Samuel Martineau
Sam has been teaching speech and debate in the homeschool community for 16 years. He is the founder and director of both the Independent Education Program and the Wasatch Independent Debate League. He has received recognition as a U.S. Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher, a KSL Teacher of the Week, and Distinguished Advisor for BYU Model United Nations 2023. Sam has coached multiple debate and mock trial teams in national finals, including the International Public Policy Forum Final and the National Mock Trial Tournament. Sam graduated Magna Cum Laude from Weber State University with a B.S. in Communication Teaching and a minor in History Teaching. He was recognized as the distinguished scholar in his program for his graduating class. Sam is also a homeschooling father with his wife Jessica. They have five children and happily live in Woods Cross, Utah.
All Sessions by Samuel Martineau
Just Dumb Kids (Samuel Martineau)
If you ask students why they are struggling academically, the most common answer is that they procrastinate too much, are lazy, or don't manage their time well. The answers sound like they explain the situation. In reality, these answers are more or less useless and harmful. They operate on the idea that kids fail because they are just dumb kids, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
Keynote: What Do Students Want? (Samuel Martineau)
Whenever people of differing backgrounds and beliefs embark on any shared project, there are difficult questions to answer. This is as true, or more true, in education as it is in society at large. Interacting in co-ops, homeschool classes, or any other educational setting can bring up serious questions about how to navigate difficult disagreements. It is possible to avoid these difficult questions by avoiding those with whom we disagree altogether, but are there principles that can help us turn difficult questions into strengths instead of weaknesses in our educational approach?
