Facilitators
Alberta Education requires two evaluations of each home education student, per year, by an Alberta certificated teacher in the employ of your associate board or associate private school.
The Gilbertine Institute hires Alberta certificated teachers who also home school their own children, or have home education experience themselves, to be our facilitators. Your facilitator is there to help you reach your goals in educating your children, while at the same time satisfying government requirements.
Click on Read more on each one to view the full bio and access contact information.
Michele has been married to Mike since 1985 (30 years and counting) and has come to WISDOM with an array of family life experiences given the children with which they have been blessed.
Their home schooling adventure began in 1994, having 'bumped' into some home schooling families both at church and in the community. An introductory meeting at a Homeschooling presentation ignited their openness to embarking on the adventure. Upon moving to Lamont, 40 minutes east of Edmonton, the Barters slipped quietly into town and began to homeschool their 4 children. Michele was thrilled (most of the time) to be able to have her children home with her.
Nicole grew up in Central Alberta. She was home schooled with WISDOM Home Schooling from birth to grade 12 and if she could have continued home schooling through university, she would have done that too. Nicole is married to Malachi Barter who is also a WISDOM Home School graduate and they look forward to welcoming their first child in the fall of 2021. They both look forward to homeschooling their children in the future as they begin their family.
Pierre-Andre is very excited to be joining the WISDOM team this year as a facilitator. He is looking forward to supporting parents and their families in their homeschooling journey. Pierre-Andre grew up in the small town of St. Paul, Alberta with his parents and six siblings. There he went to school from k-12 and played almost all sports but had a strong passion for hockey. After high school Pierre-Andre continued to play Jr. hockey in Lloydminster and St. Paul while attending the U of A, where he was studying to become a teacher. In 2017, Pierre-Andre received his Bachelor of Education majoring in biological sciences and minoring in chemistry. He then went on to work for Edmonton Catholic Schools teaching math and science at the high school level for 5.5 years. It is through this teaching experience and having children of his own that Pierre-Andre realized the necessity for parents to be the primary educators of their children. Pierre-Andre truly feels that he has answered God’s calling in joining WISDOM Home Schooling.
Joan Bishop has been a WISDOM facilitator since 2011. She feels very privileged to meet with homeschooling families, coming alongside parents with support and encouragement. She is a strong homeschooling advocate who firmly believes that this is the way to raise children, from within close, caring family. She believes that educating children within family is of God's ancient paths; the way of the past that God intended.
Carrie knew she wanted to be a teacher for most of her life. She had a very impactful relationship with her second grade teacher. She was a good teacher, but she was great at caring for Carrie, even outside of tbe classroom. That's how Carrie wanted to be for her students. After high school she went to Concordia and the University of Alberta. She graduated with her BEd and taught kindergarten-to-grade-six for over 10 years in Calgary, La Crete and Sherwood Park, AB. As she was winding down with teaching, she worked at church as the part time Children's Ministry Director for six years. It was a great experience that helped her to do two things she loves: working with kids and serving God.
Paul and I have been married for 29 years and we have 9 children. Five of our children have graduated and four are still homeschooling. We began homeschooling in 1999 and have cherished every moment on the journey. We began homeschooling so we could have the freedom to pass on our beliefs and values to our children. We felt that homeschooling was the best way to do so, because we would simply have more time with them. Homeschooling has been everything we hoped it would be and more. God is so good! Thankfully, our journey is not over and we have many more adventures yet to be had with our younger children.
Elizabeth (Liz) and her husband Tim were married in 1991 and have been blessed with 10 children. They served in full time ministry in a church in the Westlock area for 30 years. The Gurnetts began homeschooling in 1999 and have enjoyed continuing to homeschool ever since. While they continue to homeschool their four youngest, six of their children have graduated from high school; three have completed their university degrees and three are currently attending post-secondary. Homeschooling has given them the opportunity to teach and to spend more time with their children as they served together, enabling them to pass on their faith and values to their children even with their busy schedule.
Sherri is no stranger to homeschool families. Born in Alberta, Sherri was raised as a missionary kid in West Africa, where her parents home schooled her and her siblings through Grade 12. After high school, she obtained a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with a minor in French as a Second Language at the University of Alberta. Her first year of teaching was back in West Africa, serving missionary families as coordinator/consultant/itinerant teacher in a small homeschool co-op.
Nola and her husband Don have two adult daughters whom they homeschooled all the way through high school. Nola was a teacher for several years before their first daughter was born. Homeschooling wasn’t initially the plan for their family, but because their children needed to be with them a little longer, and because of observing such good fruit in the lives of other homeschooling families, the Hutchinsons made the decision to try it for a year. It wasn’t always easy, but once they experienced the benefit for their girls and their family life, they were convinced they were on the right path.
Anella graduated with her B.Ed in April 2006. In June 2006, her eldest son, Samuel, was born. Samuel attended his mom's graduation ceremony at 4 days old! Since his birth Anella and her husband, Mike, have welcomed six more children through birth and adoption.
Anella and Mike have home educated their children from the beginning (with a brief foray into public school); nothing compares to the joy of living life together at home. Anella has a heart for large homeschooling families and the unique challenges faced by parents with many children learning at home.
Desmond began with WISDOM Home Schooling in the fall of 2020 and is looking forward to meeting and supporting families with their education vision and its pursuit.
It is said that a parent is a child’s first teacher. This, however, is often understood to mean just the first few years of life, but the parent-child relationship is a life-long commitment. It is true that what happens in the early years of a child’s life is very critical, but as parents our responsibility for our children’s formation does not end there.
Randy has served with Wisdom for the past 23 years. Randy and Catie are empty nesters with special privileges: getting to lick beaters yourself, having dessert any night of the week, sleeping in until any hour of the day and eating pie for breakfast! For 29 years Randy and Catie raised and home educated their four children, Nathan, Joshua, Esther and Reuben who are now all married and raising children of their own. Nathan, a journeyman carpenter, owns and operates Porcupine Contracting. Joshua operates Kopp Studios as an RCM piano instructor and is a certified electrical journeyman, Esther, a horse trainer, and her husband are outfitters in Northern B.C. Reuben completed his Turf Grass Management program at Olds College and is currently assistant superintendent at Blackhawk Golf Course near Edmonton.
Gordon, and his wife, Leandra, have been homeschooling their seven children for the past 24 years. In 2004, Gordon graduated from UBC with his Bachelor of Education and subsequently worked as a facilitator in Chilliwack, BC, where he and Leandra raised their family. In 2013, they moved to an acreage outside of Grande Prairie where Gordon worked in carpentry and construction until the Fall of 2020. Gordon and Leandra are working as a team with Gordon as a facilitator and Leandra as his assistant and curriculum advisor. Although Leandra was initially a nurse, she has spent the past 24 years homeschooling, being a part of homeschool groups, and encouraging homeschooling moms and families. Gordon and Leandra have graduated four of their children from home. Two have gone on to get degrees in engineering and teaching, one son is currently in medical school and the next son is starting pre-med. The Loewens are currently homeschooling their youngest three children and are genuinely excited to support other homeschooling families in their educational journeys.
Taylore is a kindergarten through grade twelve WISDOM graduate and is passionate about home education and supporting the next generation of home schooling families. As the oldest of four children, Taylore grew up in a family that was going to try home schooling “one year at a time,” which turned into twenty years of home schooling as a family. As a traditional home schooling high school student, Taylore did countless WISDOM online courses to round out her high school education. She was first accepted to Concordia University of Edmonton before transferring to the University of Alberta Bachelor of Arts program. During her time at the U of A, Taylore competed as a Varisty athlete in curling earning two CIS gold medals, a Universiade gold medal and Academic All Canadian recognition. Taylore then returned to Concordia University of Edmonton to complete her After-Degree in Education.
Mark began as a facilitator with WISDOM in 1998. He has journeyed with so many beautiful families in the years since. He and his wife, Lorena, have four children. They live with their two youngest children, Tamara and Daniel, in the beautiful lake community of Sundance in Calgary. They enjoy the many activities of both rural and urban life. They are blessed to have their two older children and their spouses living nearby. Sarah and her husband Ben live in Red Deer. Scott and his wife Mariela live in Calgary.
Sue and her husband Dean have been married more than 30 years, and have four sons whom they educated at home through high school and beyond. Sue loved the time spent at home as a family, learning and growing together. The kitchen table became the center of numerous discussions, debates, questions, and discoveries. “Why?” was always encouraged and truth was mined from readings, studies, conversations, and more questions.
Our family began on July 29, 1983, when Daniel and I were married. Today we serve our Lord in Lac La Biche, Alberta. God has given us 5 treasures to nurture. Our three daughters are happily married (to former homeschool students) our oldest son this year and our grandchildren have started coming! Our youngest son is on staff at a YWAM base in Quebec.
My wife, Joyce, and I have been blessed with six children, all of whom are grown and gone from home. We are thrilled to now have grandchildren on their home education journey and to walk alongside the second generation of home educators!
Since 1992, Glenn has held a variety of positions within the educational field along with working extensively within the home school community as a homeschooling facilitator with WISDOM. He seeks to serve home school families by encouraging parents in their capacity to form their children with excellence and to achieve the goals that have been placed on their minds and hearts.
He and his wife have always home schooled their children and upon completion of their oldest child’s high schooling at home, they found multiple post-secondary options available to her. The success Glenn and his wife have found in preparing their children for a future after home schooling only serves to strengthen their conviction that home schooling has been one of their best decisions they have ever made for their family.
From the time that Michelle was very young, she remembers feeling a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around her. She asked a lot of questions and developed a keen sense of curiosity about nature as she explored the family’s acreage property with her sisters. Michelle was homeschooled from kindergarten through Grade 12.
Michelle grew in her faith through family discipleship and involvement in church and Bible camps. She benefited from the examples and mentorship of many older and wiser Christians over the years, and has been filled with joy to see God work in her life to guide her into the work that He has planned for her.
Brian and Teri are blessed with seven children. They have been homeschooling in Alberta and BC since 1995. Brian is a teacher at heart and has also fulfilled many roles in the education system. Brian once led the development of a home education program to support local families.
Learning starts in the home. Homeschooling gave Brian and Teri a means to continue enacting their parental duty as stewards of God’s children.
Organizations like WISDOM Home Schooling and the Alberta Home Education Association have provided the Tajes encouragement, training and resources. In addition, they created a vital sense of community and validated the homeschooling choice. Being part of a homeschooling community continues to enrich the Taje family.
Paul and his wife Mary have been married more than 35 years, have seven children, and home education has been a way of life for them for over 25 years. The family loves Socratic discussion because it is not just a form of education but a part of daily life – during tea times, during meal times, or while driving to an event. As Mary says, "we have a deep commitment to classical education including philosophy and logic. It is a part of our life, every day."
Catherine van Kampen is happy to be a part of the WISDOM team. She has had a variety of teaching positions. She began teaching in Taiwan in 2004 and that was an adventure! Next, she moved back to her hometown of Saskatoon and taught Kindergarten while subbing in other schools on days off. Eventually, Catherine ended up in Calgary, her husband Peter's hometown, and taught at both Bishop Grandin High School as well as Father Lacombe High School. All of these jobs taught her new things...but none prepared her for the next mission she would undertake: homeschooling her own children. From 2013 to the present Catherine has been both delighted and stretched by the process of homeschooling. Each child being so unique, she is always adjusting, learning to listen, and trying to laugh often. Peter and Catherine have five children. They enjoy camping and hiking, reading and singing... and thank God for their cozy little house in a big clump of trees. Maybe it looks more like a zoo than a home on some days, but Catherine trusts that good things are growing, and she loves this life!
Peter grew up in Spruce Grove, Alberta, where he was schooled through the institutional model of K-12. He went on to the University of Alberta where he completed a Bachelor of Secondary Education, majoring in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. Upon completion of his first degree, he was called to the Seminary, where he attended the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, BC, which is conducted by the Benedictines of Westminster Abbey. Peter describes this as, “one of the most fulfilling and most valuable experiences of faith and community formation one could ever ask for.” Peter completed his Pre-Theology degree majoring in Philosophy and he says that he doesn’t know his minor as he had to take equal amounts of minor classes in Ecclesial Latin, Koine Greek, Catholic Religious History. While in Mission, his passion for hockey seemed to be contagious as he also managed to help get a new outdoor asphalt hockey rink built for intramural street hockey, of which he found himself the Commissioner and ran the league. He is proud to have taught Fr. Matthew, the seminary vice-rector, how to enjoy playing roller hockey.