Facilitators

Alberta Education requires two evaluations of each home education student, per year, by a certificated teacher in the employ of your associate board or associate private school. The policy for WISDOM facilitators is that The Gilbertine Institute hires certificated teachers who also home school their own children or have home education experience themselves. 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.

To apply for a position as a WISDOM facilitator, send your resume and letter of introduction to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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.

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
– St. Catherine of Siena

Home education has allowed Nicole to do just that, and prepared her for the journey that God wants to lead her on. 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. After graduating, Nicole completed a Certificate in Canadian Youth Ministry Studies, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music and a Bachelor of Elementary Education Degree. Nicole has taught private piano lessons, served a year with Pure Witness Ministries, worked as a Team Member at Our Lady of Victory Camp, and worked as a Youth Ministry Coordinator. She has spent the last year teaching K-4 Elementary Music in Sherwood Park and is very excited to begin her journey with the WISDOM family. She enjoys playing piano, writing, gardening, reading about the lives of the saints and teachings of the church, being involved in family/youth ministry within her church community, and enjoys the peacefulness of country life (including the simplicity and hard but very rewarding work).

Joan Bishop has been a WISDOM facilitator since 2011. She feels very privileged to meet with home schooling 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 families. She believes that educating children within family is of God's ancient paths; the way of the past that works.

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 23 years and we have 9 children: Julie (22), Rolland (20), Danielle (18), Natalie (16), Mario (13), Adam (11), Kateri (9), John Paul (6), and Rose (3). 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. Recently we moved to the farm in Westlock and my husband is now a full-time farmer, enabling him to be even more involved in homeschooling and family life.

Deanna is honoured to be joining the WISDOM team as a home school facilitator. She was working in a Catholic school teaching grade 1 and although she adored teaching the children in a classroom, her favourite time to see the children was on field trips and activity days because they were so alive! Watching them learn and grow in their natural element of play, curiosity, and exploration inspired Deanna to search for a teaching job that would allow for them to be in this environment full-time. She feels blessed to have this opportunity to support parents in home education, where children are encouraged to learn in the love, support, and encouragement of their families.

While new to WISDOM this year, 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.

Desmond is new to WISDOM Home Schooling and is looking forward to meeting and supporting families with their education vision and its pursuit.  

Randy has served with WISDOM for the past eighteen years.  Randy and Catie are now empty nesters with special privileges: getting to lick the beaters yourself, have dessert any night of the week, sleep in until any hour of the day and have pie for breakfast! For the past 29 years near Edson, Randy and Catie have raised and educated their four children, Nathan, Joshua, Esther and Reuben, who are now all flapping their wings.

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 grew up just east of Edmonton. As the oldest of four children, the family was going to try home schooling “one year at a time”. 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 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. 

Taylore and her husband Kenton welcomed their first child in 2019. Kenton works on the family grain and cattle farm. The family enjoys camping and trips to the lake together during the summer months. 

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.

Diane and I met in high school and were married in 1981 in Calgary. Before our children were born, Diane taught English and French in senior and junior high school. I was formerly a Financial Analyst, then made a career change and became a high school Physics and Chemistry teacher. I was blessed to be offered a position with WISDOM in the fall of 1997 and am now in my 18th year of facilitating. Diane and I have also volunteered together in our church in the marriage preparation ministry for many years.

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 home educators) and our grandchildren have started coming! Our two sons are pursuing their careers. 

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 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 them in their capacity to form their children and 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 in 2015, 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.

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."