Attendee Welcome Page ~ Anchorage ~ Fairbanks ~ Juneau ~ Soldotna

Andrea Van Ravenswaay

Representing Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education

Workshop: Paying for College

Andrea Kavlaq Van Ravenswaay is Inupiaq, Hopi and Luiseno and grew up in Kotzebue. She has worked in Anchorage as Community & Outreach Liaison at the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) since 2004. Prior to ACPE, she worked in Kotzebue at Nikaitchuat Ilisagviat Inupiaq immersion school as Curriculum Developer, and in Anchorage at the Alaska Native Heritage Center as Programs Developer. Andrea graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelors degree in English modified with Education.

Dan Sinclair

Representing Math-U-See and Teach4Mastery

Workshops: Concrete Algebra for an Abstract World ~ Seeing How Multiplication Affects the Understanding of Fractions ~ Starting a Homeschool Business ~ Teaching Reading for Understanding

Dan Sinclair is a home educator and father to three. He teaches and speaks on numerous topics, including math, finance, reading, learning differences, and raising royalty. An entrepreneur at heart, Dan seeks to educate parents and students regarding the need for understanding stewardship. Dan is president of three different companies. He directs each one to reach its goal of helping parents teach to the unique needs of their children.

Graduating from high school, Dan was a straight “D” student in mathematics. As a home educator, he learned many of the secrets that are not taught with a traditional math approach. At home education conferences, and at specialized conferences such as National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, International Dyslexia Association, and Council for Learning Disabilities, Dan is recognized as an educator who touches the heart.

Debbie Rathbun

Representing Institute for Excellence in Writing

Workshops: Take the Groan Out of Writing

Debbie Rathbun, a certified Alaskan teacher with experience teaching in public schools, has home educated her two children for the past 10 years. She has especially enjoyed using the Institute for Excellence in Writing methods because it is easy to use and produces great results. Debbie and her husband, John, reside in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Jan O'Meara

Representing Wizard Works

Workshop: Teaching Alaska Studies: Geography, History, Natural History

Former Alaska certified teacher of secondary-level English and Social Studies; 18 years teaching Alaska History at the Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College; project coordinator and co-curator of Pratt Museum Homer history exhibit, “Making Ourselves at Home: Creating a Community on the Benchlands of Kachemak Bay.”

Janet Beckett

Representing Institute for Excellence in Writing

Workshops: Report Writing ~ Writing the Essay

For the past several years I have had the privilege of sharing with you the writing materials that Excellence in Writing has to offer. These award winning materials are perfect for homeschoolers - they really do teach parents how to teach our children how to write. I use the many of these materials in our homeschool and am really pleased at how IEW is constantly looking for materials that will help me most effectively teach my kids how to write.

Now to tell you about myself…I have been a home educator for the past 14 years. So far 3 of our 5 children have graduated from our homeschool - each has learned to write using IEW materials and have taken the skills they learned on to university. During the fair I will be sharing with you how IEW has worked for our family and want to help you determine if it is right for your student. Please stop by our table and let me show you all the new materials that we have this year.

Jen Barnett

Representing Classroom with a View

Workshop: Experience Education! How to turn any outing into a learning adventure

Jen Barnett is the Executive Director of Classroom with a View, an Alaskan based non-profit organization that creates and leads hands-on courses designed to immerse students in engaging environments. She became a certified teacher hoping to have a positive impact on students’ lives in a typical classroom setting. During her 8 years working for IDEA and volunteering with Classroom with a View, she quickly realized how many educational opportunities exist outside the brick and mortar building. She knew she would be a homeschool mom long before her two-year old daughter was born. Her work with Classroom with a View continues to inspire her as she meets, travels, and learns with some truly amazing young people.

Judith Darling

Representing Razzle Dazzle Learning Company

Workshop: Look Forward to Teaching Writing and Language Arts

I taught public school for thirty years in grades K - 8. All but eight of my years were spent teaching middle school language arts and social studies, but the years I spent teaching elementary school helped me learn what students need to be successful in all grades.

During the last ten years of teaching I developed curriculum that motivates students to love writing and to be independent learners. This curriculum was so successful that many teachers and parents began asking if they could purchase it, so I started my own company called Razzle Dazzle Learning Company. We now publish and sell the materials I developed. I retired from teaching in public schools and am now home schooling my granddaughters. I continue to develop curriculum and attend home school conventions, where I give workshops and demonstrations on how to teach language arts.

Marcia Osterink

Representing Atelier by Arts Attack

Workshops: A Creative Visual Art Workshop for Students (Ages 5-8) ~ A Creative Visual Art Workshop for Students (Ages 9-15)

Marcia Osterink earned a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Studio Art from Michigan State University. She began her career teaching in the elementary classroom (grades 3-5) and has taught art (from Kindergarten through the college level) for over 30 years. An accomplished artist, she has specialized in sculpture and watercolor, receiving numerous commissions for her watercolor portraits of children. Prior to starting Arts Attack Publications and creating the Arts Attack and Atelier curricula, she developed “Arts-in-Action”, winner of the prestigious Golden Bell Award presented by the California School Boards Association.

Myrna Martin

Representing Ring of Fire

Workshop: Fun Science with Things That Fly

Myrna Martin was named the 2007 Professional of the Year for Science Textbook Publishing by Cambridge Who’s Who. She is the author of over 25 books on Earth Science. Myrna is a former elementary science and middle school science teacher. She taught school for over 35 years before retiring and starting a family business with her husband and son. Myrna is a science consultant and conducts workshops throughout the country. Her latest series of science activity books are designed for students in all grade levels.

Nancy Hameloth

Representing RightStart Math by Activities for Learning

Workshops: Math Card Games Thrills vs. Math Drills

Nancy Hameloth has been an elementary school teacher for more than thirty years and was a middle school principal for two years. She has taught math to preschool children through middle school as well as tutoring many adults using card games. Nancy has a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Pensacola Christian College and a second Masters of Education from Regent University. She is currently working on her doctorate degree from Regent in Christian Education Leadership. She is a widow with two grown children.

Traci Heaton

Representing Accountable Kids

Workshops: If I Tell You One More Time... ~ Raising Accountable Kids One Step at a Time ~ Why Johnny Can't...

Traci Heaton is a dedicated homeschool mom, speaker, and author. She is the co-author and developer of the Accountable Kids parenting program which is helping parents promote accountability, responsibility, and character development in their children. This unique program is based on the principle of the "Law of the Harvest"; you reap what you sow.

The Accountable Kids program was created, not because Traci and her husband had all the answers but, because they had many of the same questions as other parents. The Heatons are now working closely with pediatricians, social workers, educators, counselors, and psychologists, and their efforts have been helpful for children with ADD, Autism, Aspergers, and behavioral problems. What started out as a way to create a more harmonious family life in their home has grown into a thriving business and traveling ministry.

Traci’s presentations combine humor, practicality, and hands-on solutions to help families learn to balance choices and consequences in a fun, productive manner. Her ideas help children develop confidence and self-worth and experience the joy of being a vital, contributing member of the family.