Charis Thanos, Central NC, Charis@smarttesting.net 336-252-8718
Charis and her husband, Nathan, live in Lexington, NC, with their five children. Both are avid outdoorsmen and consummate dabblers from woodworking and welding to pottery and painting.
She is an NC Certified Teacher and was an NC Teaching Fellow at Appalachian State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in English with teaching certification. She has worked as a teacher in NC in the classroom and online with NCVPS for more than 16 years and recognizes the diversity in learning styles. Not all children fit into the box of the public school system.
She is a homeschooling mother of five and the oldest sister of six girls. Children and unconventional education have always been a part of her life. Experience taught her that not all children learn at the same pace or in the same manner nor demonstrate understanding and mastery in the same ways. Testing thus should not be a one-size-fits-all. She loathes scantrons.
Charis was a public school student, and her children started the same way. She began the homeschool journey in the fall of 2022 and struggled mightily to get out of the “public school mindset” that demands metrics and excessive testing for nebulous data. Upon having SMART test her children the first year and receiving the amazing amount of actually useful data from the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJIV) Achievement test reports, she revamped her approach and found real joy in homeschooling while seeing real progress.
Charis believes all parents should have access to the kind of information that the WJIV and other similar tests can provide. She looks forward to providing this service as well as coaching so that parents are empowered in their children's educational journeys.
Service Areas: Lexington, Thomasville, High Point, Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Salisbury, and surrounding Piedmont Triad locations. Also, there are limited dates in Mitchell and Avery counties. If you do not see an area listed, please feel free to reach out, as Charis may be able to travel to your area.
TESTIMONIALS
I chose the Woodcock-Johnson test to get the comprehensive review of results and suggestions for things to work on. IT was very helpful. Charis was very responsive. She was very patient with my girls. She explained everything very thoroughly.
~Laura M
I will definitely continue testing with SMART!
~Amara V.
I chose S.M.A.R.T simply because it was the right and Smart choice..😁..My homeschooling journey has truly been an amazing journey, Homeschooling is both rewarding and challenging but overall it's worth the time. At the end of the day what benefits my child is all that matters. Ms. Thanos was absolutely amazing, very personal, kind, patient, attentive along with great people skills. Every step was completely explained and my son received great care and patience as he can sometimes be a handful being a neurodivergent. My son and I were very comfortable and pleased with Ms. Thanos' overall performance as our examiner. She took the appropriate time out to assess my son's needs to make the environment and his level of understanding comfortable for his testing needs. Ms. Thanos broke down and explained everything for and easy understanding of my son's results. I appreciate her for making us feel welcomed. Ms. Thanos is absolutely amazing. I appreciate and thank her for all her help. Sometimes homeschooling can be overwhelming and Ms. Thanos gave me a few great recommendations of resources that I have made efforts in working toward. I would highly recommend S.M.A.R.T because it's the best and Smart choice 😁..Thank you
~Lola M
We chose SMART, bc we’ve heard multiple families in our co-op say, that you guys are the best! They were right, it was so easy to set up an appointment. The testing site wasn’t far, and Charos was great with our son. We’ll definitely use SMART and Charis again in the future! The results help us to determine strengths and weaknesses, and how to focus on improving specific areas. This helps our homeschool, by helping our son to excel in those targeted areas, and helps me as his teacher, to use different strategies to help him. She made our son feel comfortable, and she would update us at points during the testing. He has severe anxiety w/panic disorder and bc of Charos and her personality, he was at ease. After the test, on our way home, he said…that really wasn’t bad. That made us feel great in our selection of using SMART and Charos. She went into detail with us about his score, his strengths and weaknesses. She also, explained that she’s available for the entire year, and also sent us the email results of 7 different ways you can look at the results. Amazing experience!!!
~Brandy H
First year homeschooling and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to make sure that there was no doubt in her scores, so I didn't want to administer them myself, and I am so thankful I found SMART! I loved the experience, from reaching the administrator, scheduling, through going over the results. I will definitely recommend and continue to use Charis! Once I found the website, I found an administrator in my area and called. Charis was out of town but still answered. I followed her instructions to schedule, and we were scheduled and meeting within a week. Very helpful and clear communication. I will definitely recommend and continue to use Charis! Very professional atmosphere and communication. Charis is a clear, uplifting, and honest person. Charis is awesome!
~Becky C
I am very satisfied with our testing experience with Charis. I feel equipped and ready to make the necessary
adjustments to our curriculum. Charis was thorough and responded to my messages quickly. She was attentive and was able to quickly assess things about my student that I had already known. My student was also delighted with her kindness. I'm looking forward to my student's next test to see his growth.
~Ashley J.
Charis was very responsive when scheduling and communiating with her. She was very patient with my girls and she explained everything very thoroughly.
~Laura M.