2022/2023
Moderator Bios
"Hi! I'm Amanda L. We've homeschooled from the beginning, and this is our 6th year using MP. I majored in classical languages, and I love sharing the ancient world with my three boys and many other students."
Angela M. will be moderating The Books of the Ancient Greeks - The Illiad and The Odyssey. I was born and raised in SE Michigan, which is where we currently reside. I am a product of the public school system and went to college for mechanical engineering. Prior to having children, my husband and I said that we'd *never* homeschool, but God had different plans for us! :) (It turns out that engineering was a cakewalk when I compare it to some of our really hard school days.) This will be our 7th year into our homeschooling adventure using Memoria Press with children in grades 7th, 5th, and 2nd. I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn alongside my children and to trust God in our day to day triumphs and struggles.
Anne V. will be leading third grade literature. This will be her fourth year moderating with Vita Beata. She has been homeschooling for seven years. She enjoys children's literature and isn't ashamed to admit that she still borrows picture books from the library. Outside of homeschooling, she also teaches science and Lego Robotics.
Aundrea K. "Hello! I am a homeschooling mom of 6 with a degree in Theology, and a love of history and literature. I am very excited to be moderating the 8th grade literature for the first time."
Brittany K. has been homeschooling for 12 years, using Memoria Press for 4 years, and participating with Vita Beata for 2 years. This is her first year as a moderator, and she is excited to be moderating 4th Grade American Studies. Mrs. Kearns is a mother of 6 and wife of a US Naval Chaplain. She has degrees in Human Development and Nursing. She enjoys running with her children, hiking, and learning about new cultures and languages.
Cassie V. is starting her seventh year of homeschooling and is thrilled to be joining the Vita Beata community. Cassie hails from Ohio with her husband and three children. Between Latin and Literature lessons, they can be found on the soccer field or camping.
My name is Catherine S. I am a mom of five children, ages 11-4, and have homeschooled for six years using Memoria Press exclusively. I am excited to co-moderate Famous Men of Rome this year as ancient history has always been a passion of mine. My hobbies include sewing, traveling when I can, and gardening. My favorite books are Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Alice in Wonderland.
My name is Cecilia C. and we've been homeschooling for 9 years. My children (3 boys and a girl) range in age from 4 to 14. Most of our homeschool materials are Memoria Press. Reading/discussing things with my children and gardening are a couple of the things I enjoy.
Christina W. is a 2nd generation homeschooler with a BS in Computer Science. She has homeschooled her three children from the beginning of their education. This is Christina’s second year with Vita Beata.
"I’m Christy B. This is my seventh year moderating Memoria Press discussion groups. I have moderated both classical studies and literature. We started our schooling experience at the main Highlands Latin School in Louisville, but a job change forced us to move. We knew there was nothing like an HLS education, so we went straight from going to the school to homeschooling with Memoria Press materials. For the ‘22-23 school year I will be homeschooling 12th, 10th, 7th, and 4rd grade boys. I also teach the Special Needs classes for Memoria Press Online Academy."
Cortney S. is a homeschooling mom of 2 great kids. This will be her 7th year homeschooling and her 5th year using Memoria Press. Cortney occasionally subs at the local Highlands Latin cottage school and she teaches on rotation with a small, multi-age co-op. She loves reading in any spare time she can find. This will be her first year moderating with Vita Beata.
Crystal E. has 6 children, ages 6-15, and lives in rural New Mexico, which despite its name is humorously neither "New" nor "Mexico." This year will be their 9th year homeschooling with Memoria Press full core curriculum, and 2nd year moderating Famous Men of Greece for Vita Beata. When she can steal away from folding laundry, she enjoys taking an occasional history course at the university where her husband teaches, dabbling in tapestry weaving, and discovering new vistas of the Southwest.
Hello, I am Daniel S. I currently work as a Family Doctor in the Indianapolis area. My other major profession besides being a physician is homeschooling our children. Starting with our oldest, Dahveed, I am currently in my tenth year of this endeavor. We also have used the Memoria Press Curriculum this year and will be starting our 2nd year with Memoria Press materials this upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Although my degree was in Biochemistry I am also an avid reader and look forward to moderating literature this year.
Debbie H. My introduction to homeschooling began on a walk down Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, KY with my family. We noticed an open house for Highlands Latin School. After that visit and subsequent research, we resolved that our kids would attend this amazing school. Before our oldest was school-aged, life pulled us in a different direction to Des Moines, IA where a church member mentioned that her family homeschooled. She described her curriculum, which sounded a lot like Highlands Latin School – Memoria Press! The realization that the Highlands Latin School curriculum was available through Memoria Press persuaded me to homeschool, and I have never looked back. I have homeschooled full-time since 2014 and have three children.
Esther W. is joining Vita Beata this year, moderating 9th grade literature. With her husband, she is raising two boys near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains north of Denver. Not at all equipped to teach classically by an engineering degree and a Marine Corps career, she considers homeschooling, a work of the last 12 years, to be the most important vocation God has given her.
"I am Evie A. and I will be moderating 3rd grade literature. Prior to having my children, I spent 7 years in the public school system (teaching 3rd, 5th, and ESL) where I had to fight to even read chapter books to our students. I have LOVED reading classical literature with my 3 children (headed into 6th, 5th & 3rd for 2022-2023) using Memoria Press as our guide. I'm excited to meet your wonderful children and encourage them along their journey of growing a love for reading and learning."
“I’m Heidi F. While I’ve been teaching in various roles for many years, this will be my first year as a moderator for Vita Beata. I have four children, and we have been using the Memoria Press curriculum for seven years now. In my free time, I spend it working on our hobby farm, baking or reading.”
"Hi, I'm Heidi H. and I'll be moderating 4th grade Lit. I am a military spouse originally from Michigan, but currently living in Southern MD. I have four kids, two who are in college and two who are home with me, my husband, and our dog, Benny. Over the years, we've had an eclectic schooling experience with our kids, depending on where the Navy has sent us (Japan, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and now Maryland). We have done a combination of public, private, and homeschool! I pulled my younger two from public school in the beginning of the pandemic and we have had so much fun learning at home together. I have taught in various environments over the years, but most enjoy teaching my own kids at home. I'm excited for the opportunity to moderate and to grow in the VB community."
Jessica K. "I have always loved working with children, especially in literacy. I began working in my first literacy program when I was 15 years old, and have continued this work in one form or another over the years. I am thankful for Memoria Press' guides; I really love the slower, deeper approach that they take to the piece of work at hand. Since I am homeschooling an only child, I find Vita Beata to be the perfect complement to our Memoria Press studies. Moderating for Vita Beata has given us the opportunity to take what we have learned at home and enrich it through further discussion and thought in a book-club type setting, amongst friends. This will be our third year with Memoria Press and my second year moderating for Vita Beata."
Judy W. X. "I was a public school ESL teacher and retired after my first son was born. I have homeschooled both my children, but currently, my older son is in public school for varsity sports. My younger son is still homeschooled."
Julie S. will be moderating 5th Grade American Studies, 7th Grade Literature, 9th Grade History and co-moderating 9th Grade Literature. Julie is a long time homeschooling mom of ten. She has twenty years of experience; six of those with Memoria Press full core. Julie was drawn to MP through their literature guides and enjoys walking with students through the wonderful literature selections. This will be Julie’s fourth year moderating with Vita Beata.
Karl D. I am excited to moderate Dante's _Divine Comedy_, one of the greatest works in literature. This is my first year as a Vita Beata moderator, but my wife Lisa and I have home-schooled for years. We have two middle school-aged children and live in Fort Worth, Texas. I am a disciple of Christ and also have a background in engineering and have served in the Navy. When I can, I enjoy backpacking and sailing.
"Hi, I’m Katie S. I’m a mom to 4. This will be our 7th year homeschooling and I will have a7th grader, 5th grader, and Kindergartener this year with an infant along for the ride. This is our second year with Vita Beata and my first year moderating, though I’ve taught co-op classes in the past."
Kristi B. is a pastor's wife and mother of two children, ages 10 and 14. The 2022-2023 academic year will be her tenth year of homeschooling. She loves reading and learning alongside her children. This is her second year moderating for Vita Beata. She will be leading Book of the Ancient Romans/Aeneid and Fifth Grade Literature. She blogs about family and faith, especially about homeschooling and trusting God in hard times, at www.thissideofheavenblog.com.
Lauren H. is a mother to three young sons and a toddler daughter, living in central Texas. She will be moderating Famous Men of Rome during the school year 2022-2023, which will be her sixth year of homeschooling (all with Memoria Press) and third year participating in Vita Beata. She is a 2010 graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in History and German. In her spare time, she enjoys studying history, reading, learning languages, celebrating the church year, watercolor painting, and playing with her children.
"Hello, My name is Lisa D. and our family calls Fort Worth, TX home. We also have land in the Ozarks of Arkansas and spend time in Arkansas as much as possible. We love to travel! I've been homeschooling for 12 years and I have one adult son and two girls in Middle School. We have been part of Vita Beata for two years and this will be our 3rd. I'll be moderating the Iliad, Odyssey and Ancient Greeks this year and look forward to reading and learning along with the students. While I've been homeschooling for twelve years, my professional background (before giving it up for the love of homeschooling) was corporate Training & Development. For me, homeschooling my children is so much more rewarding!"
"Hi! I am Melanie R., second generation homeschooler in upstate New York, mother of four, and a devoted Memoria Press enthusiast. We are embarking on our fourth year with MP and I am so excited to be a first time moderator for Vita Beata."
Michelle B. has been homeschooling for 7 years, using mostly MP since the beginning. She has been a presenter at Sodalitas, Memoria Press' summer convention, several times. She has three children ranging from 9 to 14 years old.
Michelle R.
"My name is Miranda J. or Mrs. M is easy enough for most students. We have homeschooled for ten years and this will be our 8th completed year using Memoria Press. I have taught Classical Composition at a local tutorial with eager students loving their work in this particular program by Memoria Press, of which is one my favorites. After moderating the Classical Composition I for the 2021-2022 school year I knew that I wanted to offer the next step for these students. I am very thankful for the Vita Beata group! The students are able to share their final drafts and give gentle feedback to fellow students on their works.
Rachael S. Is a first year moderator for Vita Beata and will be moderating Classical Composition II and 5th Grade Literature. Rachael is a graduated homeschool student who used Memoria Press curriculum in middle school through graduation, taking some classes with MPOA over the years. She has a love for children and seeing their ideas, knowledge, and understanding grow. She has been involved in teaching children at her church for several years, taking on classes of her own for the last 4 years.
"Hi, I am Rebecca D. fortunate to be the mother of six wonderful children ages 29 - 9 years old. As a former USAF family (24 yr, 14 moves…nobody counted), we have been blessed to toggled between fabulous parochial classical school communities in (21 yrs) and amazing classical homeschooling communities (7 yrs.) depending on where we lived and our family’s needs. We are grateful to have Memoria Press materials as well as fortunate to experience Memoria Press Online Academy (MPOA) and Vita Beata. Memoria Press materials and communities have enhanced both our parochial school and homeschool experiences. When we are not living the life in South Texas, we are traveling to visit friends and family around the world. "
"Hello, I am Rhianna Riebau, the mother of ten wonderful children (8 daughters, 2 sons), aged 2 to 20. We began our homeschooling journey twelve years ago. Although I originally didn't intend to homeschool, I am so thankful that we became a homeschooling family. My husband is a pastor, and we benefit from his leading family in dinner-time Bible Studies. I have a master's degree in Physics (which means I enjoy explaining things like 'why the sky is blue?') and I have a great passion for learning and education. Previously, I have tutored physics and all levels math and also for one year I taught Advanced Mathematics at a Classical Christian High School. The experience of teaching in a Classical Christian environment opened my eyes to the amazing treasures of education that can be found by teaching classically."
"Hi, I'm Ryane M. (pronounced 'Ryan') and I am excited to have the opportunity to moderate the Famous Men of the Middle Ages group again for the 2022-2023 academic year. This is our 13th year homeschooling and our 7th year using Memoria Press. During that time I've taught Latin, composition, grammar, geography, and history both online and at our local co-op. I love that homeschooling gives me the opportunity to learn alongside my students. I live in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains with my husband, 4 children, and our labrador retriever, Daisy."
"Hi, I'm Sarah C. and I'll be moderating Famous Men of Greece for the 2022/2023 school year. I have two kids with special needs and this will be our 8th year learning at home. When we're not homeschooling, you'll find us out hiking, gardening, riding bikes, and adventuring near our home in Northern Wisconsin. You can follow our family @catsbookstea on Instagram. I look forward to meeting you in the fall!"
Stephanie S. "Hi! I have been homeschooling in some capacity for nine years. I have three children and this will be our 3rd year using Memoria Press. This is my first time moderating, and I'm excited to jump into Greek Myths."