MAIN SPEAKERS
Kate Jaunay is a ‘retired’ home educator from Auckland, now living in Whanganui. She was involved in the early growth of support groups in Auckland and nationally, and was a founding member of Auckland Home Educators. She is an active promoter of home-education still. Kate has a thought-provoking story to tell about their family’s journey into home-schooling and what it gave them.
Siobhan Porter is AHE’s current director. She is passionate about home-schooling as a way of life and learning. Siobhan has been attending and organising various conferences since she started home-schooling 14+ years ago, and loves to see parents encouraged in their lifestyle and educational choice. Her oldest is now at university and her youngest is just starting out at 5 years old.
WORKSHOP FACILITATORS/SPEAKERS (in alphabetical order)
Rachael Anderson is a homeschooling mother of 18 years, 11 of those years as a single mother. She is passionate about home-schooling, enjoys going on adventures with her children, and being involved in church and community. She loves seeing people achieve more than they think they can.
Rachael Ayres first school report said “Mature, confident and bossy”. Her kids think she’s still bossy, but as she’s got older she has discovered she knows less than she thought. Luckily, she’s a learner for life and loves encouraging others to become one too.
Monica Bayldon-Lewis discovered home education unexpectedly when school wasn’t a fit for her children. It has now become a much-loved way of life for the whole family. She loves the Charlotte Mason approach as well as many aspects of unschooling and online learning. History, human rights, music and writing have always kept her interested and sometimes employed.
Rosie Boom is a veteran home-educator, author of the much-loved ‘Barn Chronicles’, singer/song-writer and mother of six. She has inspired and encouraged countless home-schoolers in New Zealand and overseas, and loves to see the life in learning and family.
Rose Carlyle has homeschooled her three children since 2007 and continues to homeschool her youngest. They spent more than a year ‘world-schooling’ while sailing through Asia and Africa. Before children, she practised law.
Natalie Donaldson is now in her 14th year of homeschooling in central Auckland. Much to her surprise, her children have never gone to school and the eldest has now successfully completed his schooling. Natalie loves to facilitate meaningful learning for her children, and others. She is also AHE’s Government Liaison Officer.
Natasha Hofmans is a Dutch Kiwi who creatively home-learns together with a Scottish Kiwi papa and their 9 year-old delight on the side of Māngere Mountain. Natasha has engaged actively for over 20 years in how to live and work alongside Tangata Whenua in a way that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi. She is a member of Tāmaki Treaty Workers, a network of Pākeha who educate about and lobby for Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Rhys Lewis is a part-time home-school dad who enjoys finding creative things to inspire the kids – enjoying the outdoors, building boats, assembling electronic things, writing computer programs, photography, growing plants – and animals. His day job is in IT, where he designs and builds software and leads and trains staff. He is an enthusiastic life-long learner.
Erin Parkinson is a former primary school teacher and mum to six kids aged 5-15 years old. She is currently home-schooling her four younger children using a Charlotte Mason and Classical philosophy, though reality looks more like Delight-Directed learning. While keen on maths, she’s even crazier about literature for kids.
Frances Peeters has found ways to keep her home humming without losing her head – a real skill indeed when you have as many children as she does! Simple thoughtful living, alongside creative interest-led learning has helped define their day-to-day activity. Amazingly, Frances also finds time to support needy families in their community.
Val Robb loves learning, and inspiring her six children and anyone around her to be life-long learners. Over the years she has made use of various sources of on-line learning for her children across a wide range of subjects. Val also loves writing and teaching writing. Keep an eye out for her writing workshop later in the year.
Stacey Shuck is a violin teacher, Suzuki Teacher Trainer, music enthusiast, organic macadamia nut farmer, and has home-schooled her daughter right through. She is gifted in helping children and parents to really engage with their music learning – to listen and think and create beautiful music.
Fiona Taylor has homeschooled her six kids for 17 years, using a Charlotte Mason approach, in addition to tutoring school students. Fiona loves the freedom this lifestyle brings to enable children to become who they really are. Since a recent health scare, her family have taken life by the horns, completing marathons and tramps, and are looking at yet more challenges. People have always said they are crazy and she’s fine with that 🙂