Rachel Besaw
Literature 8
Rachel and her husband began homeschooling their oldest of three, who is now 20, when he started 3rd grade. They chose to continue home education with all of their children. She was very active in a local co-op in Virginia, teaching History, Bible, and Elementary Spanish. The Besaws made the move to Sarasota five years ago. Although homeschooling was never the original plan, it is something Rachel became passionate about, and now she is continuing her education to be certified in Florida to teach so she can advise, encourage, and evaluate other homeschool families.
Anna Braswell
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Geometry
Kim Collins
Biology
Marine Biology
Kimberly has three daughters. The oldest two are homeschool graduates. The youngest is going into her senior year. Kimberly has a major in history and a minor in biology. She truly enjoys teaching the high school age group. Kimberly looks forward to bringing biology and God’s Creation alive in the classroom.
Natalia Drumm
Bible Exposition
Civics
Natalia Drumm is a homeschool mother of three boys, with a B.A. in Secondary English Education from USF and a MACS in Christian Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She loves learning and teaching others to learn, particularly as they learn from God’s Word.
Stephanie Easton
Earth Science
General Science
Melissa England
MS Apologetics
Literature 7
Melissa England is a native of Sarasota. She has been married for 15 years and has a middle schooler. She is currently a court reporter and has been for 18 years. A few years ago, she received the book Mama Bear Apologetics, and it opened her eyes to the world of apologetics…the intellectual defense of the truth of Christianity. She’s jumped in with both feet, having a new appreciation for loving God with her mind.
Judy Etzel
HS Chemistry
Jessica Falde
Literature 6
Erin Hall
Economics
Financial Literacy
Kim Jeantet
World Geography: Eastern Hemisphere
Michelle Jones
Public Speaking
Swimming Creatures (Tuesdays)
Michelle is a mom of two daughters and one son. She and husband Kevin have been married for twenty years. Michelle began homeschooling her middle child and continued on with her youngest. She has been teaching for several years and in her spare time, tutors children that need that a little extra help. Michelle enjoys reading, Bible Journaling, and designing pieces for the small business she owns. Michelle has been public speaking across Florida for several years, educating parents, children, businesses, and churches on safety measures to keep themselves and their children safe on social media platforms and more.
Heather Kelley
Literature 6
Heather is a homeschool mom to Noah, age 16 and Isaiah, age 11. She has always educated her children at home. Her husband, Mike Kelley, is a Principle Scientist at Catalent Pharma Solutions in St. Petersburg, FL. The Kelleys live in Palmetto, FL near Heather’s side of the family. Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading quality books, sipping coffee with friends, and spending daily time in prayer with the Lord and studying His word. Facilitating Literature 6 is one of Heather’s highlights of her week!
Mya Malone
Life Skills
Mya is a Sarasota native and has four children. Their ages range from 11 to 25. She is currently homeschooling two of them, and they are attending LAF. She started homeschooling during the pandemic and hasn’t looked back since, fully embracing all the benefits and freedom homeschool has to offer. She has a passion for traveling and is always up for a good road trip.
Mariel Marconi
Advanced Composition and Creative Writing
Introduction to Shakespeare
Speech and Public Speaking
Mariel is a passionate Language Arts teacher with a Master’s in English Literature from University of South Florida. An LAF veteran and new mom, Mariel loves being part of the south Florida homeschooling community through the LAF Co-op.
Brandi McNulty
Pre-Algebra
Brandi is a Florida state-certified teacher with a Master’s degree from the College of Education at Florida State University. She has been teaching in the state of Florida since 2003. Even after transitioning to homeschooling, Brandi has remained active in the field of education by working for various school boards in Florida and attending conferences as an advisor for various teaching certification tests. Brandi has been married to her husband Kevin since 2006. They have three beautiful children: Abi, Kevin, and Emma. Brandi homeschools all three of her children, as well as being a facilitator at LAF. When she is not busy teaching, she enjoys outdoor time with her family, the beach, fishing, and various theme parks.
Nicole OConnor
Phonics Reading Lab
MS Writing
Kathleen Reardon
STEAM Makerspace (Spring Semester)
Kate has taught STEAM, technology, and Latin in schools for eight years and has been a private tutor for more than 20 years. In 2020, she was responsible for designing, training, and leading her school’s online and hybrid programs for students, teachers, and families. This innovative approach to education inspired her to think more creatively about learning and begin homeschooling with her family. Kate’s family has homeschooled in many ways including online learning, hybrid schooling, the Montessori method, project-based learning, and co-operative groups. In addition to her teaching experiences, Kate has worked in the health law industry for more than 15 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Political Science from College of the Holy Cross and a Juris Doctor from Catholic University of America Law School.
Chrissy Roberts
MS U.S. History
MS World History
Chrissy is a mom to five kids, and has been homeschooling for 17 years. She and her husband Richard have been married for 22 years and have a small hobby farm. She enjoys spending time with her family and working with their animals.
Jamie Sciesinski
Sign Language
Jamie Sciensinski has been a part of Learning and Families since 2019. She was born and raised in Florida, graduated from Riverview High School in 2000, and went on to get her cosmetology license in 2001. Jamie married her best friend Tom Sciesinski in 2004 and had their first daughter Tyler in 2006. Being raised in a Christian home, Jamie was not content with public school and started homeschooling Tyler after her 2nd grade year. She has continued to do so while working part time. Jamie had her second daughter Hazel in 2014. Thanks to the help of her parents and her teaching, she has been blessed to keep them both homeschooled. Jamie opened her own salon in 2018. Her interests include animals, sports photography, homesteading, djing at ballgames, and basically anything crafty. She can never tire of learning anything biblically. She spends lots of time watching her two favorite girls, Tyler and Hazel playing softball.
Kristin Slone
Criminal Justice
Marina Smith
Engineering
Marina is a wife and mom of three children. She teaches 10th grade faith study at her church, loves spending time with her family, homeschooling and spending as much time outside as she can. She teaches Engineering Class and Jr. Theatre.
Kimberly Souren
Preparing for Pre-Algebra
Swimming Creatures (Thursdays)
Kimberly Souren is a retired trapeze artist and has traveled the world her entire life. She has been a homeschool mom for eight years and has two amazing children. Her favorite subjects have always been science and math. She looks forward to teaching both of these classes for this next coming school year.
Jenni Stahlmann
Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Course (Fall Semester)
Write a Play (Fall Semester)
Bible Overview (Spring Semester)
American English Grammar
Jenni Stahlmann is the mom of seven children, ages 7 to 26, including one child on the autism spectrum and one grandbaby. The Stahlmann family has homeschooled since 2004 and has belonged to LAF since 2008. Their oldest four are LAF grads. One of her kiddos recently graduated Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music, and another two earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank. Jenni’s fourth child Sam is the founder of the LAF Theatre Troupe. She was a journalist for more than 20 years and hosted a nationally syndicated parenting radio show and column. She currently writes curriculum and speaks at homeschool conventions.
Andrea Stanford
Government
Andrea Stanford is a Christian, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a patriot. She attended University of Arizona, Tucson and has since had a number of jobs, including civil and mechanical work planner and field engineer in the nuclear power construction and maintenance field and campaign strategist and coordinator for Candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Andrea is a member of American Agri-Women, Inc., where she served as White House Liaison, a member of Florida Agri-Women, Inc., where she serves as secretary/treasurer, and remains active in several local political and charitable organizations.
Kim Thomson
American Literature of the 19th Century
British Literature of the 19th Century
American History
World History
Kim has been married for 44 years. She homeschooled their eight children through 12th grade — about 30 years total. In college, she majored in New Testament with an English minor. Kim has always enjoyed reading and the study of literature. The study of history has been a rich addition. This is her sixth year teaching literature, and her second teaching history at Learning and Families, and she is thankful for the opportunity to stay involved with the homeschooling community and to continue to share her love of learning with students.
Keisa Troyer
Sewing 1 and 2
Homeschool mama to four beautiful crazies and wife to an incredible husband. Doing our best to glorify God and finish strong. I grew up as a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea and have always had a creative bent. Sewing has always given me that ability to be creative and to alter or adjust things in a cost effective way. I love thrifting pieces and being able to repurpose or rework them!
Annie White
MS Art
Annie has loved her full life with her husband of 22 years and as a mom to five unique homeschoolers for the past 16 years. As a family involved in cross-cultural business ventures, the homeschool/world-school lessons that have been lived together have been character-builders, fueling daily faith in God’s sovereignty. Annie grew up in Idaho, appreciating farm life and nature, indoor and outdoor sports, and travel adventures beyond her small-town world. She enjoys beach time with her family, coffee with conversation, gardening, cooking, trying ethnic foods, reading, making useful things, and learning as she goes. She is thankful for the opportunity to share her love for art and creativity with middle school students.
Wendy Willis
Spanish 1 and 2
Wendy is a former missionary kid from Mexico who enjoys sharing her love of Spanish and culture with students. She was also homeschooled for most of her childhood, so she has first-hand experience with this journey and knows the advantages of homeschooling. She and her husband Steve have two sons who attend LAF. Before moving to Sarasota six years ago, they lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Wendy was a Spanish Interpreter for the Tennessee State Courts for 12 years. She also taught languages in various capacities for over 25 years. She believes that learning Spanish and learning about other cultures supports a student’s whole academic success.
Rachel Ying
MS Photography
HS Photography
Rachel Ying is a Florida native and graduate of Florida State University. She started homeschooling her children four years ago and says it’s the best decision she ever made! In addition to homeschooling her three children, she is also a full-time professional wedding photographer. In any small amount of spare time she is able to find, she enjoys playing violin and reading every book she can get her hands on.
Charlene Yoder
Drawing
Charlene Yoder believes ANYONE can draw, and she’s spent more than 30 years showing thousands of people that very thing. With five-and-a-half years of college experience, she specializes in custom art lessons and teaches accuracy and techniques at her Sarasota studio (beginagoodwork.com). Charlene is a working artist, but her true passion is teaching others how to access their God-given gift of art. First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Charlene loves to give this answer through her art. She was baptized when she was eight years old and has loved Jesus her whole life. Her 12-year-old daughter attends LAF, and Charlene and her husband have homeschooled her since Kindergarten.
