Nancy Kelly - Featured Speaker Nancy Kelly lives in a little town on the prairie called Windom in Minnesota. She and her husband Kent have home educated their six children for over 25 years with five graduates so far, using the principles and practices of Charlotte Mason. Nancy has helped build a thriving educational community in southwest Minnesota that continues to grow. Walking alongside and mentoring other mothers through their homeschool journeys takes up much of her time through private and group sessions. She writes at her CM-inspired blog, Sage Parnassus and for Common Place Quarterly. Her CM co-op, the Truth, Beauty, Goodness Community, is in its 12th year and has been a model for in-home CM co-ops. She co-founded the Living Education Retreat, now in its 14th year of sharing and spreading the ideas of Charlotte Mason. Nancy enjoys family, England, bright eyes, flower gardening, exploring the flora, fauna, and history of new places, and of course...books!
Karla Taber - Guest Presenter Karla was first introduced to Charlotte Mason (CM) by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay at a L’Abri Conference in the mid-90s. For over 15 years she has had the privilege to teach and facilitate groups and communities using Mason’s philosophy and methods. She finds it encouraging to see so many families who have discovered and are implementing these truths in their homes. Currently, she teaches in a CM community, facilitates a monthly book discussion, and co-leads the Living Education Retreat. Karla and her husband, Jeff, live in Windom, MN where he is a solo family physician and she is his medical transcriber and part-time office help. Her life is enriched with reading, music, handwork, and traveling to visit her 5 children (ages 25-34) and 11 grandchildren.
IFL Leadership Team Bethany Stillwell Bethany and her husband, Dave, live in Westfield, IN, and are in the 3rd year of homeschooling their 4 children, ages 9, 7, 6, and 3. She was introduced to the Charlotte Mason (CM) educational philosophy in her late teens and a seed was planted for her future as a homeschool mother. A few years later she began an intentional journey to pursue CM ideas in her home. She realized quite quickly that Charlotte Mason’s philosophy applied not only to education but to all of life! Her family finds the CM philosophy to be the true compass of their home and are single-focused to its truths. Bethany is currently advisor for the Facebook group “Indianapolis Charlotte Mason Community” (ICMC) and organizes an active CM learning community with two friends she found through the CM book study she facilitates. In 2017 she founded The Living Bookshelf, an online bookstore of used books for individuals and families. This endeavor has allowed her to share her love of books and help others discover and enrich their lives through living literature. In addition to the hobby of book curator and seller, she enjoys a local book club, delights in music (playing piano, singing, folk dancing), finds refreshment in her daily cup of tea and morning meditations, treasures gardening with her children, and is discovering a new found joy of reading Shakespeare retellings as a family. She is grateful to have discovered the feast of a living education, taking part in it herself and sharing it with her children.
Joy Shannon Eleven years ago, Joy Shannon chose to embrace the Charlotte Mason method as she began homeschooling her three children. Today, two of the three are graduated, and she has seen the fruit of remaining faithful to the Charlotte Mason method long-term and, yes! through high school! Joy and her husband, Wes, have found their children have indeed received a full and rich education, but what is more, they are all learning to really live. What a delight! This year finds Joy partaking of a rich CM feast alongside her youngest son, starting high school for the last time. How bittersweet! She enjoys quiet moments with a book or close friends, making entries in her nature diary, and chocolate. She considers it a privilege to serve as a moderator on the AmblesideOnlineForum, to contribute to the Charlotte Mason Institute Blog, and to have shared at A Continuing Conversation and the Living Education Retreat. She also enjoys being a part of a growing Indianapolis CM community, co-facilitating a local CM discussion group, and of course, talking about Dear Charlotte.
Micah Pettes Micah is the creator, owner and designer of Juniper Grove Journals, an online boutique selling hand-crafted, Charlotte Mason inspired, travelers journals. She was homeschooled through high school and now homeschools her 4 children ages 14, 12, 11 and 8. She leads the Skylark coop with three other families, teaching Shakespeare, Science and Natural History while also moonlighting as a wife, mother, bible school teacher and she occasionally sleeps. She has a passion for teaching bible classes the Charlotte Mason way, reading life changing books and for beautiful, organized journaling. By the way, the books that changed her life in 2019 are Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, A Praying Life by Paul Miller and The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
Stephanie Lee An educator at heart, Stephanie taught visual art in public schools for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. When her oldest child was in pre-school, she was introduced to the ideas of Charlotte Mason. It was a perfect match for the Lees who already had a passion for nature, authentic learning, and Truth-seeking. Little did they know how much Mama would grow as a result of Miss Mason’s influence. Bird-watching, Classical Music, and Shakespeare were certainly never on her radar before. This rich, life-giving journey has been fueled by good books, invaluable mentors, intentional time, and reliance on the Holy Spirit as the Divine Teacher. Stephanie and her husband Ryan have 2 boys, ages 7 and 10. They spend plentiful time outdoors with a menagerie of plants and animals on their 5-acre property in Brownsburg, IN. Stephanie is actively involved with her church family, enjoys hosting events for local homeschool families, and facilitates CM book discussions. She thrives on morning coffee and meditation time (outside or fireside) and finds delight in sledding, kayaking, and trips to the art museum.
Julia Wilson Julia Wilson and her family live in Danville, Indiana. She has homeschooled for 15 years but did not start using Charlotte Mason until her oldest son was in high school. Now that she has graduated two and has seen the results of a “living education”, there is no doubt that this philosophy of education is an enriching and rewarding endeavor. Julia and her husband Gary have been married for 26 years and have six children ages 21, 19, 17, 14, 12, and 4. She loves gardening, raising rabbits, 4-H, and experimenting with different gluten free recipes. She has enjoyed being a part of a CM community, book discussions, retreats, teaching hymn, artist, composer, and other Charlotte Mason subjects. One principle idea that has truly touched Julia’s heart is that “Children are born persons.”
Kaiti Shannon Kaiti enjoyed eight lovely years growing up and graduating with Charlotte Mason. She is currently a junior at the IUPUI Honors College and will be dual majoring in Communication Studies and English Literature with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Theater and Performance studies. She currently works at the IUPUI Speaker's Lab and enjoys using the public speaking, writing, and critical thinking skills she gained from her CM education and 4-H involvement in this job. Though she's often busy with homework, her job, and running her thrift shop business, Kaiti loves nature, writing poetry and sharing her love of Shakespeare and literature with those around her.