Tuesday FACILITATORS
Miguel Benitez
Intro to Ethics DE (Tuesday, Thursday)
Miguel Benitez earned his Ph.D. in Humanities and his M.A. in Christian Apologetics. He is an Assistant Professor of Humanities at State College of Florida. He contributed a chapter to the book Disney and Apologetics: Exploring the Moral Power and Theological Significance of Disney Stories. Miguel and his wife Daniela homeschool their two children, Alex and Gabi.
Heather Burdick
Odyssey of the Mind
Heather Burdick is a 26-year veteran teacher who moved to Parrish with her husband Clark in April 2024. Her teaching spans grades 2-5 with 12 years taught in New York, seven in Maryland and seven in California. The school she worked at in NY was a Title 1 school, Maryland was a public dual language school, and in California, she taught at both Chinese and French International private schools. Heather and Clark have a 32 year-old son, Kegan, who lives in northern NY, working remotely as a manager of writers and actor/actresses. Heather loves teaching, especially Literature and Math. In her free time, she enjoys travel, reading, crafting, golfing, swimming, boating, and going to the beach.
Bonnet Charles
How to Run a Wedding Photography Business
How to Run a Wedding Videography Business
How to Run a YouTube Channel
Bonnet Charles is incredibly passionate about teaching and educating students, be it in a small group setting or hosting basic videography and photography classes. Since 2010, he has had the honor of witnessing over 300 couples say “I do,” and not once has a bride expressed regret over investing in their wedding video. He is a father of two amazing children, and when he’s not filming or capturing weddings, he’s playing hide and seek with them.
Izumi Haraki Gordon
Nature Journaling
Born and raised in Shizuoka, Japan, Izumi Haraki Gordon became a Youth For Understanding (YFU) International Student in the 1990s as one of the Japanese student representatives at the age of 16 years old to study abroad in the United States. Izumi stayed with American families in Oregon, New Hampshire, Iowa and Illinois. She attended West Linn High School in Oregon, Londonderry High School in New Hampshire, Clinton Community College in Iowa, and Western Illinois University in Illinois and graduated with a BS in Business and Information System Management.
Izumi is a certified Japanese teacher as a second language in Trident School in Nagoya, Japan. She is the mother of a 9-year-old, and he is an LAF student.
Trish Gross
Food, Fitness & Wellness
Trish Gross is a mother of two young children and started homeschooling in 2024. She is a Boston University graduate and has a master’s degree from New York University. Ms. Gross was born in New York and has had healthy habit mentors for most of her life. She is a 3-time marathon finisher and continues to run and race shorter distances. She spent most of her pre-motherhood adult life practicing yoga, doing triathlons and cycling races around the East Coast and recently started learning jiujitsu. In her spare time, Ms. Gross loves to cook, read, travel and explore with her family, including her dog Gracie.
Jody Hagaman
Life Skills Communication
Jody Hagaman is mom to three homeschool grads, ages 37 (law school grad), 30 (police academy grad), and 26 (business owner), and also a homeschooling grandmother to her fourth-grade granddaughter. She has been homeschooling for more than 20 years. Jody co-hosted a syndicated parenting radio show, was a syndicated columnist, travels and speaks nationwide at homeschool conventions, and writes curriculum.
Soon Sim Hakes
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Geometry
Soon Sim Hakes grew up in Malaysia and came to the U.S. to attend college. Since Malaysia is a multicultural country, she is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Malay.
Sim graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering.
She has been with Learning and Families for the past nine years. She has three girls, ages 8, 11, and 13, and has been homeschooling all of them since they were in Kindergarten.
Sim is passionate about homeschooling and especially loves the flexibility and freedom it offers. Growing up, Sim’s favorite subject was mathematics. She looks forward to teaching math classes at LAF next year!
Andrea Healey
Culinary Arts and Food Science
Community Garden Class
Andrea Healey is a homeschool mom to 3 children. Ages 21, 18 and 10. She has been married to her high school sweetheart Chad for 28 years. She serves on the Board of Directors as the Treasurer for Learning and Families. She enjoys cooking, gardening, baking and spending time with family and friends.
Heather Johnson
Knitting 1
Heather Johnson has been happily married to Joe for 27 years, and they have three children. She has been homeschooling for more than ten years and has graduated her two oldest from high school. In her spare time, she enjoys both video and board games, diamond painting, and reading. Heather has been a part of LAF since early 2013 and has served in many ways including two years on the Leadership Team before joining the Board in 2024.
Kai Kishpaugh
Painting and Photographing Game Backgrounds
Drawing and Sculpting Game Characters and Objects
Scratch Programming Language
Computer Science with C# and Java
Kai Kishpaugh was born in Colorado, where he swam competitively and was part of a homeschool group before moving to Sarasota at age 8 for the warmth, community, and the Sarasota Sharks. His love for problem-solving and creativity led him to computer programming, which he pursued in college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he won $35,000 in business plan competitions. Along with programming, Kai is also an artist and has been playing piano for 10 years. After the passing of his older brother, Kai moved back to Sarasota and eventually began teaching. Now, Kai is focused on expanding his positive impact in the community.
Shelley Kishpaugh
Painting and Photographing Game Backgrounds
Drawing and Sculpting Game Characters and Objects
Multimedia Art: 1st – 3rd
Multimedia Art: 4th – 6th
Shelley Kishpaugh has been working with children in various capacities her entire life. She has been teaching art classes to children for well over a decade with organizations such as Art Center Sarasota and Creative Liberties. On top of teaching art, Shelley has extensive childcare experience as well as experience teaching children to swim. Shelley also homeschooled her (now adult) children through their entire k-12 experience.
Jeremiah Nichols
Woodworking
Jeremiah Nichols is living out his dream here in Sarasota as the owner of a speciality carpentry business, Nichols Carpentry & Construction. Originally from rural Western Pennsylvania, he grew up in a family of carpenters and learned the trade as a young boy. He is passionate about woodworking and loves sharing the knowledge that was passed down to him, as well as the excitement to learn new techniques and skills. Jeremiah is the father of three, who also enjoys traveling, fishing, and kayaking.
Whitney Nichols
Little House on the Prairie Pioneer Study
Whitney Nichols is a homeschooling mom by day and an ER nurse by night. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, Whitney has a diverse background consisting of historical reproduction clothing making, facilitating children’s historical educational programs, writing and developing recipes for various food outlets, and researching local history for documentaries. Whitney is a strong believer in Jesus Christ and is leading her life in anticipation of hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Ella Pena
MS Illustration and Graphic Novels
HS Illustration and Graphic Novels
Ella Pena is a live illustrator, exhibiting painter, and educator born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She came to Sarasota to study at Ringling College of Art and Design where she majored in Illustration with dual minors in Graphic Design and Creative Writing. Ella’s work encompasses a diverse range of styles, from monochromatic portraits with dramatic lighting to whimsical pen and ink drawings inspired by early 20th-century children’s book illustrations. In addition to her artistic practices, Ella is committed to fostering young artistic talent, having taught art to students since 2013. Her portfolio can be found on her website at www.ellapena.com.
Laney Poire
Gardening & Soil Science
Funnest Foods
Drama Therapy
Laney Poire is a Sarasota native and has a passion for holistic education that has guided her career as an educator. She has taught sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and cooking and she is a drama therapist and a brain trainer/literacy coach. Laney believes in nurturing the whole child through hands-on, creative experiences that build confidence and develop healthy life skills. Laney holds a BS in Drama Therapy and an MA in Health Arts & Sciences. She loves the great outdoors and marvels in the wonders of God’s amazing creations.
Andrew E. Seip
U.S. Government Dual Enrollment (Tuesday, Thursday)
Andrew Seip is Executive Pastor at Bethel Church Bradenton. In addition to serving the church and ministries of Bethel, he is a practicing attorney representing clients and promoting biblically-just reforms in law and government. Andrew is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law where he was inducted into the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society. He also holds a master’s degree in government and a graduate certificate in Mid-East politics from Regent University and a master’s in ministry from Southeastern University. Most importantly, he and his wife Catie have been married for thirteen years and have two elementary-aged children.
Jenni Stahlmann
Real Citizenship: Government and Leadership
Podcasting
Jenni Stahlmann is the mom of seven children, ages 8 to 27, including one child on the autism spectrum, and one grandchild. The Stahlmann family has homeschooled since 2004 and has belonged to LAF since 2008. Their oldest five are LAF grads. One of her kiddos 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. Jenni hosted a nationally syndicated parenting radio show and column. She currently writes curriculum and speaks at homeschool conventions.
