Learner Spotlight: The Beck Family Trio

​Avery, Garrett, and Grady Beck have been independent studyed their entire lives. They joined iLEAD Exploration during the 2016-17 school year. Being independent studyed has allowed each one of them to seize a multitude of opportunities both in their education as well as in their extracurricular activities. They each have their own unique individual talents, but they also share a few of the same passions and continue to encourage, grow and support each other throughout their journey.

​Avery is a talented and smart 13-year-old girl. She definitely has the creative mindset when it comes to school. She loves to read, write and draw about anything and everything. She has been telling stories from a very young age and began writing her first book when she was 8 years old. She has written five books since then. She also writes her own songs to sing while playing the ukulele, and has recently started performing at a local open mic club. In addition to playing the ukulele, she plays the piano. She has been chosen three years in a row to perform at the Honors Recital with her music studio Music Abode. Avery has other talents as well. She just celebrated her one-year anniversary of being a black belt. Avery has studied the fine martial art of Kyin Kung Fu at American Tiger Martial Arts for the last four years. She is an active member on the leadership and demo teams at American Tiger Martial Arts. Avery likes being independent studyed, because it gives her the freedom to explore her intellectual passions in a more hands-on way than traditional schooling would offer, and it gives her the opportunity to actively do those things she is most passionate about.

​Garrett is a gifted and funny 9-year-old boy. He is a rule-oriented learner and is able to complete the task at hand when the rules are set in front of him. He excels at math and because of his right brain mindset, he is an exceptional drummer. He started playing the drums when he was 7 years old and he has blown his music teacher away with his drumming abilities. He also plays piano and recently started guitar. Garrett is naturally talented when it comes to music, and he has been chosen for the first time to play at the Honors recital, too. He currently has a red/black belt in Kung Fu, and is training for his black belt test this summer. He is a part of the leadership team and demo team at American Tiger Martial Arts. In his free time, Garrett loves to play drums for his sister’s songs.

Grady is an active 5-year old boy. He loves to be outside riding his skateboard, bike, or scooter. He is an avid lizard catcher and spends a lot of time in the backyard doing so. He enjoys using his imagination while listening to books being read aloud and is naturally studious when it comes to completing his school tasks. Like his older brother and sister, he also does Kung Fu. He has a camo colored belt in the dragons class, and performs with the demo team at American Tiger Martial Arts. Grady has the potential to become the youngest black belt in their studio. Next school year he plans to start piano lessons. His true musical desire is to play drums or bass, but that will have to wait a few years. Grady’s favorite thing about being independent studyed is that he likes to be home with his mom and siblings, learning and growing together.

The Beck Family trio is truly amazing!