About Tonya & SmartHead Co.™

After studying the education system for decades, one thing kept coming back to me. Learners don't lose their love of learning all at once. It slips away in small moments, when the work stops fitting the way they think.

Hi, I'm Tonya.

I'm a Learning Architect, and I founded SmartHead Co.™. I've spent more than 35 years working with young people and more than 20 years teaching in K–12 classrooms across the Jordan, Salt Lake City, Granite and Park City school districts in Utah. I was one of Utah's first STEM-endorsed educators, and I've taught science, computer science and educational technology to middle schoolers who never once fit the same mold.

My earliest teaching years were at a Waldorf school, where I learned to watch how a learner moves toward an idea before I ever explain it. I later earned my MAT from Westminster College and an MBA in Educational Innovation and Leadership from William Jewell College.

Why SmartHead exists

Education today often looks like compliance. But curiosity is where real learning begins.

Inside classrooms I watched bright, capable learners shut down, not because they couldn't learn, but because the way the learning was offered didn't match how they think. When I started working with families one at a time, something shifted. Without the waiting, the lining up and a pace set for thirty, focused learning needed far less of the day. The rest of it belonged to curiosity.

SmartHead Co.™ is built on that idea. Understand your learner first. Then build the education around them.

How we do it

  • The Learning Code™. A free, five-minute discovery experience that shows which of six Learning Archetypes™ your learner tends to try first: Explorer, Builder, Alchemist, Systems Thinker, Steward or Visionary. A doorway, never a box.
  • The 2-Hour School Day™. Focused learning in four blocks, so the rest of the day is free for building, wondering and play.
  • Hands-on everything. STEM kits, nature study and experiments that use real materials and real questions.
  • Hero's Portfolio™. A learner-led record of growth, so every family can see the learning, and every learner can see their own hero's journey.

Who we serve

Homeschoolers, unschoolers, co-ops, microschools and families who want more than school can give. We've worked with families across Utah, Texas, California and beyond, and SmartHead Co.™ is an approved ESA vendor in eight states and growing, including Utah Fits All. See how ESA funds work with us.

What families say

"My kids actually ask to do school now. The Learning Code™ changed everything for our family." — Andy T.

"We went from 6 hours of frustration to 2 hours of focused, joyful learning." — Stephanie R.

"The STEM kits are incredible. My Builder kid was hooked from the first experiment." — Clinton Y.

Where to begin

Start with the free Learning Code™, then explore our Start Here path. If you'd like to talk, write to me. I read every message.

Imagine what becomes possible.

Stay curious.
Tonya Remillard, MAT, MBA
Founder & Learning Architect, SmartHead Co.™