Latin Specialist
james@wisdomhomeschooling.com
james.rauch@gilbertineinstitute.com
James grew up in Westlock County, the home of Herbert Greenfield, the fourth premier of Alberta, where he went to public school from K-12 and thought nothing of it. This all changed when he enrolled in Concordia University College in Edmonton where he met his future wife and WISDOM alumna, Miriam, who introduced him to the wonderful world of homeschooling for the first time. At Concordia, James pursued the liberal arts and was shocked to learn that Miriam had already read many of the books he was studying in his classes throughout her homeschooling career. This realisation made James reconsider the potentials of what an education ought to be. He graduated with distinction from Concordia in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English literature. Although his minor is history, church history to be specific, classics, philosophy, classical languages, and Christian theology could also qualify as he took an equal number or more classes in these disciplines than his actual minor.
After graduating from Concordia, James decided against graduate studies, instead earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a Certificate in Catholic Education from the University of Alberta (St. Joseph’s College) in 2018. He then went on to teach with the Edmonton Catholic School Division. James’ experience teaching in the institutional school system further strengthened his conviction that parents are the primary educators of their children and that a good education is much more than what the established school system provides. In 2021, James transitioned to supporting homeschooled children through one of the Gilbertine Institute’s shared responsibility programmes, Holy House Edmonton, while also working at Campion Classical Academy, an Edmonton homeschool co-op. Since that time, he has had the pleasure, and privilege, of teaching Latin to homeschooled children of all ages.
James and Miriam have now been married for almost five years and have two young daughters, with a third child on the way. Although their children are currently too young to formally homeschool, they are looking forward to the day that their family can officially join the WISDOM family. In their spare time, the Rauches enjoy reading, gardening, hiking, camping, canoeing, and raising chickens and rabbits.