard work. In fact, Heather is a firm believer in the adage that “you get out what you put in.”
Heather’s creativity and determination have always separated her from the crowd. Heather’s love for art and teaching others to appreciate it, is one of the reasons she loves the Waldorf curriculum. All those years ago, she never would have dreamed that that spirit would have led her down the path of teaching (which she thought she never would do) and homeschooling (which she had never heard of as a child). Heather ultimately pursued a traditional college education while continuing to fuel the entrepreneurial fire. She attended Georgia Southwestern State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Reading Education and Gifted Education. Heather then began her teaching career at Southland Academy, where she taught Kindergarten for two years. While teaching and pursuing her Master’s degree, Heather met her future husband, Brad.
Fast-forward 22 years, 12 houses, and 2 children later, Heather is a well-traveled, 20+ year teaching veteran, and girl mom. She has worked with many age groups, including kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, and college age (traditional and non-traditional). Heather worked as the art teacher (pre-k through 6th grade) and Gifted/Multi-Tier System of Supports Coordinator at Montessori of Winter Garden Charter School (now Innovation Montessori Ocoee). She also held positions as Literature and Humanities teacher and Chief Financial Officer at two Waldorf-inspired homeschool enrichment programs in the Orlando area. She has also taught art and science homeschool classes.
Heather homeschooled her own two daughters for 3 years and has worked as a private tutor for 5 years. Now that her oldest is a senior in high school and looking toward her own future, it puts things into perspective. While it has taken nearly 30 years for Heather’s entrepreneurial dream to come full circle, her daughter is planning how to make her own dreams a reality. It is Heather’s hope to share not only with her own children, but with each child who attends Lotus & Ivy, that it’s not necessarily about the destination, but the journey. Heather believes that every experience she has encountered up to this point in her life has prepared her for the challenge of co-founding Lotus & Ivy. Heather is inspired by the way that the Waldorf curriculum intertwines teachings of the head, heart, and hands, allowing each child’s journey to be unique - leading children to feel, think, question, and experience.
For fun, Heather enjoys reading, running, and boating with her family. Since she has been a homeschool mom herself, she understands the need for open communication with parents and values the amount of time that the parent/teacher team puts into educating children. Let’s enjoy the journey together!
