Curriculum
What will my child learn in the Academy?
A Balanced Curriculum to Help Your Child Thrive
The Waide Academy Curriculum is built on a simple structure called the Faru Triangle. The Faru Triangle shows how different dialogues impact the three foundational parts of a person's life: their faith, their friends, and their function.
Faith: Choosing a Direction
In the Waide Academy, faith is all about direction. What is a life well-lived? What things are worth pursuing? When should I change directions? What should I hope for in life? What is Goodness? What are my values? What is my God? Dialogues towards the "Faith" corner of the Faru Triangle dive into these topics to help your child develop definitions of good and evil, worthy pursuits, and ultimately, where they should go in life.
Friends: Understanding the World
"Friends" focuses on the world as it exists right now. What is the most effective way of communicating with others? How does a family operate? What are the roles of men and women in society? How do personal finances work? What are taxes? How do businesses choose employees? How are leaders formed? How do sleep, nutrition, and exercise affect a human life? Dialogues in this area of the Faru Triangle challenge your child to understand how the world around them works.
Function: Understanding the Self
Function dialogues focus on mental stability and strength. How do I make decisions? How do I develop self-control? How do I build a good habit? What is my ideal work-life balance? What am I good at? What do I struggle with? How do I conquer addiction? How do I cope with tragedy? How do I take advantage of motivation? Dialogues in this section of the Faru Triangle push your child to wrestle with their own tendencies, habits, and weaknesses. Through knowing their own mind, they learn how to take control of their life.
How long does it take to complete the Academy?
The Waide Academy beta test (June-September 2026) consists of three mentors and six lessons, approximately 10 hours of content before completion. The Academy 1.0 (to be released in early 2027) will consist of 20 mentors and 60 lessons, providing an hour of content each day for an entire standard school semester. The Academy will continue to grow from there.
How does the Academy change my child's life?
The Goal of Waide Academy
Between dialogues, Cadets work on building two monumental papers: their Compass, and their Campaign. These papers aren't turned into a teacher or given a letter grade, but constantly evolve as your child continues to learn. These papers help them record concrete principles and plans for their own life.
The Compass: What I believe and Where I'm Going
This is where your child writes their deepest principles and virtues to live by. When life gets tough, when your child has to make a big decision, their compass can be a place to go for help. Everyone has unspoken rules and ethics they live by. Academy Cadets are required to turn those thoughts into a set of organized personal beliefs. As your child completes more dialogues, they update and expand their Compass. Your child's Compass might include things like:
How I Treat Others
When someone does something to hurt me, I should remind myself that they are acting out because they were hurt first. This doesn't make them innocent, but it means that there is a deeper meaning to their actions. Their anger isn't caused by my failure, but by their failure.
Every time this happens, I should think "This is fear and sadness, anger is not real, this person deserves grace and pity." However, if that person threatens me or someone I love, it is right to stand my ground and state who I am and what I will do to defend my beliefs. I should do this in a calm way, if possible.
Money
Money is a tool. It can be used for good or it can be used for evil. Money is a tool for physical influence and scaling. The more money I have, the more physical influence I can have on the world, and the faster I can do it.
How My Mind Works
Discomfort depends on what I think is wrong with my life. I can change what I believe is wrong, so I can change what hurts me and makes me act. Some discomfort is good and I should still do the things that cause it (figure this out later)
Good pains
- Working out
- Eating vegetables
- Doing homework
Bad pains
- Sunburns
- Splinters
- Anxiety
How I respond to pain depends on my knowledge. If I don't know how to fix something, I'm sort of useless. Therefore, I should learn how the world works so I can get better at solving problems.
The Campaign: How I'm Getting There
This is the action paper. A Cadet's Campaign requires their principles and virtues to be applied to their life's circumstances. This document provides a dedicated place for your child to put practical goals, and break them down into manageable habits to be repeated every day. Depending on age, your child's Campaign might include things like:
Income and Leadership Goals:
"I will earn $100 each week by mowing neighbors' lawns"
- To do this, I will knock doors for one hour each day until I have four clients at $25 each, per week.
"I will babysit twice a week at a rate of $15 per hour"
- To do this, I will call my friends' parents and spread the word about my services until I find a family who wants my services
Educational Goals:
I will get a 3.5 GPA in my freshman year of high school
- To do this, I will:
- Study for two hours each day before playing video games
- Complete all available extra credit assignments
Personal Goals:
I will read a new book every month this year
- To do this, I will read 15 pages each day. 15 pages x 30 days = 450 pages per month!
Habitual Goals:
I will work on my Compass for one hour each week
I will pray before each dinner with my family
I will go to bed by 11:30pm every night
I will only use Instagram for 30 minutes each day
With a strong list of virtues and beliefs, an exciting series of goals and milestones, and a set of well-thought-out habits and strategies, Waide Academy Cadets graduate with the tools they need to build a good life.