Speaker Slate
 *, VendorVarious vendors offer workshops to explain and promote their particular products.BC CHEC Topics:
Baradoy, BrendaBrenda Baradoy and her husband Gary began their involvement in home education in 1986 when their first child was ready go to kindergarten. Not sure that that was the right place for their bright, active, curious, eldest son, they looked into the alternatives and reluctantly discovered home education was the best fit for the whole family. Brenda soon recognized the joys and advantages of home schooling, eventually teaching all three of their children at home. Brenda & Gary both served as support group leaders and special event co-coordinators for home educators. In 1993, having recognized the need in the growing home school community for a supplier of educational materials, and with the idea to be only a part time endeavour for a little extra income, they stocked a few bookcases in their dining room, sent out a one page list of materials, and C.H.E.R. (Canadian Home Education Resources) was born. Now nineteen years later, they are both full time (and a half) in the business with full and part time, wonderful employees, an amazing website, a store front, and a mailing list of thousands across the country. More importantly, they are now very proud grandparents of four.
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Barney, KristaKrista Barney lives in Vernon, BC with her two children Elizabeth and Benjamin (6 and 4 years old). She has been helping homeschool families within HCOS since 2005 as an individualized teacher, a Learning Services Consultant, the IEP manager, and now, the School Based Team Co-ordinator among other hats. This is her first year actually homeschooling, rather than just supporting others; and she is enjoying the flexibility and intimacy that doing Kindergarten at home allows.
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Bitgood, GregGreg Bitgood became involved with Christian Education in 1987 as a director of Heritage Christian School and in 1997 was appointed Superintendent. In the same year, Greg and his wife, Christine, founded Heritage Christian Preschool. In 2004, Greg started Heritage Christian Online School, a British Columbia accredited distance learning program for students K to 12. It is now Canada’s largest Christian Online School and is having a world-wide impact. Greg is a director for the Western Canadian division of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). BC CHEC Topics:
 Blanchet, VickieVickie Blanchet is a wife, a mom, a homeschooler and a missionary. Homeschooling since 1997, her oldest son graduated in 2010 and has gone onto a successful career as a Commercial Diver. Her second son is in Grade 10. Actively involved in homeschooling associations in Vancouver, Kelowna and Newport, WA, Vickie has been a field trip coordinator, register for a large coop, a mentor, and register for the Homeschool Convention in Vancouver. She has had her children enrolled with Heritage Online School since it's inception. Vickie and her husband, Curtis, have been missionaries with Youth With A Mission since 1992 and have travelled extensively. Introduced to Google Documents three years ago, she has used them extensively and enjoys the ease with which she is able to submit her portfolios - no matter where in the world she may be! BC CHEC Topics:
Davies, PippaPippa Davies works as a media specialist for HCOS, and before that as specialist librarian and teacher librarian, for the Surrey School Board, Surrey Public Library, South African Library, legal and medical libraries. She has run library workshops, get ready to read programs, blogging and tech workshops, adult and children's book clubs, and she chairs our HCOS, HCS blended learning commons committee. In her spare time when she is not blogging, surfing the net, curating or tweeting, she enjoys being a wife to John, and a mum to her two adult daughters and home schooled son.BC CHEC Topics:
 Effa, KarenKaren was introduced to homeschooling by a friend when her first child was still a pre-schooler. The sampling of kindergarten curriculum she discovered to support constructive play launched her on an annual search for the best educational materials. Now after fifteen years of homeschooling, she still enthusiastically home schools her youngest child and enjoys opportunities to encourage and support other homeschooling parents. Last year, Karen registered as a part-time student to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Education. She is thoroughly enjoying being a student again and looks forward to the new doors the Lord will open in the future.BC CHEC Topics:
Filion-Sherwood, MarieGrowing up with her first language as French, Marie wanted to pass on her mother tongue to her children. As a homeschooler since 1996, she searched for a curriculum that was phonetic, had rich culture and was written from a Christian Worldview. She found none, so she wrote one. After using this program in a co-op setting Marie decided to assemble the materials and Le Français Facile was born. Great Commission Languages soon followed with the introduction of a Spanish program and more recently the release of Introductory Hebrew. Marie decided to jump on the bandwagon of learning and earned her Masters of Science in Psychology while homeschooling the remaining three children at home. Marie now works part time to help severely emotionally disturbed children and their families find hope and healing. Her Curly Horses assist in accomplishing this ministry and GCL funds part of the operating costs. When people purchase her curriculum they are also helping these hurting families heal.BC CHEC Topics:
 Goheen, MichaelMichael Goheen (Ph.D. Utrecht University) is the Geneva Professor of Worldview and Religious Studies at Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C. and Teaching Fellow in Mission Studies at Regent College, Vancouver. He is (co)author or (co)editor of six books on biblical theology, worldview, and mission. He was involved in home-educating his four children and hopes to be involved also with his grandchildren.
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 Goheen, MarnieMarnie Goheen has home-educated her four children from kindergarten through the end of high school. All went on to university and two have continued on to graduate degrees up to the Ph.D. level. During that time she started several home-education parental co-op groups as well as an orchestra and choir. She has spoken on home-education issues in Canada, Australia, and England. She has been married to Mike for 33 years, and together they have four married children, and four grandchildren. She looks forward to participating in the home-education of her growing brood of grandchildren.
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 Hahn, MarilynMarilyn Hahn has been teaching since 1993, seven of those years in schools and the rest with home school families in Alberta. She has been a family facilitator, workshop teacher for hundreds of kids and parents, a tutor, conference speaker, curriculum creator, and writer. She has presented for many home school conferences, which have taken her as far as Montreal, Quebec, and as close as Princeton, BC. Alberta home school families in Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Red Deer, Lacombe, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, and Slave Lake have enjoyed her humorous and down-to-earth approaches to homeschooling. Her particular passion is to support boys and their teachers/parents in the learning process, and she especially enjoys reading a great piece of writing that involves spit balls, a close encounter with hooligans, and a well-told knock-knock joke that invovles skunks. She offers solid advice, real solutions (she home schooled her two sons in junior high), hope, laughter, insight, and hands-on help that will leave you encouraged and confident that you can do it. BC CHEC Topics:
Hildebrandt, BruceBruce has been involved in Christian Education for over 25 years. He has
spent the past three years working with HCOS as an individualized teacher.
Bruce has led student missions teams to Africa, helped to plant a church,
recorded four cds, hiked the West Coast Trail and guarded the Pope. (Actually he
guarded a bush on the side of the road as the Pope drove by.) He has a passion
for working with students and parents, and longs to see people grow close to
Jesus.
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Holden, GordI began my career in education working as an aid in Special Education. This led me into teaching. When I graduated from SFU, I took my young family to the Comox Valley, where I had been a pastor with The Salvation Army. There, I worked in a Middle School (13 years), Elementary School (3 years), and a Distance Education School (4 years). I was recently hired by Heritage Christian Online School to bring a specialized expertise I’ve developed into their options for personalized learning. What I bring is experience in using and developing immersive environments and technology for learning. Students using my materials will not just read about the Roman Coliseums, they will build it, and/or walk through it, listen to the characters that inhabit it. They will not simply read about the Pueblo Indian dwellings in Colorado, but go back in time and live with them, learning about their relationship with the land first hand. In other words, the student experience what they are learning about, much like what happened in the movie “Avatar.”BC CHEC Topics:
Kane, Linda
Linda Kane M.CND, Sound Therapy Specialist, Behavioral
Consultant, and International Lecturer, entered the field of special needs in
1977 with the birth of her oldest son, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Scott was born at a time when the standard recommendation was to
institutionalize children born with DS. Refusing to even consider such a
thing, Linda and her husband, Lee, ventured out on their own looking for
answers that would help their son. Sadly, most of their early education was
finding what did not work. They were fast becoming veterans of numerous
unsuccessful programs and therapies. Through this search for answers,
Linda found The Neurodevelopmental Approach in 1989.
Realizing the life-changing effects of this
approach, Linda entered into an eight year apprenticeship in the
neurodevelopmental field. She expanded into specialized fields through
extensive training in Auditory Integration Training, Auditory Enhancement
Training, Behavioral Management, Samonas Sound Therapy, Feeding Therapy, Oral
Motor Therapy, Primitive and Postural Reflexes, and TKM® (The King Institute
Method).
Lee and Linda founded Hope And A Future, Inc. in September,
1999. Hope And A Future’s primary mission is to give hope and specific help to
families involved with learning challenges, developmental needs, genetic
syndromes, brain injuries, Autism, and visual/hearing impairments.
Linda firmly believes the potential of an individual is
determined by the opportunities presented to them. Nothing in all creation can
compare to the amazing capacity and adaptability of the human brain.
Traditional thinking has believed there are limits to the brains capacity.
Research into neural plasticity of the brain (the brain’s ability to change and
adapt) is greatly changing how we work with brain injuries, learning
inefficiencies, sensory problems, and genetic syndromes. This is how we can help
all children, or ourselves, reach our fullest potential.
Hope And A Future guides families by giving them the
expertise for working with the specific, individual needs of their precious
family member/members.
Linda is certified through the International Christian
Association of Neurodevelopmentalists, Inc. (ICAN). Currently, in affiliation
with ICAN, the opportunity for continued research, study, and the exploration
of options and methodologies to enhance the field of neurodevelopment is an
ongoing critical part of her work. Linda travels extensively throughout the
United States and British Columbia Canada serving individual families,
lecturing, and teaching individuals, educators, and professionals within the
fields of education and special needs.
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Madiera, SusanSusan has a Bachelors degree in Engineering Mathematics from the University of Arizona and Masters in Education with an emphasis in Educational Technology from San Diego State University. Prior to becoming a mom, Susan worked in the aerospace and software industries where she developed various systems and tools. She has been homeschooling her 11-year-old son since he was a baby and began with Right Start Mathematics when he was in kindergarten; he will be completing the Geometric Approach this school year. Susan is currently the president of her local homeschool co-op and enjoys supporting and promoting homeschooling through various groups and events. Susan, her husband and son, live on a self-proclaimed swamp where they raise chickens, watch wildlife, and love schooling at home.BC CHEC Topics:
McLeod, AprilApril McLeod is in her 2nd year as a HCOS support teacher. Last year, one of April’s students was screened for Irlen Syndrome and was given coloured overlays to help with their reading. This student’s whole life was transformed. She could see the words on the written page properly and she could read like never before. After observing this amazing change, April heard of the training being offered in Kelowna and decided to take the course. While at the training, it was revealed through the screening process that April had Irlen Syndrome herself. With overlays and tinted lenses now, what was a constant source of frustration with the printed word and many other things, life has changed significantly for the better. Come and discover if you and/or those around you could be helped with a very simple solution.BC CHEC Topics:
 Munro, ChristineChristine Munro is a mom to four great kids whom she has been home educating for the past 10 years; two are graduating this year. When not expanding her own children's learning opportunities, Christine has her hand in many other educational endeavours. Having taught in public and private institutions as well as homeschooling and teaching with Kleos Open Learning, Christine has seen all sides of the educational world and nothing has inspired her more than seeing children's fascination in God's creation. Her love of science has lead her to many Provincial and National Science Events to discover ways to engage and motivate children and families in science education. Her passion for learning is contagious and she hopes she can send home families with a renewed interested in engaging their children to further explore the world around them. BC CHEC Topics:
 Pape, RitaEarly in her career as an educator, Rita became especially interested in finding effective methods to support student literacy. Her passion led her into the area of Special Education and she worked for several years as a resource teacher with the Catholic School Board in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the summer of 2009, Rita met Susan Barton, an internationally recognized expert on the subject of dyslexia. She became certified under Ms. Barton as a dyslexia diagnostician. Currently, Rita has a successful private practice, testing and tutoring students of all ages who struggle with this learning difference. In addition, Rita works as an educational consultant, offering support and information to parents, educators and administrators who are interested in learning more about dyslexia.
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Rainbow, JanetJanet Rainbow has worked supporting homeschoolers for over 20 years. She oversees the “Equivalency Certificate” option for registered homeschoolers. This option is for parents who want some accountability and validation for their program but do not want to follow the BC learning outcomes. She also works closely with Sue Savard in helping support flexible choices for any student in the grad program.
Savard, SueSue Savard is an experienced Guidance Counsellor who works closely with enrolled Grad Program students and their parents to create a program that meets a student’s specific goals, whether it be a Dogwood Diploma or a School Completion Certificate in BC. She also teaches Planning 10 and Grad Transitions, further enabling her to connect effectively with students as they enter and exit the Grad Program.
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 Stewart, TeresaTeresa has been homeschooling her 5 children, four of whom have a variety of learning challenges, for ten years. With a background in Recreational Therapy; Wilderness Instructor (with emphasis on Remedial Education), and time spent developing and implementing Christian wilderness and educational programs for youth and children internationally, the Lord provided an eclectic training for thinking outside of the box for those whose learning style and passions require a more individualized approach. An engaging public speaker, her roles as a community, medical and family advocate have led to many opportunities of sharing how God’s faithfulness and ingenuity changes lives. As a member of the Executive for the vibrant Abbotsford Christian Homeschool Association, Teresa found that even healthy, regular support groups weren’t reaching the needs of the large population of special education families. This has led to the recent development of a Christian Special Education Homeschool support group, which has a growing and grateful membership. With emphasis on creating a safe, non-judgemental environment for families to network, share mutual concerns with others “living the challenge”, and build resources pertinent specifically for the homeschooling family, the interest in the group continues to grow and develop both locally and provincially. Married now for 20 years, Teresa lives with her ever supportive and understanding husband and their children in Abbotsford, B.C.
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 Strom, RayRaymond Strom was born, a farmer’s son, in 1950 in southern Alberta. At an early age (5) he became aware that farming was not for him, and that science was going to be his life calling. Ray’s career has taken him from Chemistry to Geology.In 1988, Ray and Lois began home educating their two children, and at the same time became part of the growing Alberta Home Education Association (AHEA). Ray became involved at a formal level around 1990. Ray served as President for several years with AHEA and spent many hours tactically planning on how to best deal with government and public school boards. Ray has been actively involved in origins research since 1980, and currently is involved in numerous projects evaluating origin, deposition and diagenesis of rocks as they relate to the biblical Genesis record. Ray and his wife attend Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel in Calgary and is father of 2 girls and grandfather to 6. BC CHEC Topics:
Timmermans, CarmenI'm excited to be working for HCOS as an individual teacher for friends and family here on Vancouver Island, as an advocate and consultant for gifted students and as the Assistant Director of Learning Services. My background as an educator started in Ontario with an Masters of Science in Secondary Education from Niagara University, although my first teaching job was in BC as a Montessori kindergarten directress (s-t-r-e-t-c-h). In my twenties I travelled to a number of international schools - in the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean - teaching Pre-K to grade 12. I eventually came back to BC to complete a Masters in Leadership from Trinity Western. I teach a kids art class each week, love out-of-the box thinking, the question "Why not?" and feel in good company here. I believe ...in many things, but the top two that come to mind right now are that balance is vital and that God is good - all the time. BC CHEC Topics:
Vankevich, JudiJudi Vankevich, The Manners Lady, is CEO of The Canadian Project for Manners & Civility and Founding President of The Manners Club & Life Skills Int’l (MA, Law & Government, Regent University, and Honours BA, Political Science & Business, Trinity Western University) Judi is an award-winning singer, author, and educational speaker for parents and teachers. Her CD, “It’s Fun to Have Good Manners!” and the Manners Club Character Kit featuring her book / curriculum, Manners Matter and Character Counts. Her music and ministry materials are being used in schools, churches and families around the world and lives are being changed and families are being strengthened. Judi trained over 15,000 young people to be “Multicultural Friendship Ambassadors” for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and will be heading in May 2012 to train young people at the London Olympics. She is currently training global Manners Club Coaches to make our world a nicer place to live!
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 Weatherly, LauraBio to come.BC CHEC Topics:
Wiebe, ShandraI began my homeschooling journey years ago when our daughter begged to be removed from school in grade 7. She was struggling with dyslexia and a rowdy class so another option had to be found. While on this journey we tried many different curricula and methods including distance education and integrated programs; eventually we found what worked for her. During this time I became very committed to homeschooling our young sons. The joy of learning alongside my children has been an incredible privilege. We enrolled with HCOS in its first year of operation. In 2007, I started working part-time as the HCOS Librarian. Today, the school has grown considerably and so has the library! We are now part of the Heritage Christian Schools Learning Commons - an integrated library for both the campus and online schools. The library's purpose is to meet the needs of both homeschooling and campus families by offering quality resources from a Christian perspective. I love to share the joy of homeschooling with other families and I really love books, so working in the library is a special privilege. I enjoy serving the moms and dads who e-mail, call or drop in looking for information and helping them find the books and kits that will inspire them and their children. Be sure to "drop-in" and browse in person or browse the library catalog on-line! BC CHEC Topics:
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*, HCOS Worship Team
HCOS teachers and staff team up to glorify God with their musical talents and help put BC CHEC attendees in a worshipful frame of mind.BC CHEC Topics: