Director: Kari Davis
Hi! I stand amazed at what a Mighty God we serve. It is a both a blessing and privilege to have this opportunity to serve alongside so many great teachers and get to know so many wonderful families. The Lord has prepared each step of the way for Mighty Oaks to exist. He's prepared the hearts of the teachers, prepared a place for us to meet, has financially provided over and over again, along with bringing great students to attend the school. God called our family into homeschooling from the beginning. I have been homeschooling since 2004. We have 5 kids! It is a blessing to be able to stay at home and teach our children, but in our own lives we have experienced the need for support, encouragement and help. It was out of this need that Mighty Oaks began. I pray that Mighty Oaks will be a support, encouragement and blessing to all who attend and that along the way students will form strong, godly, lifelong friendships!
Monday Kindergarten: Rachel Weyand
Hi, my name is Rachel Weyand, and I am very excited to be
given the opportunity to co-teach the Kindergarten class at MOEC this year. Currently,
I am a stay-at-home mom with four children (Jordan 15, Eden 13, Abby 10, and
Joey 8). This year, I will be celebrating my 17th year of marriage
and beginning my 10th school year homeschooling my children.
Although challenging at times, teaching is my passion, and I wouldn’t have it
any other way.
In the past, I worked as a Montessori preschool/kindergarten
teacher for 11 years. I am a certified
Montessori teacher through the American Montessori Society for both
infant/toddler (0-3yrs) and early childhood (3-6yrs) age children. I received my formal education and training
from the Mid-America Montessori Teacher Training Institute (MAMTTI) in Omaha, Nebraska.
Also, I have been teaching Suzuki music theory to preschool-highschool violinists
for the last 8 years. I enjoy working with children, and look forward to seeing
how each child will grow and develop throughout the course of this year.
Wednesday Kindergarten: Staci Graber
Hello. I am Staci Graber and am excited to teach the Kindergarten class this year. I have a degree in Elementary Education and taught in the classroom before I had my son. I now stay home with our four children; Preston, Naomi, Makenna, and Lydia. We have chosen to home school and I am excited to enter the realm of teaching a bit again. I love to teach. I do miss it at times although I would not change the blessing to stay home with our kids for anything. It is my desire to show each child how God can be in everything and how he is the creator of all. I hope that through our learning together this year they will expand their minds as well as their hearts.
1st Grade Teacher: Cindy Quaintance
It’s a blessing to have this opportunity to work with the first graders. I became a Christian in late elementary school and recognize children’s developing awareness of the world around them including things of the spiritual nature. I look forward to building their thinking skills as well as expanding their knowledge of geography and science through the Five in a Row unit studies. While enjoying the FIAR books we will also be enriching our study of language arts, math and Biblical character traits.
I have one
son, Nathan, whom I have home schooled since kindergarten, which was my first
experience with Five in a Row. He
will be in the 7th/8th grade class this year at
MOEC. In addition to teaching first
grade at MOEC, I drive school bus for the Wellsville school district and help
my husband of 22 years on our organic farm.
I was a certified school teacher prior to staying home with the birth of
Nathan. I have been active in church
since college: member of council, choir, worship team; taught Sunday School,
Children’s church, VBS, was an AWANA leader and Sparks director. It’s my privilege to share a love of learning
with them and to spark their interest in many different areas. It’s an exciting time!
PE on Mondays: June Duehring
My name is June Duehring. I graduated from Calvary Bible College with a degree in Biblical Counseling. I am in my 16th year of marriage and have been a stay-at-home mom for the last 12 years. I have taught my 5 children at home from the beginning. I am so excited for all 5 of them to be able to attend Mighty Oaks this fall.I started running consistently after my 4th baby and have since developed a passion for encouraging others to become more active. I am always training for that next race. I am hoping to pass on a love for running to the children in my classes. On Mondays, our focus will be on running, proper stretching, and other cardio activities. We will seek to do this in a fun environment, where each age group will find enjoyment.
Our goal in running will be to participate as a group in the Kansas City Kids Marathon in the fall and the Olathe Kids Marathon in the spring. My children have done this for several years and have really enjoyed it. I am hoping your children will, as well!
PE on Wednesdays: Corina Burgin
My name is Corina Burgin. My husband and I have been married almost 19 years. We have 4 children ranging in age from 4 to 16. I have home schooled our children for 5 years (starting the 6th year in the fall) I grew up in a Christian home and married a man that also was raised in a Christian home. I accepted Christ as a young girl.
I will be teaching the Wednesday PE class. Fitness is my passion. My goal for this class is to concentrate on physical strength. We will be working on our core, our upper body and lower body.
I was a member at Prairie Life Center for just over 8 years and even worked there for 1 year. I then got a job working at Lifetime Fitness, where I worked up until I was pregnant with our last child. I also taught PE for a homeschooling co-op a year ago. I look forward to teaching the children how important it is to strengthen our bodies while having fun doing so.
History: Lori Barry
My name is Lori Barry. I will be teaching History for 1st-8th grade. I have my Masters in Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and my undergraduate degree from Kansas State University. I taught 5 years in the public school system before deciding to stay home to raise my boys. For the past 8 years now I have been lucky enough to stay home to raise Ben, age 9 and Luke, almost 8. While staying home I have had a daycare which has continued to let me teach on a different level. My boys have been in the public school system for the past 4 years, but we have decided that we are ready to home school them next year. We are all very excited about this change. I look forward to returning to teaching two days a week while getting to teach my boys as well from home.
I have been a Christian for 15 years now. I became a Christian in college when I met my husband, Richard. We have been married now for 13 years. I have served as the Women’s Ministry Director at Fellowship Bible Church for two years where I love to use my organizational skills. I have also taught K-6th grade Sunday School for the past 7 years. For two years I have taught Club 56 during the church service hour to 5th and 6th graders. I also have served as an Awana leader for six years in Cubbies, Sparks, and now T & T. I truly love to serve God by working with children. I look forward to serving Him in this new light as your Child’s Enrichment Teacher. To contact me, my email is barryfam4@yahoo.com.
Curriculum Selection:
The curriculum that we have selected for History is, The Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bauer. We have chosen this curriculum because it is from a Christian point of view and is very hands-on. We will begin with Volume 3: Early Modern Times. We are starting with volume 3 to meet the needs of the older students. Each volume will take us 3 semesters to complete, but students should hit each book twice if they start in first grade. The Volume 3: Early Modern Times, Activity Book is required for this class. There are additional literature suggestions that we will post monthly for you to use at home. In class each week we will cover the required stories, as well as have group discussions over the review questions, complete map work, and do hands-on projects. It should be a fun class and my prayer is that your children will have a love for learning about history that will continue throughout their lifetime.
Music: Rachel Warren
I am so delighted with this opportunity to teach music for the students at Mighty Oaks. The things I love most are God, my family, music, teaching, being outside, and reading. I wanted to be a teacher since I could remember, and couldn't give up music after my own school days were done. That led me to get a Music Education Degree from the University of Nebraska, after which I taught for 4 years in the Olathe Public Schools. I was an active member of the Orff-Schulwerk Association and earned certification in their music method of teaching.
I have enjoyed being involved singing and playing piano in the musical worship ministry at Fellowship Bible Church, as well as being a part of other ministries such as MOPS, lifegroups, children's programs, and the women's ministry. Our church is our Gardner family, as most of my husband Jason and I's family lives where we grew up, in Nebraska (Go Huskers!).
I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with my children. Caleb is my sensitive intellectual child, reading anything he lays eyes on, whereas Hannah is my compassionate mover, scaling any furniture item she lays hands on. We just had our third little one this summer, Lydia, and we're excited to see her personality unfold. Our family stays busy with church and community events, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with friends.
Course Description
I plan to teach a General Music format so students will meet the National Standards for Music Education as designed by the MENC (Music Educators National Conference) and adopted by KMEA (Kansas Music Educator's Association). Most school's music curriculum is now based on these standards, including the Olathe and Gardner Districts. It covers areas including making music with voice and instrument, reading, notating, and composing music, analyzing music, and understanding how music relates to other arts, cultures and our world.
My method of teaching will be mainly an Orff-Schulwerk approach. The title "Schulwerk" is an indication of the educational process taking place: Schulwerk is schooling (in music) through working, that is, through being active and creative. Orff Schulwerk is total, active involvement in music making that incorporates speech, singing, movement, and instrument playing in a creative environment. This approach engages the whole student in music, internalizing the learning through experience before labeling it's technical components. In other words, I expect we will have a whole lot of fun!
Life Skills: Jessica Weatherford
I am excited to be a part of the Mighty Oaks team this year. I homeschool my daughter and also have two pre-school age boys. My husband and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage. I feel incredibly blessed to be a stay-at-home-mom and love being a homemaker. I am looking forward to teaching life skills that are important for girls and guys. The Life Skills course (aka Home Ec.) will include cooking skills, cake decorating, clothing care, cleaning skills, interior design, home repair, etiquette/manners, and some consumer economics. An interest in woodworking has been mentioned, so we may introduce that as well.
Art: Suzi Costlow
I am excited to be teaching art at Mighty Oaks. My husband and I are celebrating 15 years of marriage and we have 3 beautiful children together. I have been homeschooling our children from the beginning and am looking forward to them attending Mighty Oaks. I started teaching 15 years ago while working for IBM. Through that experience, I found a love for teaching. I have a passion for art and believe there is an artist in every child. I taught art to homeschoolers during MOPS at Fellowship Bible Church for the last two years. I have served as Preschool Director at Fellowship Bible Church for the past four years. My husband and I lead a homeschool support group and co-lead a Lifegroup within the church. My goal is to show my students God's artwork in everything around them while teaching them the elements of art and an appreciation for the great artists and their works.
I am happy to be teaching with the Artistic Pursuits program. The program presents both the expressive and the technical aspects of art in an age-appropriate manner. Children are curious and expressive from the start. I intend to work with those interests to teach them to observe their world more closely. Skills develop as each child observes nature and enjoys the process of creating. The K-3 program covers the elements of art and compositional ideas suited to the age within the context of art history. Techniques are shown as new materials are introduced. In this way even the youngest students experience a complete study of art. Grades 4-8 get an in-depth study of the elements of art and composition based on a variety of applications. Each application offers a different way of thinking about the topic, helping to expand awareness of the visual world.
Science: Melissa Russell
Hi, My name is Melissa Russell and I am both blessed and excited to be teaching Science this coming year at Mighty Oaks. I am looking forward to meeting lots of new faces. I have lived in Gardner for more than 22 years. I have been a Sunday School teacher for 6 years and am currently working towards a Bachelors degree in dietetics. Through this experience I have developed a new love for Science. I look forward to sharing this love with our students. My husband and I have three children; 11, 9, and 6. We have been homeschooling our family for four years. Homeschooling has brought many new opportunities into our lives and for this we are thankful. I certainly count Mighty Oaks among them. This year at Mighty Oaks we will be using Apologia Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day for 2nd-6th grade.
Science: Cassity Griffin 7th-8th Grade Science
Hello, I am Cassity Griffin. I am married to Brian Griffin
and we have four wonderful daughters aging from 7 months to 6 years old. I am
excited about teaching science this year. I have missed being in the classroom.
I graduated from Kansas State University in 2005 with my master’s in education
and then taught for two years. My husband and I decided that after our second
child I should enjoy staying home with our children. I feel blessed to be able
to teach them new skills every day and watch them learn and grow. I am thankful
that God has given me the gift of working with and teaching children, and I am
excited to see your children grow and learn more about God’s creation
throughout this year. We will be using Apologia General Science this year.
Writing and Public Speaking: Tonya Shrader
My name is Tonya Shrader and I am excited to teach Writing and Public Speaking at Mighty Oaks. I have been married for just over nine years and am a stay-at-home mom to two incredible boys who are 8 and 5 years of age. I have led the Victory Over Sexual Abuse ministry at Westside Family Church for 3 ½ years and am blessed beyond measure with the privilege to connect survivors through support groups and walk the healing journey with them. I am also an avid blogger. I write a personal blog that captures my journey as a woman through marriage, motherhood, friendship, faith, and every other detail of growing up, and a separate ministry blog with the purpose of providing hope, encouragement, and recovery tools to survivors of sexual abuse and those who care about them. Additionally, I am a full-time non-traditional college student, pursing my degree in Elementary Education. I have spent the last several years incorporating issues that matter a great deal to me – children, family, marriage, education, Jesus, child abuse prevention and response – into my ministry, volunteer service, class assignments, speaking, and personal writing, and I look forward to teaching the students at Mighty Oaks to do the same.
Sign Language: Leslie Winslow
Interested in Teaching at Mighty Oaks?
Application Process
Step 1
Email the following to: mightyoaksec@yahoo.com
Resume
Written Testimony
Letter of Recommendation from Pastor
3 References
