2022 RMCHEC SPEAKERS
Homeschooling Basics for New & Veteran Homeschoolers
June 18th
Kendra Tierney is a Catholic wife and mother of many, from little to teenaged. She dabbles in teaching, reading, writing, cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, party planning, graphic design, home remodeling, and streaming with the captions on so she can understand British. She blogs at Catholic All Year.
Her book Catholic All Year teaches families how to bring liturgical seasons and celebrations into their homes. At the Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference, Kendra is speaking on Evangelization in the Home and Liturgical Living in Community.
Allison Auth is a writer and blogger who lives in Lakewood, CO, with her husband and five children. After graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville, she worked in youth ministry and marriage preparation until dedicating herself to the homeschooling of her children. Having gone through four postpartum experiences, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge and bringing hope to those struggling in their vocation to motherhood.
Jessica McMaken
After completing a master’s degree in early childhood education and obtaining a license in early childhood special education, Jessica briefly enjoyed working in the Douglas County public schools before having her first baby. When it came time to put that baby into kindergarten, she wondered why there was such a mismatch between what research says about how children learn and the way children are taught in the majority of schools. So she took on the task of educating her child(ren) at home. Twelve homeschooling years later, that baby has completed his junior year of high school and Jessica also has a rising 9th grader, 6th grader, and 2nd grader. She has a passion for sharing with other moms how simple – and how much fun – educating your kids at home can be.
Leila Miller is a Catholic wife, mother, grandmother and author. Her passion is Church teaching on marriage, family, human sexuality, and pretty much all moral and cultural issues. She has published four books:
- Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak
- Raising Chaste Catholic Men
- Made This Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s Tough Moral Issues (co-authored with Trent Horn of Catholic Answers)
- “Impossible” Marriages Redeemed: They Didn’t End the Story in the Middle
Leila’s first blog, Little Catholic Bubble, was a hub of good conversation and reasoned debates, and though it was retired after eight years, it remains online as an archive. She currently blogs at LeilaMiller.net.
Leila and her husband Dean have been married 32 years and live in Phoenix, where they are still raising the youngest three of their eight children (two girls and six boys, ages 30 to 12). They have 11 grandchildren “on the outside” and 2 more on the way!
Clarice Burch
Clarice will soon celebrate her 21st wedding anniversary with her beloved husband Jason, an electrical engineer at Lockheed Martin. When he proposed, he pointed out that the ring had 10 tiny diamonds for the 10 children they would have someday. God certainly made good on that promise, plus one! While Jason works on satellites, Clarice cares for her 10 girls and 1 boy, ranging in age from 20 to 1. She has been homeschooling for 10 years. Between teaching and driving and chores and meals and piles of laundry, Clarice loves to read, catching up on classics she missed despite an English degree at the University of Denver. When she’s not too pregnant, she still plays volleyball and loves to ride the Cyclone at Lakeside Amusement Park. She also enjoys hiking and camping in “God’s Country,” the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains. Clarice is grateful to be doing what she always dreamed God wanted her to do: create a lively, lovely home with a large family, while (imperfectly) living out her Catholic faith. She is also eternally grateful for God’s grace and mercy, without which she would be completely lost. “Give me Your Love and Your Grace, for this is sufficient for me.”
Homeschooling High School
June 25th
Leila Miller is a Catholic wife, mother, grandmother and author. Her passion is Church teaching on marriage, family, human sexuality, and pretty much all moral and cultural issues. She has published four books:
- Primal Loss: The Now-Adult Children of Divorce Speak
- Raising Chaste Catholic Men
- Made This Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s Tough Moral Issues (co-authored with Trent Horn of Catholic Answers)
- “Impossible” Marriages Redeemed: They Didn’t End the Story in the Middle
Leila’s first blog, Little Catholic Bubble, was a hub of good conversation and reasoned debates, and though it was retired after eight years, it remains online as an archive. She currently blogs at LeilaMiller.net.
Leila and her husband Dean have been married 32 years and live in Phoenix, where they are still raising the youngest three of their eight children (two girls and six boys, ages 30 to 12). They have 11 grandchildren “on the outside” and 2 more on the way!
Shandra Emrich
Shandra Emrich was educated in Catholic school, public school and homeschool before college. She graduated from Thomas More College in New Hampshire with a degree in philosophy. She and her husband Andrew have been married for 25 years and have been blessed with 6 children (5 sons ages 24 to 14 and a daughter in heaven). Shandra has homeschooled each of her five sons, including two with learning disabilities. So far, she has graduated four of them, and they have been accepted to many faithful Catholic colleges. Teaching at homeschool co-ops and parishes has been a joy for her. Because she loves working with homeschooling teenagers, she has helped facilitate a fun youth group for them in Denver since 2018. She is passionate about supporting this wonderful community of young people on their life’s journey.
Special Needs Homeschooling
June 25th
Pamela Gates is a Certified Learning Specialist in the Dianne Craft Learning System and a Certified Natural Health Professional. She has 18 years’ experience working with bright, hard-working, but struggling students. Pamela’s workshops are filled with practical teaching strategies that parents find easy to implement right away. Pam’s own daughter, Breanna, had severe auditory processing dyslexia. Using Dianne Craft’s three-pronged approach (midline therapy, alternative teaching methods, and nutritional intervention), Breanna overcame her dyslexia and earned her MA in Education from UC Denver. They now work together, using these methods with families of struggling learners in Denver, Colorado. Parents find Pam’s workshops to be lighthearted and life-changing.
Master Level Certified Cognitive Coach, Certified Teacher, Psychometrist, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Certificates in Environmental Health, Integrated Approaches to Anxiety, The Anti-Inflammatory Diet, Integrative Pediatric Neurology: ADHD and Autism, and Wellness & Lifestyle Series
Andrea Pitman is the Executive Director and Founder of The Nectar Group. She has over 17 years of experience working with children, adults, and families through cognitive skills training, consulting, and teaching. Andrea received her education and teaching certification from Southwestern University. She has consulted with over 80 learning programs across the US to help improve client outcomes. With a rich background in education and neuroscience, she has always striven to pinpoint the root issues of learning challenges and create comprehensive plans of action to help clients achieve excellent results. She is particularly interested in integrative approaches to improve brain health and function and general wellbeing. She is currently completing her National Board Certification as an Integrative Health and Wellness Coach. She enjoys cooking, the arts, reading, listening to podcasts, and playing with her two cats, Paddington Bear and Sterling Fox.
Margaret Walsh, founder of Secret Garden Educational Pathways, graduated with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College. After college she pursued further specialized training in various remediation programs and then went on to complete a M.S. in Special Education. She works constantly to provide the best help possible to families who feel like there is no hope or solution. Margaret works primarily with homeschool families and understands the benefits and limitations it can have with educating a student with special learning needs. She is a kind and understanding teacher, while at the same time encouraging high standards, and loves to have fun with and see her students succeed.