Mikaela Shorey:
Mikaela taught every level of high school Spanish during her seven years in the public school system, after earning degrees in education and Spanish, and spending time in Latin America. She currently spends most of her time caring for her family, but does private tutoring at every level from remedial and 5th year high schoolers to enthusiastic primary school students. She puts together her own curriculum, and reaches that important balance: helping students work hard while having lots of fun.
*You can contact Mikaela with Spanish or Curious Critter class questions at [email protected]
Valerie Schmiesing:
Valerie attended Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forest, Illinois, and graduated with a BS in Education and church work. She has been a certified teacher in Christian schools for over 30 years, teaching grades K-6 at a variety of states and schools. She spent her last 17 years teaching 3rd & 4th grades at a Christian school in Glen Burnie, MD.
After retiring in 2016, Valerie moved to Massachusetts to be near her family, where she worked as a substitute teacher in the Plainville Public School System. For the last 3 years, she has homeschooled her granddaughter in Language Arts and Reading for Second, Third, and Fourth grades. She feels that teaching in a homeschool setting allows for flexibility and creativity that makes teaching a great joy.
*You can contact Valerie with Literature or Grammar class questions at [email protected]
Joyce Lima:
A lifelong learner with a heart for children, Joyce has college degrees in Human Resources and Elementary Education. She also completed year long diploma programs in business and Biblical Studies. She was a pre-school teacher and taught first and second grade at a Christian school for many years before home educating her three children, who are now college graduates. For the past 20 years, she has worked as a children’s librarian, creating and implementing group reading activities across a range of ages and abilities. Currently she began training in a new position of providing swim instruction at a local YMCA. Aside from teaching, Joyce enjoys music, joyful movement, friendship, and appreciating God’s love. She is excited to return to the homeschool setting and reacquaint herself with the exceptional families in the community.
*You can contact Joyce with Explorers or Reading questions at [email protected]
Kelly Kilbourn:
Kelly taught math for grades 8-12 in the public school system for five years after earning degrees in secondary education and mathematics from Gordon College. She currently spends the majority of her time taking care of her family. She has homeschooled all four of her children for their primary grades over the past eight years, as well as doing private math tutoring for various abilities and courses, and teaching as an adjunct professor at different colleges. She loves teaching math at every level and loves finding ways to make it fun and apply it to real life situations.
You can contact Kelly with Math questions at [email protected]
Erin Hazen:
Once a homeschooled student herself, Erin decided to explore her creative interests, earning an associates’ degree in art and then a bachelors degree in interior design. Erin has taught for over almost twenty at Good Company Tutorials, where she has taught various art classes to middle and high school homeschooled students, and has taught a variety of classes for Lightning Learners with the younger ages. She loves to share an appreciation of God's creativity in our world with kids and enjoys encouraging a love of learning in her students. Erin spends the rest of her days at her primary occupation of wife and homeschooling mom of two. Erin is continuing certification for IEW.
*You can contact Erin with Science, Geography, Art or general Lightning Learners questions at [email protected]