Meet Our Administrators
- Dr. Herman Ohme, Founder
- Jean Ohme, Founder
- Dr. Richard Gowers, Principal
- Ashley Sarver, Program Director
As administrators, our primary goal is to create a thriving academic community: a supportive and social learning environment, and a work environment that rewards great teachers.
We share a fondness of knowledge, wisdom, humor, and patience. All you have to do is ask: we’re eager to help you however we can.
Dr. Herman Ohme, Founder
Dr. Herman Ohme, Ed.D., has made his life’s work developing programs and published materials to help students learn. He is an expert in performance, learning, and motivation, and is the author of the Learn How to Learn study-skills books, which have been embraced by schools throughout the United States and Canada.
Herman has taught at UCLA, Yale, and Stanford, and has been a teacher, principal, and counselor in public and private schools for over forty years. The cornerstone of Herman’s vision is the “failure is not an option” philosophy. To learn more about Herman’s unique approach to education, please visit his website, or read about our academic philosophy.
In 2001, Herman and Jean founded School for Independent Learners, based in Los Altos, California. SIL was granted full accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 2005, and all courses have been approved by the University of California.
Prior to beginning School for Independent Learners, Herman co-founded Mid-Peninsula High School & Palo Alto Preparatory School, successful Bay Area schools that continue to thrive.
Send an email to Dr. Ohme.
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Jean Ohme, Founder
Jean Ohme is a graduate of UCLA, New Haven Teacher’s College, and the University of Santa Clara. She holds an M.A. in Learning Disabilities, a California teaching credential, and a California administration credential. She taught for decades as a special education teacher in Los Angeles and Redwood City.
In 2001, Herman and Jean founded School for Independent Learners, based in Los Altos, California. For many years, Jean directed the operations of SIL, from the hiring of teachers to the scheduling of lessons. These days, Jean reaches out to our students and their families to ensure that their needs are met. Jean’s enthusiasm for learning is a tremendous inspiration to our students and teachers alike.
The cornerstone of the Ohmes’ vision is the “failure is not an option” philosophy. To learn more about their unique approach to education, please visit Herman’s website, or read about our academic philosophy.
Send an email to Jean Ohme.
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Dr. Richard Gowers, Principal
Richard Gowers is one of three Directors of School for Independent Learners. He received his Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, where he researched the evolving contestation of American nationalism between 1865 and 1918. After teaching at universities in Sydney and Wellington, New Zealand, he moved to the United States in 2004 and taught at California State University (East Bay), San Francisco State University, and Sonoma State University. Richard came to SIL in 2007, and quickly became involved in program development and instructional oversight.
Richard creates and teaches our social studies courses: U.S. History, World History, Government, Philosophy, and Art History. When he’s not teaching, Richard has the important task of matching students with teachers. Richard facilitates and schedules the lessons taught at SIL, and ensures that students, teachers, and parents work together to ensure academic success. He is also our SAT Proctor, SSD Coordinator, and our AP Exam Coordinator.
An avid football fan (in the non-American sense) and indoctrinated supporter of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Richard spends much of his spare time watching and playing football. He also pursues his research interests in American nationalism, California history, environmental history, and art history.
Send an email to Richard.
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Ashley Sarver, Program Director
Ashley Sarver is the Program Director of School for Independent Learners, as well as our WASC Self-Study Coordinator and Guidance Counselor. She’s grateful for the opportunity to help the Ohmes realize their "failure is not an option" approach to education.
She works closely with a team of 25+ teachers to create a cohesive schoolwide curriculum set, with a full-range of classes. Last year SIL submitted to the UC Doorways--and gained approval for--over 70+ new courses, and SIL now teaches 27 discreet Advanced Placement courses. Ashley values a "grass roots" collaborative process, and helps teachers to originate curriculum in the classroom, individualized for each student. She's incredibly intrigued by the Internet's ability to make knowledge available to anyone with the yearning to seek it, and she envisions a school that enables every student--through the creative use of technology--to customize an education.
As a peer tutor in high school and college, Ashley first discovered her love of teaching, which is fueled by those moments when a student suddenly understands, when some line of thinking shifts just enough. Her enthusiasm for teaching has evolved into a broader interest in learning theory and instructional design, as she seeks to understand the cognitive and emotional processes that create meaningful learning. Her curiosity has led her to pursue an M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning, from the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.
Ashley was born and raised among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in the rural college town of Athens, Ohio. She enrolled in college at 15 and, at age 19, graduated with honors from Boston University with a B.S. in Literary Journalism. In Boston, she worked as a website copywriter, political speechwriter, literary editor, volunteer coordinator, and music publicist. In 2005, she moved from Boston to San Francisco to begin her teaching career.
Ashley is also invested in the arts. She studied photography at California College of the Arts (in Oakland), and has exhibited work, curated shows, and taught photography workshops. Ashley is an avid learner and teacher of vintage jazz dances, such as 1920’s Charleston, Lindy Hop, and Balboa.
Send an email to Ashley.
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