Mary Biever
"I am a homeschooling mother of a two, ages four and six. In my spare time, I help my husband with a small business, edit our homeschool group's newsletter and teach computer classes part-time at night."
(as of ~2000)
No name
Mary C. Gildersleeve
I am the mom of 5, currently learning at home with the younger 3 -- Joe is doing great at LSU, Catie is a Junior at the parochial high school, and Thomas (8-1/2), Maggie (7-1/2) and John-Paul (5) are living, loving and learning in the Front Range of the Rockies. I've been a corporate exec, a writer and now I'm a SAHM who does LOTS of hand-knit designs on the side while keeping up with the latest and greatest of the home-educating curricula and resources.
I've got a BA in Print Journalism from Gonzaga University and an MBA-Marketing from the College of William and Mary.
You can usually find me: with my head buried in a book, working on the computer or knitting (when I'm not eclectically homeschooling my "littles").
Mary Daly
My name is Mary Daly. This is a common name, because all the Irish families in the world, for several hundreds of years, have named their daughters, and even sometimes their sons, after our Lady. When I was in a Catholic high school, I was once in a math class with 12 students, five of whom were named Mary. Although the name is slightly less common now, it is a fashion not likely to die while Jesus lives.
Among the innumerable host of Mary Dalys, there is one writer of enviable competence and considerable fame who has a poor reputation among orthodox Catholics. It has been suggested that I alter my own name so as not to be confused with her.
What? Can I leave her the first claim to a name that represents both the Emerald Isle and the Queen of Angels? With your help, I would rather redeem it.
I live in South Dakota in the house where I have raised five children over the last 30 years or so, meantime sending a few little ones on, and where I have also undertaken to submit my small part towards cultural renewal, first by writing books about sentence diagrams so people can think more clearly, and then by writing the science texts I always wanted while I was teaching my own children. I have several other books in various stages of completion, and have also published some of the writings of my immediate family, on poetry and science both.
Mary Zelinski
Mary and her husband Todd (married in 1987), met at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee when Todd noticed that a girl in the front row was answering all the questions in Algebra. Mary went on to complete a B.S. in Secondary Education and English and has continued to earn graduate credits to maintain her grade 7-12 teaching license. She taught at Pius for 8 years, and was blessed to work with many creative teachers whose ideas still inspire her today. Todd holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is well known and respected in the Milwaukee business community. Together they've put together an eclectic course of study for their seven children. Todd and Mary are very active in their parish; both are past-presidents of the Education Commission and current leaders of the Youth Group. Todd also coaches basketball and serves as a Dead Theologians Society team leader. Mary works with adult and youth catechesis on both the parish and diocesan levels.
The Zelinskis try to maintain a simple lifestyle in rural Wisconsin where they plant a big vegetable garden and the children are raising chickens. Todd and Mary thank God daily for the opportunity to grow in faith with their children as they continue their homeschooling journey.
Mary-Eileen Swart
Mary-Eileen and her husband Tom are the parents of four children, all of whom were homeschooled from pre-school through high school.
Maureen Wittmann
Maureen Wittmann is the mother of seven children with many years of homeschool experience. She is the author of For the Love of Literature (Ecce Homo Press) and co-editor/author of the Catholic Homeschool Companion (Sophia Institute Press) and the Catholic Homeschool Treasury (currently out-of-print) and writes and speaks regularly on homeschooling.
Melanie Bettinelli
Melanie Bettinelli is a native Texan learning to love the four seasons in her husband's native New England. She is the mother of two beautiful girls: Isabella, born in May of 2006, and Sophia, born March 2008. She is expecting a son, Benedict Joseph, due in July of 2009.
Although both her daughters are still too young for formal schooling, Melanie already considers herself a homeschooler and has been reading about homeschooling and writing about her research on her blog, The Wine Dark Sea, since before Isabella was born.
Melanie has a degree in English from the University of Dallas and an MA in Literature and Irish Studies from Boston College. She has tutored students in writing and in Latin and has taught writing, literature and humanities classes at Salem State College and Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts, but now is contented to stay at home with her daughters... the most important job in the world and much more challenging and fulfilling than teaching college students.
In addition to her blog, The Wine Dark Sea, Melanie is also a contributor to First Heralds, a blog about helping toddlers and preschoolers learn about the Catholic faith.
She and her husband also have a sporadically updated cooking blog, In the Kitchen with Bella
Melissa Wiley
Melissa Wiley is a homeschool mom of five and the author of a number of children's books, including the Charlotte and Martha prequels to the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Melissa blogs at Here in the Bonny Glen.
N.H.
N.H. is a nine year old Catholic homeschooler. He likes drawing and sports, especially biking and skating. He has two brothers and two sisters. He is an altar boy. [NH has been reviewing books with us for awhile - he is now 10, Summer 2000]
Nancy Gerdes
Home educating “since conception” of her twin sons (now freshmen in college), Nancy has enjoyed 19 blessed years in the home education ranks. Three daughters followed who are now 17, 11, and 8. Mark and Nancy have been married for 22 years after meeting at South Dakota State University where Mark completed his bachelor of science in pharmacy and Nancy her bachelor of science in nursing. Nancy worked as a nurse in the areas of coronary care, surgery and same day surgery before “retiring” to nurse her babies!
Nancy served the South Dakota Home School Association for many years as the contact person before helping found St. Margaret’s Fellowship (SMF), the thriving area Catholic home education group. The group has grown to about 60 active member families. As president of group, Nancy enjoys being the contact person for people interested in SMF, fostering a strong relationship between SMF and the local diocese, and working with the five member board. SMF is blessed to have a positive relationship with the Diocese of Sioux Falls and has been assigned a chaplain to assist with the spiritual formation of member families. Nancy shares SMF membership with fellow contributors Mary Daly and Ana Braga-Henebry.
Music has been a lifelong passion in Nancy’s life. Teaching private piano students on a limited basis, accompanying for the four SMF choirs, weddings, funerals, cantors and the adult choir at the Parish of St. Michael all keep Nancy celebrating the liturgical rhythm of life. Sharing music with her two youngest daughters (piano and violin), has added immense joy to her life. She also accompanies the young violinists in her daughters’ violin studio and is privileged to share the journey and joy of so many young musicians.
Nancy continues her ongoing spiritual formation through the master catechist program put on by the Diocese of Sioux Falls. She is part of a second cohort journeying towards a yet-unknown date of commissioning. Reading the catechism, church documents, and studying the ecclesial method have added a deeper appreciation for the mission of the Church in the world and for parents as primary educators of their children.