Parent Advisory Council
The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is a group of home schooling parents who helps advise WISDOM on ways to best serve the home schooling community. PAC members must be WISDOM parents who profess the Apostles’ Creed. They meet twice a year for an in-camera meeting of the PAC followed by an assembly with facilitators, office staff and administrators.
Members of the PAC:
- provide prayer and moral support to WISDOM and the governing school authority;
- are ambassadors for WISDOM by their lifestyle;
- are a resource for the families of WISDOM (this role is not administrative but supportive);
- welcome families new to WISDOM;
- make themselves available for contact by our WISDOM families (see the "Read More" section of each bio for contact information);
- advocate to WISDOM on behalf of WISDOM parents;
- assist facilitators with local WISDOM events;
- may gather or write articles for the WISDOM website or magazine;
- are politically informed, engaged and aware;
- update WISDOM families about current issues that impact home schooling (watch for inserts in the WISDOM magazine).
We feel especially blessed to have WISDOM as our homeschool administration! The support and encouragement we receive is priceless. We are still teaching four of our children at home, and next year one less. For many years we've had five students, and it seems the load is lifting somewhat, except now we're involved in our grandchildren's lives. We hope to play a supporting role as our adult kids have already begun to homeschool their children. What a beautiful legacy to pass on to the next generations!
Our journey into home schooling our five children began over 19 years ago. We are nearing the end of that journey with only one child (now age 16) working toward completing high school studies. We have found this to be the most rewarding journey we have ever embarked on. Walking with, and seeing the development of each of our children – in their character, their faith, their education, and their life pursuits, has been a great joy. We have met the challenges that are unique to each child's development and we have worked past those hurdles – some being more challenging than others.
Among our children, we have a Certified Automotive Technician, a Registered Nurse, a documentation and inventory assistant for an aviation (helicopter) company, an Interior Design Technology student, and a budding carpenter who is working toward apprenticeship and trade certification. Each of our children participate regularly in Christian ministry and outreach opportunities. Each has a unique hobby or interest that he or she approaches with dedicated or vibrant enthusiasm.
WISDOM has been there to help us on this journey, and we have appreciated the directions and options that were and are available to us. In turn, we are very pleased to volunteer on this council and thereby make ourselves available to WISDOM and its home school community so that you might be able to contact us if you have any questions about your homeschooling journey. We are here to help and to share what we have learned along the way.
Along our journey we have discovered what works and also what does not work, given the unique needs of each child. God blessed us first with 'normal' learners, and then with increasingly more challenging learners into the spectrum of the very dyslexic (clinically diagnosed as 'severe'). The home school atmosphere made it possible for each one to truly flourish. Although it took significant work, along with plenty of trial-and-error, especially with two of our children, the hard work has paid off and all are of good character and they are thriving! Again, we are thankful to the staff and facilitators at WISDOM Home Schooling that have helped us to help our children.
Please feel free to contact us.
Fairview - (780) 835-8722
We first considered homeschooling our children when our oldest child was just a toddler. By the time kindergarten (and the yellow school bus) approached, we had surrendered to God’s leading by choosing to educate our children at home instead of in a school setting.
This journey that began with some foreboding soon evolved into a new lifestyle filled with fun, frustration, adventure…and a whole lot of fantastic books! Several bookshelves later, we find ourselves at the end of our 26-year-long homeschooling experience with our five children.
Time marches on and there have been many changes to the Kok family since our last bio on the WISDOM website. We have been married for almost 32 years. We still have 4 children but now they are all adults, ranging in age from 29 (our son) and down to 19 (3 daughters). The older 2 are living on their own in St. Albert and Edmonton. We still have 2 girls at home to keep us company, when they are around, plus a dog and 2 cats. We are still living in St. Albert.
WISDOM has supported us in our homeschooling journey for 20+ years. Our son was in school for Grades 1-3 before we took him home. The three girls started homeschooling in kindergarten. The youngest has just finished. It is the end of an era. Sometimes we wish we could start all over again.
Over the years we have seen the growth WISDOM has experienced. We have also witnessed the way WISDOM has dealt with some very difficult situations with integrity and a complete trust in God. We have enjoyed being part of the PAC and have met some of the most amazing people because of it. Feel free to contact us if you want to chat about homeschooling or WISDOM.
Diane and Joe met in high school and were married in 1981 in Calgary. Before their children were born, Diane taught English and French in senior and junior high schools. Joe was formerly a Financial Analyst, then made a career change and became a high school Physics and Chemistry teacher. They were blessed to be offered a position with WISDOM in the fall of 1997, facilitating for 25 years before retiring and joining the Parent Advisory Council. Diane and Joe have also volunteered together in the marriage preparation ministry and have enjoyed years of scripture studies with their small church community. Living south of Calgary on a lovely acreage, Joe and Diane run a greenhouse in the spring.