Meet Our Tutors
Carrie has combined her love of cooking and traveling since her first childhood attempt at recreating European rolls that is remembered by her brothers as “the bullets.” After graduating from Whitworth College in Spokane, WA and spending a year with Youth for Christ in South Africa, she became the second third-generation pilot in her family before meeting her future husband, also a pilot. Marriage brought extensive shoe-string budget traveling and the delight of bringing new tastes and cultures and friends into their home. Raising three kids and home schooling have been added to her passions during the past 15 years. When not at the library or in the kitchen, Carrie prefers being outdoors: xc skiing, paddle boarding, camping,exploring and gardening. She’s always on the lookout for edible berries and mushrooms in the woods and will definitely stop to pick them!
Janet has been working in Deaf Education at the K-12, undergraduate and graduate level for over 15 years in various capacities. Janet is proficient in ASL and is grateful to the Deaf community for continually sharing their expertise and partnership. Janet earned a dual B.A. in Elementary and Deaf Education from Augustana University in South Dakota and an M.A. in Bilingual Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.
Janet is passionate about being part of people’s growth and fulfilling God’s purposes in their lives. Regardless of what subject she teaches, she values establishing a positive work ethic and developing strong character. She is an encourager, a lifelong learner, and strives to meet the needs of individual learners in fun and creative ways.
While families are a child's first and most important teacher, she is excited to come alongside parents to develop and deepen new skills in students' lives. Janet is married to John, and they have four children they are currently home educating. It is a privilege and opportunity that she is thankful for. When not teaching, Janet can be found reading, outdoors, listening to a podcast, cooking, playing games or on an adventure with her friends and family.
Our family joined FCHE last year and have loved our experience. I am excited to be a part of FCHE as a tutor this year teaching Creation Exploration: Discovering God through Nature and Art. My husband, Mark, and I live in South Maplewood with our 3 kids. We have a daughter Makayla (12), and 2 sons Jack (10) and Silas (7). I have been a SAHM since 2014 and a Homeschool mom since 2020.
Our church home is Five Oaks Church. I enjoy serving in Women's Ministry and on Wednesday's my kids get to serve the younger kids by helping in childcare as I serve the women.
I love reading, BSF, and a clean house (which sometimes happens)! I have a passion for sharing and teaching God's word to all ages! I believe strongly that kids are never too young to read or study scripture. I also believe it's important for Christian adults to come along side children as strong role models in their lives as they grow and navigate life. I look forward to shepherding the children in my class. Thank you!
Karla's professional career includes studio painting and drawing as well as commissioned murals. She has been an artist and teacher throughout her career, and her work has been traditional and representational. Her teaching includes painting, drawing, fundamentals of art, art history, art appreciatiion, sculpture, and courses in creativity. She bases her teaching in art history both in imagery and materials. Karla has taught all levels and ages of artists from children to seniors, professionals and beginners. She has taught in a variety of settings including public schools, private schools, Universities, community education, professional schools, and museum programs.
In retirement Karla continues to pursue her love of art through producing artwork and teaching.
I am blessed to have received the Lord’s call to Ministry. I am an Ordained Nazarene Pastor, presently working as an Associate Pastor at the Together Place Church in Blaine, MN.
It is not my power or strength that produces any success for me, however. Rather, it is the Lord “who gives us the ability to produce wealth.” I boast of Him and nothing else! Long before any of my careers, I fervently sought the Truth! Jesus Christ is the Truth! Thus, I teach & “…preach Christ crucified: Christ the power of God & the wisdom of God.
Since 1973, I trained in various martial arts earning an 8th Degree Black Belt - Master Level in CMA; a 5th Degree Black Belt - Master Level in Zu Wei Shu Kenpo; a 3rd Degree Blue Belt - Internationally Certified Instructor in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan; and a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Chuan Lu Chinese Boxing. I have taught many students for over 48 years ranging from 4-76 years of age. I competed locally, regionally, nationally, and in 1982, placed 4th in international competition on the USA Forms Team in Atlantic City, NJ.
In 2001, the Reverend, Doctor, & Sifu Chuck Jackson & I began developing CMA. Pastor Jackson is the co-founder of CMA. We had a vision. Center all of the martial arts that I taught on Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the creator of ALL! And so he & I embarked on the most enjoyable, fulfilling journey of all of my life. We began to create Christ-centered Martial Artists, or CMA. In the beginning of this journey, we called it “Christian Martial Arts.” But after Sifu Jeffrey Goodwin Jr.’s amazing Black Belt Presentation (Test) in 2005, we changed the name to “Christ-centered Martial Artists!” Allow me to explain this: Christ-centered was used to be very specific about Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, AND the CENTRALITY of CMA; as opposed to just a Christian doing this with Jesus sprinkled over the top. And we no longer called it martial arts, because we are more interested in the person studying, or the martial artist, instead of the many styles of martial arts that exist. CMA is not about styles of martial arts; it is about the artists, the practitioner BE!-ing centered on Jesus Christ! Period!
I also retired from a successful 18 year career of Loss Prevention. I retired as a corporate Loss Prevention Director.
Cassidy Hall graduated from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls with degrees in Creative Writing, Music, and Musical Theatre. She has been actively involved with the arts for many years, and is trained in acting, singing, dance, public speaking, drawing, painting, and the various styles of technical and creative writing. She works as a director and instructor for The Zephyr Theatre, and a director for ACT Theater in the South Saint Paul Tri-District. She is also a professional photographer and a published writer. She worked as a writing tutor for UW-River Falls in the past, and currently works as a writing and performance mentor for StoryArk, and volunteers as an editor. Cassidy loves working with students, and plans to continue following her passions of teaching and helping students cultivate their own unique voices.
Hey, I’m Jason Harms. I’ve enjoyed singing for as long as I can remember. Since my college days in the early 1990’s, I’ve had a jazz quintet that I sing in and play guitar with and, by God’s grace, we have had the sweet opportunity to play all around the world singing the Gospel and listening to people from other cultures. There is always music, and I love how a melody can connect people where a language barrier may exist. Since 2001 I’ve been directing the Jazz Orchestras at Bethel University. Feel free to visit www.jasonharms.com for a better introduction. My wife and I have homeschooled five kids and we love the opportunities that this mode of education allows for with the attention given to the individual development of each student’s skillset and interests. I hope to foster new musical friendships with your students.
Bethany is a homeschool alumni currently studying the intersection of business and communication at Liberty University. She lives on Fair Haven Farm with her family, where she shepherds her herd of goats. She has taught homeschool classes, including Virtuous Girls classes, for over eight years. When she is not studying or working on the farm, she enjoys long nature walks foraging for edible wild food or working on her latest novel. She is also the editor-in-chief of The Wilting Rose Project, a ministry sharing articles and encouragement for young women.
Gabriella's favorite things are woodland walks, foraging with her sisters, whipping out her paints and pencils, dyeing wool with plants, and caring for the garden and animals on her family's farmstead in Stillwater. At sixteen, she started Virtuous Girls with her sister Bethany, teaching girls ages 8-14 to follow Jesus and delight in Him. They still love teaching their students and have watched many girls grow up past fourteen, only to become some of their sweetest friends! At twelve, a formative science experiment left her ever seeking to see details in nature. She had to sit for an hour in nature and observe. She sat for nearly two. Her favorite part of school was art classes taught by April Mills, Barry Stebbing, and Heidi Nelson. She is currently taking courses from the London Art College.
Lynn and her husband, Kent, are in their twenty-first year of homeschooling. Lynn graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Communications major and minors in Political Science and Spanish. Over her time working in the private sector, she held numerous management roles. In 2006, she left full-time work to stay at home full-time with her seven children. She has served on homeschool boards since 2004, including Faith Christian Home Educators beginning in 2016. Her family has been a part of Faith since 2014, where Lynn has been teaching classes since 2018. Lynn loves to teach about the wonders of God's beautiful creation. She is passionate about the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Government, and the God-given freedoms they provide when operating the way the Founding Fathers intended. She is very excited to continue working with the wonderful students and families at Faith!
Becky Knefelkamp has been teaching writing for over 25 years. She graduated from Bethel College with an elementary degree, taught fifth grade for St. Paul schools for four years, and then stayed home with her children. A friend challenged her to teach the writing class at their co-op and that started an adventure of digging for quality resources and checking out a variety of writing curriculums. She has written her own writing lessons using aspects of a variety of curriculums: The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), the Six Traits of Writing, Rhea Holtan’s research process, an excellent teaching book—Before the End, and others. Keith and Becky Knefelkamp have enjoyed over 35 years of marriage, raised four children, homeschooled them K-12 grade, and now are loving the era of the empty nest and grandchildren! She loves the Lord, loves kids, and loves to write, and is especially happy when the three can come together!
“My philosophy of writing is to be more of the encourager. Writing is so personal. It’s hard to trust another to read our work, so I want them to feel safe. When I grade assignments, I mainly look to see if they have included what I asked for. I believe the aspects of writing that I ask them to include WILL make their writing stronger. I believe that writing is a progressive skill, most of the time taking a few years to master, just like in math and science. Each year they build on their previous year’s skills until they come to a place where they can write in a strong way, finding their unique voice. But I do always see improvement in each student’s work from the beginning of the year to the end. I love that!”
Beth Kromer has been teaching for over twenty-eight years in a variety of areas. She and her husband, Scott, have been homeschooling their 4 children since 2015. Beth graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She is a private tutor and academic coach for students grades 5 thru 12+ and also teaches ACT/ PSAT/PreACT/SAT/ GRE prep classes for high school and college students. She is passionate about providing help to all of her students, encouraging them to explore, be creative, and have fun with writing. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, skiing and spending time with her golden retriever, Sully. Beth is excited for the opportunity to continue to teach and build confident writers.
Drew is an active and well versed percussionist, music educator, and private lesson teacher in the greater twin cities area. With experience ranging from teaching beginning band, to running a K-12 music program, Drew has always possessed a love and appreciation for the marching arts, having worked with a large number of area marching programs, drumlines, and percussion ensembles. Outside of work, Drew enjoys time outdoors with his two dogs, Jack and Finn, cooking an perfecting new recipes, and playing drums in a local Minneapolis rock band.
Karla Moseley is a small town farm girl from Tyler, Minnesota. She attended Mankato State University and received a degree in K-6 Elementary Education, a minor in Spanish and later a Masters in Elementary Education. She taught for 10 years in the public school systems in Bloomington, Morris, Shakopee, and Inver Grove Heights. Karla has a strong passion for children who struggle with learning and made it her goal to make learning enjoyable for every student. What did she learn in 10 years---parents make the most significant difference in a child’s education bar none.
On April 1, 1997 Karla gave her life to Christ while attending Bible Study Fellowship. A month later she met her future husband. They married and when her first child was born, she stayed home. (Not really, she continued to work with children at church and Community Bible Study.) Karla officially started homeschooling when her oldest child was in second grade. He came home from school and declared, “I am stupid and I hate school!” Having worked with many children who were extremely right brained and knowing the Special Education system, she and her husband opted to homeschool. What a life altering, God centering change it was for them. Karla has been married for 22 years and has two boys and two girls—all teenagers.
Karla has a passion for children and serving the Lord through worship dance. She attended classes at Worship in Motion in Stillwater founded and taught by Barb Choneire. When her dear friend was ready to serve God in new ways, Karla decided to continue the program with her fellow dancer Crissa Evanoff. She has felt God calling her to grow this ministry where children learn to praise and worship God through Messianic & Christian music with tambourines, ribbons, flags, etc. With a new branch of Worship in Motion, comes a new name: Rejoice! Dance Ministries.
Psalm 150: 4 “Praise Him with timbrel and dancing,”
A favorite quote from Revival in Belfast’s Michael Coleman: “There is one thing we do one earth that we will continue to do in Heaven. That is to praise and worship God. That is why we view life on earth, for those who love Jesus, as choir practice for Heaven. To say that praise and worship is the most important category of music today is an understatement. In light of all that, there is no more important activity of the human heart than to praise and worship God. This is the reason we exist. This is our purpose.”
Sheila Myers has been teaching for over 20+ years and graduated from the College of St. Catherine with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She taught grade six in St. Paul Public Schools for five years while earning a Master's degree in Education, and also pursuing coursework in gifted and talented education. In 1997 she took a position as a fourth-grade teacher in the Centennial School district, and after four wonderful years, became a stay-at-home mom. About eight years later she took a position teaching at a center, where she floated and taught infants to preschoolers. During that time God led her to a Christian Montessori school where she taught and assisted in a multi-age grades 4-6 classroom, and where she continues to guide young minds. While her children were attending the Montessori school part-time, she homeschooled, which she loved and cherishes the time spent educating her own children!
Sheila considers it a privilege to be able to work with homeschool families and understands the importance of parents being their children's first and most important teacher. This year at FCHE she is very excited to teach the Pre/K class, and share her love and knowledge of Minnesota History, US Geography, and Logic. She is thrilled to share the fun and love of learning with the children and families at Faith.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, Bible study and going on long bike rides with her family. Most of all she loves the LORD and feels led to embark on a third year at Faith Co-op this next school year.