The Team
Randy has served with WISDOM for the past 27 years. It has been filled with joys and sorrows, the unexpected as well as changes in governments, homeschool families and colleagues. 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, operates Porcupine Contracting in Edson. Joshua operates Kopp Studios as an RCM piano instructor in Olds and is also an electrical journeyman. Esther, formerly a big game guide and horse trainer, now owns and operates a cattle farm with her husband near Smithers, B.C. Reuben completed his 4 year Turfgrass Management Program at Olds College, worked at a number of golf courses and now is employed by the City of Spruce Grove.
Gordon and Leandra Loewen moved to the Peace Country near Grande Prairie eleven years ago and have loved homeschooling their four remaining children with WISDOM Home Schooling. Gordon graduated from UBC in 2004 with a Bachelor of Education and became a homeschool teacher in BC. Four years ago, Gordon started as a WISDOM facilitator and has enjoyed serving the families of northern Alberta ever since. The Loewen's live on a twelve-acre hobby farm overlooking Bear Lake which is home to goats, chickens, a horse (unfortunately the llama passed away last year) and Corgis. They have enjoyed hosting many different events on their property over the years.
Meghan Lupien is new to WISDOM; however, home schooling has been an integral part of her life and learning journey. She is the oldest of seven children and was home schooled by her parents from Grade 2 straight through to graduating high school using the Seton Home Study Program. After graduating, she went on to study at four different universities in three different countries and has completed two post-secondary degrees. She believes that her ever-present curiosity, wonder, and yearning for new knowledge and experiences are due to the educational foundation her parents created for her and her siblings. She is deeply thankful for their love in action and the sacrifices they made to prepare their children for whatever they chose to pursue in life. She is also excited to help support families in their own educational journeys, advocating for parents in their right to raise their children according to their beliefs.
Kyla grew up in Nanaimo, BC. She enjoyed living near the ocean but also loved escaping to the rocky mountains every summer. To this day, hiking in Kananaskis holds a special place in her heart. She is a public school grad who went onto post secondary education at Malaspina University College (now Vancouver Island University), achieving her Bachelor of Arts in geography and global studies. In 2004, she moved east to attend the University of Alberta to complete her Bachelor of Education in elementary. After graduating in 2006, she taught with Edmonton Public Schools and Saskatoon Public Schools in various capacities.
Sue and her husband Dean have been married almost 40 years, and have 4 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 five children are happily married and we rejoice in nine grandchildren and 4 more on the way!
Dominique grew up on her family farm in Westlock County, Alberta. Her passion for homeschooling started at a young age as she was homeschooled with Wisdom Homeschooling from Kindergarten to graduation. Her homeschooling experience blessed her in many ways. From books to the barn, Dominique attributes her passions and faith to her home education, allowing her to authentically discover and develop herself.
Home education has been tremendously healing for our family. My sensory overloaded son has found peace and equilibrium. My fall-through-the cracks son receives the individual instruction he needs. Our family relationships have thrived!
Since 1992, Glenn has held a variety of positions within the educational field along with working extensively within the homeschool community as a homeschooling facilitator with WISDOM. He seeks to serve homeschool 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.
Brian and Teri have seven children and have been homeschooling for nearly thirty years in BC and Alberta. They felt pressed by a sense of duty as stewards of God’s children and responded by homeschooling. It became their daily means to nurture faith, build values, and preserve childhood innocence for “a little longer.” Their homeschooling approach is still a work in progress. They’re presently practicing a more classical approach with a Charlotte Mason influence, still holding onto the structure of a traditional math textbook.
While homeschooling has been enjoyable and rewarding, it still requires steady effort and sometimes proves challenging. The ongoing support and validation from WISDOM Home Schooling and the Alberta Home Education Association have been invaluable to them.
For Paul and his wife Mary and their seven adult children, home education – and especially Socratic discussion - has been a way of life for over 30 years. Socratic discussions happen several times every day (during tea times, meals, or while driving) because, 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, and 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.
WISDOM's High School Subject Specialists are certificated teachers with a particular subject focus. Their primary role is to provide coaching and feedback on high school resource choices, and evaluate the portfolios of students pursuing Alberta credits in core high school courses. To find out more about course challenge, click here.
High School Math & Science Specialist
780-581-1601
peter@wisdomhomeschooling.com
High School Credit Advisor
credits@wisdomhomeschooling.com
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, and 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.
High School Chemistry Specialist
pierre-andre@wisdomhomeschooling.com
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 as a facilitator and chemistry specialist. He loves supporting, encouraging and working with families in achieving their homeschooling goals.
English & Social Studies Subject Specialist
780-741-0982
rhonda@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Fitz and Rhonda met and married while teaching high school in Calgary. They loved working together then, and they love working together now. Currently, Rhonda is a facilitator for WISDOM as well as the English & Social Studies Specialist, and Fitz is her amazing assistant who also tutors Chemistry online and leads WISDOM’s in-person Physics Labs. Together, they have almost fifty years of teaching experience!
High School French Course Specialist
lydie@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Born and raised in Paris, France, Lydie has always been passionate about languages and diverse cultures. While studying at university, she had the opportunity to work with people from various backgrounds at Disneyland Paris. Her extensive travels have taken her to places like Madrid, Spain, Torino, Italy, Athens and Santorini, Greece, and the Netherlands, among others. Each experience has broadened her horizons and deepened her appreciation for languages and different cultures.
Latin Specialist
james@wisdomhomeschooling.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.
The Office Staff team is based in WISDOM's main office in Derwent. With a range of skills and experience, one thing that they have in common is a passion for and commitment to home education. Each member of the team was either a homeschooled student or homeschooling parent, so they are well equipped to walk alongside our homeschooling families.
Office Manager
rae@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Rae was home schooled from grade 1 through 12 and enjoyed every minute of the journey. In the LaRocque house, learning was fun! Whether it was racing with her sister to complete the math lesson first (with the fewest mistakes), researching every current or passing interest, reading as often as possible, or working with their menagerie of farm pets, Rae's parents taught her that learning is not just something that happens in a classroom from 9 to 3 on weekdays. Learning happens everywhere and should be enjoyable!
Finance Manager
melissa@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Melissa was raised on fresh air, hard work, and unconditional love in rural north-eastern Alberta. She was "officially” homeschooled for the second half of her school years, but was introduced to learning at home well before gaining the title of homeschooler. The second-oldest of four sisters, Melissa learned the truth of the proverb, "Many hands make light work," and discovered that laughing with a sister over a shared chore made the time pass more quickly.
Data Manager
janelle@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Janelle is married to Ed, and they have 3 children: 2 home school graduates and one in high school. They have been with WISDOM Home Schooling for 15 years for a total of 18 years home educating. Family time is very important to the Mailhot family, and they like to spend their time together outdoors, cooking, baking or playing cards and board games. You will often hear the guitar or piano being played in their home as they love to create music.
SIS Data Assistant
hope@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Hope Bekolay was homeschooled with WISDOM from kindergarten through graduation, an experience woven deeply into the fabric of her life. Growing up on a busy acreage as one of eleven siblings, she learned early what it meant to be adaptable, creative, and community-minded. These formative years strengthened her conviction that parents hold both the right and the beautiful responsibility of being their children’s first and primary educators. She cherishes the freedom home education offers: a freedom that encourages young people to grow confidently and genuinely into who they are meant to be.
SIS Data Clerk
vincent@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Vincent is the third of seven kids and has lived in Derwent, AB, for most of his life. After homeschooling with WISDOM for a few years, he went to Villa Spiritus for 3 years. Here he learned to sing, then picked up the piano along the way. He also began composing music in 2024, having one of his works sung by the St. Joseph Chamber Choir at the end of 2025. Currently, he is aiming for one of the top music schools in the world, the Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary.
Socratic Dialogue Online Program Manager
780-549-4008
nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Nicole Noster was home educated for 10 years (Gr. 3 – 12) and upon graduating, obtained her Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College, a classical liberal arts college in California. The College uses only primary sources, in particular the great books of Western civilization, to teach students to think logically and objectively across an array of subjects. Rather than lecture, professors guide students using Socratic dialogue, a process that Nicole realized as ideal for prompting students to grapple with questions and come to the answers as conclusions rather than memorized information. After graduation, Nicole worked in program development and management, putting her skills to good use with programs she believed in. Nicole and her husband, Simon, home school their 4 children and strive to always create a culture of learning in their home. In some of her random free time, she likes to garden, help on the family farm, perform choral music, and read lots of everything.
High School Advisor
christian@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Christian Bekolay homeschooled with WISDOM through graduation. Spending his school years at home fostered a love for family life, and provided many opportunities to discover other little loves for things such as being with nature through hiking, foraging, and gardening, engaging in creative arts by sculpting, carving, and painting, musical pursuits in piano and guitar, a developing passion for cooking and baking, and finally, a very enthusiastic interest in the board game hobby, from collecting to designing games. Christian considers himself a dilettante and aesthete; there is so much beauty in the world that he finds it difficult to focus on any particular aspect, rather, he lives by the motto: "I choose all."
Home School Consultant
terry@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Terry is happily married to Richard and spent 26 years home educating their four daughters: Natasha, Rachel, Mikayla and Julia. She loves the Charlotte Mason Philosophy, Unit Studies and really enjoyed eclectic learning with lots of hands on learning and books when home schooling the girls.
Home School Consultant
janice@wisdomhomeschooling.com
As a home schooling mama of 10 for over 22 years, with seven graduated now, Janice has a wealth of perspective on what works (and what doesn't) in a very busy home schooling environment. She can happily answer your questions and be an empathetic ear, whether you're calling about elementary, high school, or keeping little ones engaged while home schooling older children. With a strong passion for home schooling as the primary means of rescuing our culture, coupled with past office experience, Janice is a perfect addition to the WISDOM team! She joins us part-time in mid-May, and we look forward to working with her.
Home School Consultant
peter@wisdomhomeschooling.com
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, and 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.
Administrative Assistant
jennifer@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Home schooled for part of her own school years, Jennifer and her husband made the decision to homeschool their own 7 children. Their eldest graduated in 2021, and Jennifer still has lots of years ahead as a home school mom! With her past work as an office manager and bookkeeper for a large window covering company, she is an ideal addition to our team. She recently joined our office as a part time administrative assistant, moving seamlessly from data work to proctoring exams and answering your calls.
Administrative Assistant
rebecca@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Rebecca was home schooled with WISDOM from K-12, and has always felt confident in exploring her interests and pursuing the paths she feels called to take—thanks to the constant affirmation of her unique personhood that was a hallmark of her home education. Rebecca is deeply appreciative of what home education allowed her to be and become, and she hopes to give that appreciation a concrete and active expression in her work for The Gilbertine Institute.
Family Funding Team Lead
taylor@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Taylor grew up in a large homeschooling family. As the second oldest of 10 kids, he enjoyed his homeschooling experience through WISDOM from early childhood through graduation.
Taylor has enjoyed working at WISDOM since September 2020, and he loves the office environment. He finds joy in serving the families of WISDOM and working with his fellow employees.
Family Funding Associate & Systems Maintenance
dylan@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Dylan, along with his wife Katelyn, love the homeschooling lifestyle. Katelyn was homeschooled with WISDOM for her entire education. The Kwasnycias are excited to homeschool their three young children, Henry, Emma, and George.
Dylan began his work as a WISDOM Family Funding Associate in October 2020. Since then, he has enjoyed working for families and with coworkers, and finds it very fulfilling to help WISDOM parents to achieve the same kind of aspirations that he has for his own family.
Finance Assistant, Accounts Receivable
jim@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Jim Burgess is a home schooling father to 5 children. As a young adult, Jim had the chance to witness the benefits of home schooling in his brother's family. When he met and married a home schooled graduate, it was with the definite intent to home school their future children.
Family Funding Associate
thomas@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Thomas was born in Edmonton and raised in Vermilion, Alberta. After one year of kindergarten at St. Jerome's school in Vermilion, his beautiful mother decided home schooling was the way to go. Home schooling afforded Thomas the time to pursue his interests and talents, most notably piano. At age 14 he received his Grade 8 certification at the Royal Conservatory of Music. At age 16 he began his career as a music instructor.
Family Funding Associate
ezra@wisdomhomeschooling.com
After graduating from Wisdom Home Schooling in 2010, Ezra did a 10 day sailing trip in BC, learning to operate and navigate a 72’ schooner. He joined the local volunteer fire department and has been there since working his way to the role of Deputy Chief. In 2012 Ezra got his certificate in firearms repair. In 2015 he and his roommates founded the Bro-Tel Backyard Music Festival that runs every August.
Family Funding Assistant
briah@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Briah is the oldest of a large homeschooling family. She was homeschooled with WISDOM from K-9 before she joined Villa Spiritus under the Gilbertine Institute and graduated in 2025. She enjoyed the freedom and opportunities she was able to pursue through homeschooling, and the opportunities Villa Spiritus gave her, making Briah realize her deep interest in politics and a love of Algebra and numbers. Her desire to learn more about economics and our political system led her to desire to work in finance.
Family Funding Assistant
william@wisdomhomeschooling.com
William grew up in rural Alberta, enjoying the freedoms of homeschooling with WISDOM all the way through, and 40 acres of land to let the imagination run free. He was eager to get to work on the family farm and to help stuff magazines and shred papers at the WISDOM office. He loves to write and has written many short stories and a Sci-fi fantasy book, taking great inspiration from Brandon Sanderson.
Development Director
saul@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Saul's experience in homeschooling goes back to his early childhood, going through K-12 with WISDOM Home Schooling and eventually starting work full time for the administration in 2014. He took a couple years off to pursue other ventures, gaining much knowledge and experience working in sales and development.
Development Assistant
joshua@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Joshua embarked on his homeschooling journey on August 3rd, 2022, coinciding with the joyous arrival of his daughter, Elodie, into the world. He has been loving the labour of love that is fatherhood and is honoured to help his daughter experience life. Joshua and his wife, Haley dream of settling their family into a piece of land where they can plant a garden and care for some animals, while steeping their children in faith, nature and good literature. The knowledge that many other parents are striving toward similar dreams is what drives Joshua in his work for The Gilbertine Institute.
IT Systems Administrator
levi@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Levi supports the team by maintaining the website and email systems, providing tech support for tutors running online courses, and helping staff troubleshoot technology issues as they arise.
Graphic Designer
naomi@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Naomi started working with WISDOM in 2005. Over the years of formally working for WISDOM her work evolved from odd jobs, stuffing magazines and cleaning the office to filing and print management. After a while her role developed into Editorial Assistant and Art Design Technician. She loves to make things beautiful to look at and attractive to read.
Mediated Learning Program Director
therese@wisdomhomeschooling.com
Thérèse is married to Glen, they have four adult children and one grandchild. Thérèse and Glen home educated each of their children through high school, weaving in mediational principles and focussing on attachment first. Thérèse was the manager of WISDOM’s Mediated Learning program for many years, and in fall of 2025 she returned to that role. You'll find Thérèse touring the Province, offering Mediated Learning events to parents, as they grow further in their home schooling skills. She welcomes calls from home schooling parents, be it to work past hurdles affecting home schooling or family life, or in providing service and information relating to the home school journey.
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).
Our homeschooling adventure began 11 years ago when our oldest was in kindergarten. Since then, we have added four more children to the journey of learning, loving, and growing in faith together. WISDOM has been our choice from the beginning, and we have always so appreciated the freedom and support we’ve received as primary educators of our children.
We do life together as a family on a hobby farm south of Calgary, which offers many learning opportunities and daily drama. Book lessons may be interrupted by the sudden realization that the goats have gotten out – again – or the need to simply stop and laugh in amusement at the goose chasing the dog. We cherish the memories and time we have with our children, and can hardly believe how quickly the years fly by!
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.
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.
Hello! We’re Michael and Victoria Hutchinson. We are a homeschool family and are new this year to serving on the Parent Advisory Council. We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this coming January 2025 and feel so grateful for the adventure we’ve had together so far, especially the experience of home educating our four children for the past 11 years, who range in age from 7 to 16.
We are Menno and Margaret Knelsen, and we're from La Crete, way up in northern Alberta. We have been a homeschooling family since 2001, and registered with WISDOM since 2008. It has been a challenging journey for us, but also incredibly rewarding. When we first started out, our two oldest girls came out of public school after completing grades three and one. We appreciated the school where they were attending at the time, and clearly communicated that our reason for pulling them out was to bring them home. We had discussed the possibility for a couple of years before, and the time felt right.
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.
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.
Although both of us were homeschooled until high school (one attending a small private Christian high school and the other a public high school with the population of a small town), sometime in our marriage we had wanted our children to attend private Christian school. However, our oldest had not even finished Grade 1 during the pandemic in 2021 before it was evident that we would be switching to homeschooling.
Our journey with homeschooling began during the pandemic. Kris was reluctant at first but only a few months in, we were all hooked! We have three children, two in high-school and our son is just at the beginning of his schooling. Now we are all engaged and very well connected with homeschooling in our small town community of Carstairs. Kris works away so when he's home this gives us more family time together. He enjoys all the discussions regarding what we are learning and joining us when he can. Amanda's outgoing personality has been an asset in getting people involved in the different homeschool activities. These activities include: sewing, kindergarten groups, art classes, fun get togethers, teen activities, and more. She also is on the Soccer Association Board and the Friends of the Carstairs Library board, and has organized a local homeschool conference this past spring, that she hopes will continue each year.
Our relationship started in the Rockies in western Alberta and that place seems to keep drawing us back. It feels like it has become considerably more work for us to get out there in the last few years, but we can’t seem to figure out why. (Our family increasing in size from 2 to 7 might have something to do with it!) We also love to spend time with our extended family, play music, sing, and watch our young children grow and experience life.