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7-12 Faculty

Mrs. Anita Wasdahl	Grades 7-9	BA, Liberal Studies, San Diego State University; multiple-subject teaching credential. Since 2004, I have taught Latin and 7th grade Letters at The Ambrose School. I previously taught Latin for a homeschool group and taught part-time at a Christian school in San Diego. I also have 15 years of homeschooling experience. I choose to teach at a classical Christian school because I get the pleasure of integrating basic assumptions about who God is with all other knowledge and experience. Teaching involves encouraging a love of truth and learning, all for the glory of God. A teacher should enable the student to learn for a lifetime. My husband, Mark, works as a transportation planner. I have five children, three who have attended The Ambrose School. Two have graduated, one is in high school. I also have two young grandchildren!
Mrs. Sandi Francis	8th Grade, Junior High Athletic Director	BA, History, University California Santa Barbara, Single-Subject Teaching Credential in social studies - Chapman University, California. I have taught at The Ambrose School since 2009. I have taught 8th and 9th grade humanities at The Ambrose School. I previously taught 10th grade World Studies and 8th grade U.S. History, Literature, and Drama for 6 years in California public schools. I have chosen to teach at The Ambrose School because I strongly believe that the classical Christian education is the very best type of education. The goal for the students at The Ambrose School is to love the good and pursue the excellent. They become lovers of learning and are encouraged to think and learn independently. Students learn a Christian worldview which is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life. This Biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God and is the foundation of everything we say and do. My husband, James and I moved to Idaho six years ago with our two children in hopes to continue their private school education. We are new to a classical Christian curriculum, and feel so blessed to be a part of the Ambrose family.
Miss Melody Herrick	9th Grade, Rhetoric, House Governor	BA, Liberal Arts, Gutenberg College; Masters in Teaching, George Fox University. 2005 was my first year of teaching at The Ambrose School. I wanted to teach at a classical school because the teachers and the curriculum focus on pursuing truth, goodness and beauty in all areas of learning. The Ambrose School addresses the entire student - mind, body and soul. There is an acknowledgment here that truth exists and we as teachers have the privilege of leading students towards it through studying some of the greatest thinkers and writers of all time. The purpose of education is to set the slave free. Any slave can be taught a trade to make money. Though modern education is often focused on vocational training, true teaching is more than this. It guides the student to truth and that sets him free from his misconceptions and preconceptions. True education should result in coming closer to Truth. As a result, true education also changes the soul and leads the soul to goodness as well as the mind to truth, thus making education inherently religious. As a teacher, I see my role as exciting in my students the desire to be free and to think, as well as working into them the discipline of learning to their full potential. I have the privilege of working at the same school as my mother, Susan Herrick. I love working in this valley for its close community feel and its proximity to great camping, biking, hiking, rafting and running.
Mr. Ty Rallens	Grades 8 and 10	BS, Computer Engineering, University of Idaho; BA, Liberal Arts and Cultures, New Saint Andrews College. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in 2009. I teach at The Ambrose School because I want to contribute to the great Christian community and excellent educational experience that God has provided here. I believe that education, like all other parts of life, must be based on the Word of God and the work of Jesus Christ. As a teacher, my goal is to lead students to wisdom and virtue through reading, writing, and speaking about ideas from influential Christians and non-Christians. I work as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard and my wife, Jenny, teaches 5th Grade here at The Ambrose School.
Mrs. Bobbie Post	Grades 8-12	BA, Social Sciences, Seattle Pacific University; Secondary Education Teaching Certification - State of Idaho; MA, Reading and Literacy, City University. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in the Fall of 2006. I have 3 years of full-time teaching and over 10 years of substitute teaching experience. I choose to teach at a classical Christian school because I believe that it is the best way to truly educate young people. We teach from primary documents. We teach Christian worldview that is integrated in every part of our curriculum. The classical Christian method frees students to think, to question and to challenge every thought that comes their way and to measure it by the standards of scripture, tradition and the great thinkers throughout history. My philosophy of teaching is based in the scripture that says when a student is fully taught, he will be like his teacher. Because of that truth, my goal is to continually turn the gaze of my students toward Christ. I consider it one of the highest privileges of my life to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of our students at The Ambrose School. I am married to Mark Post, family life pastor at Eagle Christian Church, and we have three adult children - Ryan, who is married to Emily, Alex, and Jaynie. I grew up in this area and am happy to be able to serve in Christian ministry in the place that I love.
Mr. Brian Douglas	12th Grade	BBA, Stetson University; MDiv, Knox Theological Seminary. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in Autumn, 2008. Before coming to The Ambrose School, I taught early modern history for one year at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. I had previously taught intermittently for several years in church & public school settings. I strongly believe that classical Christian education is the best kind of education. A student’s education, especially in the twelfth grade, should provide him or her with the skills and attitudes they need to live in community as Christians and to face the obstacles they will encounter in their next phase of life. I believe that the things we study must be integrated: we haven't finished learning about something until we know how it relates to everything else. I believe that the things we study must be applied: we haven't finished learning about something until we know how to make use of even the most abstract of ideas. I believe that education should be Christ-centered: we haven't finished learning about something until we see how it reflects the sovereign and redemptive work of Jesus. I have a wife, a son, and a daughter. I've seen a lot of places, and Boise is one of the very best as it uniquely merges all the best features of big city, small city, and country life. My family especially enjoys living near the Greenbelt.
Mr. Ken Hosier	Science	B.S., Biology, minors in Chemistry and Zoology, University of Idaho; M.A., Teaching, George Fox University. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in the fall of 2005. Previously I worked for 5 years as an organic chemist. I choose to work at a classical Christian school to challenge students to use more than their grammatical knowledge in understanding science, and to assist in revealing the truth and beauty of the world created before them. My philosophy of teaching is that students are unique individuals who will learn in different ways. Our goals as teachers should be to create lifelong learners who pursue the truth of Christ with the same vigor and passion we show towards the subject matter we teach. Together, with the family of the student, we will show him or her how to use logic and rhetoric to make sense of the world they live in. "Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning." Proverbs 9:9 I have been married to my beautiful wife Jen for 9 years. My daughter, Kaelyn, is three and not quite ready to attend The Ambrose School. I love living in the Treasure Valley because it serves as a gateway to the great outdoors.
Mr. Greg Wilson	Greek and French Languages, High School Writing, Inkling	B.A., English, University of Idaho; Masters of Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary; M.A., English, University of Dallas. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in 2008. I have 10 years of teaching experience and as Academic Dean at Trinity Bible College, Nigeria, West Africa. I teach at a classical Christian School because it combines a high standard of academic study with the truth of the Scriptures. This environment encourages the development of both the mind and the spirit of students as well as teachers. A teacher should teach students to discover truth for themselves. Each student will hopefully discover the joy of learning through the active use of his mind and personal discipline. There is great joy in the discovery of the power of the individual student to learn, and to apply the things he is learning to the world around him. My wife, Tanya, is a Registered Nurse and our two children, Zechariah and Rebekah, attend the school.
Mr. Ryan Handermann	Latin Language	BA, Classical Liberal Arts and Culture, New Saint Andrews College. This is my second year teaching at the Ambrose School. The change from student to teacher has been quick, exciting, and very educational for me. I have wanted to be a Latin teacher since high school, so it seems fitting that this should be my first job out of college. However, classical education is much more than a "job," it is a way of life. And that is what I try to instill in my students. Education is not just something that prepares you for college, or some drudgery that you have to suffer through day to day. Instead, it shows you how to be a human being.
Mr. Arron Kau	High School Math	MA Liberal Arts, St. John's College, Annapolis; HBA English, Oregon State University. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in Fall 2010. Previously, I taught at a Christian high school for two years and then worked for four as an IT consultant in Baltimore. I'm absolutely thrilled to be working at The Ambrose School because I firmly believe that classical Christian education addresses itself to the very core of who we are as people. Students are far more than mere future employees, and the emphasis we place on discipleship recognizes that our students need wisdom and counsel in addition to knowledge. In that vein, I also appreciate our extensive use of the great books; students can learn both wisdom and humility as they grapple with the great ideas and thinkers of Western civilization. I encourage my students to keep asking "why" until they find an answer that makes sense, and I believe that this confrontation with puzzlement is at the heart of learning. St. Jerome once said, "It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance," and, as one still striving to learn, I feel both the challenge and the rebuke of those words. Education should be a continual recognition ("re-thinking") both of our inadequacy and of God's sufficiency. My wife, Jennifer, and I have been married since 2002, and we have four charming and energetic children: Isabel, Isaac, Eleanor, and Evelyn. We love it here in Boise and feel very blessed to be part of such a wonderful community.
Mr. Ancel Schoberg	6-9 Grade Math, Jazz Band	BA, Philosophy; Boise State University. I began teaching at The Ambrose School in 2000. I was introduced to classical Christian education through a friend who recommended me for a teaching position. I appreciated that I would be teaching about God in the midst of all the other disciplines. I also enjoyed the emphasis on languages. My job as a teacher is to encourage students to enjoy learning, and to sharpen their minds with logical and critical thinking skills that will help them see the implications of ideas. I believe that this will help students mature in their understanding of God and become productive for God's Kingdom as they grow older. I have been married for almost ten years to Carrie, and we have two children, Matthew and Abigail. I enjoy Boise primarily because it was where I was raised, so it always feels like home.