About us
About Poema Institute
An entrepreneurship and education charity for young people ages 14 to 18.
Our story
In 2018 Dr. Ping read Dorothy Sayers’ famous essay “The Lost Tools of Learning.” It opened his eyes to what had gone wrong with modern education and convinced him that young people needed a new kind of high school education. That year he founded Poema Institute. Over the following years he taught in homeschool co-ops, a Latin school and online programs, and saw firsthand how many students carry “math trauma,” a frustration and fear that holds them back. He had a clear picture of what this new education should look like, but not the resources to build it.
“For the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain.”
Then came AI. Because his Ph.D. research was in neural networks, the technology behind today’s AI, Dr. Ping saw its potential early. He has been using AI since 2022 and has watched the models grow steadily more powerful and capable. Today they make his vision possible: a tuition-free online program where every student has a patient AI tutor, learns from carefully chosen texts, and is overseen by an experienced teacher. That program is Poema Academy, and Dr. Ping is writing its textbooks himself, with AI’s help.
The name comes from Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship (poiēma), created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” We want every student to discover the good work he or she was made to do.
Our mission
Poema Institute equips young people ages 14 to 18 with an entrepreneurial mindset and practical skills in AI applications, business planning, and personal finance, grounded in Christian values.
Our purpose
Poema Institute exists to educate young people ages 14 to 18 in an entrepreneurial mindset. Through instruction and hands-on projects, students learn to write business plans, manage money wisely, and harness AI and the internet to create real value for others. We also encourage them to seek internships with local businesses, where they can see how a real enterprise works.
Our conviction
In the AI age it will be harder to get a job but easier to start a business. We believe a Christian Classical Liberal Arts education, joined with practical training in entrepreneurship, is the best preparation for that world.
Legal and tax-exempt status
| Legal name | Poema Institute, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Organization type | Indiana nonprofit corporation |
| Tax status | 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity |
| EIN | 83-1430203 |
| Tax-exempt since | July 5, 2018 |
| Mailing address | 3387 Buckmoor Pkwy, Greenwood, IN 46143 |
| Donations | Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. |
Leadership
Pingnan Shi, Ph.D. (Dr. Ping)
Founder, President and Director
Dr. Pingnan Shi, known to his students as Dr. Ping, grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution. He entered college at 15 and later won a scholarship for graduate study in electrical engineering at the University of British Columbia, one of Canada’s top universities, where he earned a master’s degree in robotics and a Ph.D. in neural networks. After moving to Indiana in 1995, he spent 16 years as a senior engineer and earned 15 U.S. patents.
Concerned about math education in America, he then turned to teaching. He has taught at a private Christian college-prep high school, a school for gifted children, three homeschool co-ops and a Latin school, and he has tutored students online and in person since 2018. One of his calculus students was his own daughter, who went on to earn a full-tuition scholarship to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, ranked the nation’s top undergraduate engineering school. He is in his fourth year coaching MATHCOUNTS and has pastored a church since 1999. Today he directs Poema Academy.
Board of Directors
Pingnan Shi, Ph.D. (Dr. Ping)
Founder, President and Director
Our board is expanding. New directors will be listed here as they join.