The Team
Principal, Home Education
simon@wisdomhomeschooling.com
simon.noster@gilbertineinstitute.com
Simon grew up on a farm in rural Alberta where he was home schooled from kindergarten through grade 12. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California, followed by a Bachelor of Education from Concordia University of Edmonton. Simon taught in the separate school system in Cold Lake before joining the WISDOM family as a facilitator in 2014.
Having worked in several capacities with WISDOM over the years, Simon now enjoys facilitating, along with the responsibility of Principal of Home Education for the WISDOM Home Schooling department of The Gilbertine Institute. Simon and his wife, Nicole, are the proud home schooling parents of four beautiful children, and feel blessed to experience the joys of their life in rural Alberta.
Head of School
ken@wisdomhomeschooling.com
kenneth.noster@gilbertineinstitute.com
Kenneth Noster and his wife, Marlane, were compelled by their firstborn child to begin home schooling in the late 1980’s. They began with no support network, and their home schooling mirrored the institutional learning they had themselves experienced. They soon recognized that learning is much bigger than schools.
Within a year, Ken was helping neighbours begin home schooling, and in 1992, he was hired by a nearby school board to organize a home schooling administration. Recognizing that support for home schooling families requires a very special approach to administration, Ken and Marlane began WISDOM Home Schooling in 1995.
Secretary Treasurer
vic@wisdomhomeschooling.com
vic.wiens@gilbertineinstitute.com
Vic Wiens first became acquainted with home schooling in Alberta when he moved to this province in 1998 to take on the role of principal at Newell Christian School in Brooks, the associate private school for a fairly large homeschool organization. It did not take long for him to appreciate the good work that parents were doing in educating their children. Since that time, he has been the principal of three other schools with homeschool administrations and also homeschooled one of his own children.
Chief Operating Officer
tobylauren@wisdomhomeschooling.com
tobylauren.burgess@gilbertineinstitute.com
"There are no teachers, only learners - it is my job as a teacher to create a learning environment." - Monty Roberts
From a young age, TobyLauren thrived in an environment where conversation and curiosity reigned supreme—no baby talk here! By four, she was already an avid reader and adventurous spirit. Eagerly anticipating her first day of school, she quickly found herself disenchanted, often left to color while her peers engaged in lessons. This led her to embrace homeschooling mid-way through grade 3, a decision that allowed her to explore her passions for horse training, agriculture, painting, writing, and both learning and teaching piano and violin.
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.
Tiffany grew up in small town Alberta. As an adult, she started travelling as soon as possible which led her to becoming an au pair in France. This experience taught her a lot about children, language, culture, perspective, and so many other life lessons. She has continued to travel whenever possible (though not as much as she’d like) throughout North America, Europe and a few tropical islands.
Upon returning home to Alberta, she continued to pursue her Bachelor of Education degree. She married the love of her life, and they started a family. Tiffany worked in the public school system for 15 years. Along the way she saw her son (and many others) struggling to learn in this type of environment. 3 years ago, the time came for the Arnolds to begin their homeschool journey.
Homeschooling is now a passion for Tiffany, and she cannot imagine her life any other way. She is so blessed and excited to be facilitating for other families that are excited to educate their kids in their own way. Tiffany strongly believes in meeting kids where they are at and encouraging them to learn in a way that is meaningful for them. She also believes in getting messy and dirty and playing as much as possible.
The Arnold family enjoys being outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking, BBQ’s, board and card games, make-believe play, dress-up, hide and seek, and visiting with friends and family. Tiffany also really loves sourdough and making all the things with sourdough.
Tiffany looks forward to working alongside families that have chosen to educate their children. She feels very called to this position with WISDOM and believes everything happens for a reason. The spirit moves us where we need to be.
Tiffany Arnold, Medicine Hat
tiffany@wisdomhomeschooling.com
tiffany.arnold@gilbertineinstitute.com
403-866-7822
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.
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!
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.
In 2004, Lydie made a significant move to London, England, to improve her English before pursuing a Bachelor of Education to teach English Language Arts in France. She fell in love with the city and decided to complete her BEd at the University of Uxbridge in West London. Over the next four years, she taught French, Italian, and Spanish to underprivileged students aged 7 to 13 at a comprehensive school. These years were some of the most challenging yet profoundly rewarding of her teaching career, as she saw remarkable transformations in students who had previously faced educational obstacles. It was during this time that she realized the crucial impact of a strong family foundation on children's well-being. This experience planted a seed in her, although she did not fully realise it at the time.
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 the 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 12 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.