Meet Our Teachers

My name is Steve Bastian and I was born in Alberta and grew up on a small family farm. I was homeschooled from grade 7-12 and when I graduated, there were only 250 registered homeschoolers in the entire province of Alberta. I then, went on to get my B.A. in Psychology and my B.Ed. from The Kings University College in Edmonton. After graduation I took a position of half normal classroom teaching and half special needs teacher/administration at a private Christian school before coming to HCOS. I am passionate about families and students having a say in their education and building the tools they need most in life. I am constantly reminded of things I learned being homeschooled that I wouldn’t have learned being in the public system.

The most fun aspect of the teaching world is seeing students have the “light” come on when grasping a new concept. It is very rewarding to see both parents and students so excited when growth happens.

My wife, Carrie, and I just had our first child at the end of July this year and I love being “dad”. I look forward to learning so much from our little boy. God Bless!

Two years ago I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science. I have been married to my wonderful wife Chelsea for just short of three years and we are expecting our first born very shortly (Sept 30)! I have lived in the Okanagan most of my life and am a proud graduate of Heritage Christian School. It’s great to be able to work where I grew up! I currently teach both in the individualized and the online programs here at HCOS as well as at our campus school in Kelowna, HCS. I absolutely love math and hope that I inspire a little bit of that joy in everyone who I get the pleasure to teach a bit of math to. Welcome to HCOS!

Greetings! I am a mother- a mother of four children, ranging in age from 9 years to 3 months.  I love my children deeply, yes, I would die for any one of them.  But I am not a perfect mother.

I am a wife.  I am the only wife of one loving husband, whom I love very much.  We work together well, as we try to make our home run smoothly.  But I am not a perfect wife.

I am a mentor.  I am the most important mentor for a new teacher with HCOS this year.    He just happens to also be my husband.  This has proven to be mostly positive, helping us to be an even stronger team.  But I am not a perfect mentor.

I am a teacher.  I am a teacher for my children at home.  I am a teacher for other people’s children from my home.  I am a substitute teacher sometimes, away from home.  From my experiences with teaching, I have seen that how we choose to educate our children has a tremendous influence on their futures, both academically and spiritually.  I have come to believe that, to educate at home, is a better option.  But, even though I have had a passion for education and teaching for a very long time, I am not a perfect teacher.

So who am I?  I am all these things, and more, all the time.  I am the busiest I have ever been in all my life.  I see how short I fall from the ideal in all these roles.  But, I am also the happiest, the most fulfilled and content that I have ever been in my life.  Why?  Because even though I am not perfect, I have more fully come to realize who I really am.

I am a child of God.  Because of that, I can have peace and joy.  I can rest in His love, and trust that His perfection will make up for where I lack – in every role that I fill. He is my strength and my song.

I'm an artist, specializing in Oil and Acrylic Paintings. I have a studio in Gastown, Vancouver (www.timothyclayton.ca ). I've been an art instructor for 13 years, and am also a games developer/inventor (both board games and computer/on line games). 11 years of post-secondary education including: B'Ed, PDP, MTS (Masters of Theological Studies).

New to home schooling last year I am excited to be both mom and teacher to my own children Joshua (12), Juliana (9) and Jonathan (6) with Heritage. Presently I am on leave with the Mission School District where I taught part time for 10 years in various positions from Grade 1, to music specialist, to French as a Second Language. My husband Gordon and I live in Abbotsford where we attend Christian Life Community Church, where I am also a children’s pastor, another job I love. Discipling is a huge mandate and joy for me and I look forward to see what God will do!

My wife of fifteen years, Adrianne, and I teach our four children at home: Abigail, Grace, Samuel, and Josiah (New Baby Curwen is due any day, now!) I have worked in the school system since 1992 at all grade levels in a wide variety of subjects although I was originally trained in History and English Literature. I am three credits from completing a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology at City University of Seattle. I believe that the home and family are the social foundations of our community and it is in the home that children and young adults are best taught and nurtured. Students must interact with a curriculum that honours Christ in order to build a worldview that is based on God’s Truth. The curriculum is not simply teaching children to read, write and calculate but to view the world around them in a way that is consistent with the Bible. I look forward to working alongside my students and families in the upcoming school year!

Hi everyone. I’m delighted to be partnering with you in your learning endeavours this year, and I am especially honoured to be collaborating with you in a truth-inquiring community whose aim is to unleash a wonder that will transform young persons from within ... from where we have the privilege of calling forth the fullness of each learner while directing them toward the fullness of hope for which they were made – our two ends, if you will. As well as enjoying this shared passion with you, I spend a good deal of time in university circles working with curriculum, doing occasional lobbying, instructing as a sessional lecturer and completing my own research – in areas that, by and large, intersect educational theory and practice with a vigorous spiritual liberation. My prime interest is to set ablaze a recapture of the human imagination, not for a glory of our own, but to feed on a greater glory whose effect is to rupture the flat and faulty storyline of self-glorifying human aspiration and discover the First words that hold forth the Final emancipation and empowerment of human existence.

My husband John and I live in White Rock and prior to that South Africa . We have been blessed with 3 children, Cara 16, Emily 13 and Matthew 9.  I have experience in the Surrey school district as an English teacher and also as a Teacher Librarian..  My interests include gardening, hiking and outdoors, boating, and a passion for books and literacy!  I am thankful and excited, that God has opened the doors this year to allow me to work from home, and partner with you, in your home based learning.

Editor's note: Pippa has put together our fantastic Website Links Library!

Hi. My name is Alison Ellis – and yes, I know my names sound funny together, but I loved Ryan enough to marry him anyways! Ah… the things one does for love… I live in Victoria, with my husband, Ryan, and our two boys, Jeremy, who turns three this year, and Nathan, who has just recently arrived. After completing my Education degree at UVic, I taught as the French Specialist at Duncan Christian School. When Jeremy was born, I took some time off to enjoy motherhood and then was given the exciting opportunity of working for Heritage Christian Online School. This will be my third year, and I look forward to working with many of the wonderful families who have chosen to homeschool their children.

Hello! My name is Trish Ensing and I am excited to be part of the Heritage Christian Online School family. My husband Duane and I have been blessed with 4 wonderful children: Jamesa, Liam, Dominique and Evan, and we live in Victoria. Prior to having children, I taught grade 5 and primary music in Nanaimo. Being able to stay home with my children during their preschool years has been a gift, and it is a privilege to continue to do so while resuming my teaching career with Heritage Christian. I look forward to getting to know and work with families, as together we strive to fulfil God’s calling to disciple our children. My prayer for us all this year can be found in Ephesians 3:14-21. May God bless you richly this year!

I serve in the K-9 Individualized Program for HCOS. My role this year is too be an enthusiastic support and resource to families and students learning at home. My husband and I are currently home schooling the youngest of our five children. I have a B.A. degree in History and professional teaching certification from the University of Victoria. I enjoy challenges and have recently started scrap booking in the sunny South Okanagan.

Hi, everyone. I live in Kelowna, and am married, with an eight year old son, Kelly. I received my Bachelor of Education in French and Biology from the University of Alberta and have been teaching for 12 years. My interests are outdoor pursuits, languages, traveling, and reading. I'm excited about working with all of my families who are enrolled with HCOS.

I graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1995 with a Bachelor of Education degree. My first teaching job was at Cariboo Christian School in 100 Mile House, BC. While there I taught kindergarten, grade 1, music and middle school mathematics. In 2006, I moved to beautiful Campbell River with my husband and our two children. Here I have worked as a Teacher-on-Call at the Campbell River Christian School and public schools. I am excited to have this opportunity to work from home and support parents as they teach their children. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, playing guitar, crochet and camping.

Hi everyone.  I am happy to be part of the exciting journey with HCOS and all the cutting edge approaches to learning and teaching they are all about.  Preparing for this teaching assignment has truly been inspirational.  I live in West Kelowna and am mom to three kids (9, 11 & 13) and wife to a pastor here on the west side of Okanagan Lake.  I have lived here for 12 years and recently had the privilege of returning to University to complete the teaching degree I began prior to having children.   My adventures in education over the years have allowed me to acquire degrees in English literature, History, Religious education and Education.  I love to travel and have enjoyed exploring and doing missions work in many European countries and across South East Asia.  I am also an avid reader and especially enjoy historical fiction.

I began my working life as a Coast Guard officer, navigating various ships along the East Coast and Great Lakes of Canada. After many high seas adventures, I returned to school for a teaching degree and then worked as a remedial teacher for many years. I took some time off with my family to adopt two children, bringing the family total to four - all girls! I now work with HCOS homeschoolers and also with online students, a perfect fit for a busy home life. Looking back, I am in awe of how God leads us along life’s paths. My prayer for my students is that they will look to Him for guidance every day, because He has an amazing plan for each of us.

Hi. I am Aimee Imbeau. I live in Armstrong with my husband, Marcus, and my three young children, Sarah, Matthew and Emily. This year will be an exciting year for us because it is our first official year of home schooling. Sarah is in kindergarten this year and she is enrolled with Heritage. This year is my second as a HCOS teacher and continue to discover the blessings of being a teacher with Heritage. I loved getting to know my families and students last year and I intend to work towards becoming friends with my new families this year. I found it amazing to see the learning in my students that took place over the year. I can't wait to see more of that this year! One of my goals for this year is to support and encourage parents in the awesome responsibility of educating and discipling their children. This will be a fantastic year!

I am pleased to be teaching with HCOS again, in this my second year. I received my B.Ed from UVic in 1993 and immediately went to work for Campbell River Christian School where I first met Janet Rainbow. I spent ten years there before I moved on to Comox Valley Christian where I was administrator for five years. I have a beautiful family. My wife Judy and I have been married 23 years this October. We have two children; our son Jesse is 21 and our daughter Erin is 20. I love to fly fish, hunt, read, play classical guitar and garden.

My name is Veronica Kayban.  My husband, Mark and I have 3 beautiful children - 9, 7, and 6.  At present I am homeschooling our oldest 2 children while our youngest has just begun attending First Luthern Christian School .  This is my 5th year of homeschooling and my 5th year of working with a DL program.  Prior to working with DL, I taught for 12 years full time.  Some of those teaching years were spent in Hawaii with YWAM's International Christian School.

Aside from my teaching duties I like to read, garden, rollerblade, bike, hike, ski and quilt. I look forward to being on staff at HCOS this year.

I am a wife to my husband, Patrick, and a mother of six children. I obtained my teaching degree at SFU where I majored in thel Russian Language, with a minor in Sociology. Eighteen years of marriage and eleven years of homeschooling have left me with many experiences, challenges and wonderful memories. I greatly value the freedom to home school and to serve God as a teacher with HCOS.

It is my pleasure to be working with HCOS as an Individualized Teacher. I graduated from Trinity Western University, and received my teacher certification from the University of British Columbia. My husband and I have been homeschooling our two sons for over 8 years, and enjoy the fellowship and support of our local homeschool community. I thank God for the privilege of being able to learn and grow together as a family, and hope that our lives will make a difference for the Kingdom. It is my prayer that God will capture the hearts of my students, and strengthen the hearts of their homeschooling parents. Remember, “whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’" (Isa 30:21)

How do you begin to summarize a life in a paragraph? (I guess you start with the obvious: God is good! and then, you just jump in :). In the past, I have home educated our six children for 17 years and the last 3 years I have been a teacher at Heritage Christian (teaching subjects like dance, doc film, art, yearbook, and the year-end theatre production). Just before our family moved to England in 2003 for ministry purposes, I completed my Masters in Education as I felt that I had been giving out for so long, I needed to be filled up again. I am also delighted to be involved in Creators Arts Centre here in Kelowna www.creatorsarts.com) and our mandate is to provide professional training for the performing arts in a Christian environment. I am looking forward to working with you and discovering the creativity and gifts that God has given each of you!

Heather Loenen has been teaching with HCOS since September 2005.  She is the online teacher for Science 10, Physics 11, Chemistry 11. Heather grew up in Richmond, BC attending the Christian Reformed Church and school system.  She began her post secondary education at The King’s University College in Edmonton and completed it at UBC Vancouver in 1996 with a B. PE and B. Ed (Secondary). Heather taught various math and science courses at Edmonton Christian High, Living Waters Christian Academy (Spruce Grove, AB) and Heritage Christian School (Kelowna).

Kelowna is home for Heather and her two sons, Alexandre (2001) and Dominic (2003).

God has graciously guided my husband and I through 13 years of homeschooling our children: Robert (17), Avikali (16), Ana (14), and Naomi (10). During this time we've made Williams Lake our home, serving as church planters. I love supporting and encouraging families, especially moms, in the training of their children and am thankful for my "Alberta teaching career" background, useful now for a role as an online teacher. Living cross-culturally, reading biographies and books pertaining to children's ministry, deadheading petunias and watching "Hogan's Heroes" have been some of this summer's pasttimes.

Roy is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education. He and his family came to Kelowna from Manitoba in 1989 after eighteen years teaching in The Pas and Winnipeg, Manitoba in the public school system. A qualified teacher in both Manitoba and BC, he taught at a Christian school in the Learning Assistance Department for Kindergarten to Grade Ten and spent over ten years serving as the Co-ordinator of K-12 Student Services. He spent an additional five years as Director of Special Education, developing Individualized Education Plans and liaising with the Ministry of Education relating to funding for special needs students. During those years, he became known for his servant heart and desire to help all students especially those needing an extra measure of support and encouragement. Roy is excited to be a part of the Heritage Christian Online school teaching team, and looks forward to meeting parents and students who will be a part of the special needs and gifted area of HCOS.

I LOVE being an online and individualized support teacher at HCOS!  Since joining this Virtual Family, I have met and worked with the most wonderful families and have graduated from Technology Terror Kindergarten to Technology Competence Elementary Level.  I am very grateful for the opportunities to challenge my grade 5 and 6 online students as well my individualized families to venture further in thinking more deeply into their world view as we awaken to the mystery and romance of knowing God and seeking Him in every aspect of our lives.

I was born, raised and educated in the Lower Mainland many moons ago and have now returned after 26 years on Vancouver Island. I have 2 wonderful adult daughters, 2 super sons-in-law and 4 terrific grandsons.

I have been in education as a public school teacher, a home-schooling parent and I have spent the last 12 years teaching in Independent Christian Schools. One as an administrator/head teacher of a very small school with tremendous amounts of parent involvement and the last was a larger school with all grades and curriculum. There I had a homeroom class of grade 8 students and specialized in French and Business Education. However, I have had many years of varied educational responsibilities, subjects and grades and therefore look forward to the variety of grades, courses and children I will meet as a K-9 Individualized teacher.

I am passionate about Christ-centered education and feel it is the only way children can reach their full potential. Therefore I am very happy to be a part of the HCOS staff and am excited about this new season of helping and supporting parents and children reach their own Christ-centered educational goals.

My name is Roxanne Millard. I am the mother of 4: Violet 8, Brenda 4, Roxanne and Kevin 22 months. My girls, the first two, attend Heritage Christian School. I feel God has called my kids to this school to graduate from HCS. I was very moved by a graduation ceremony on Honouring God, teachers, and parents a few years ago. I enjoy spending time with my kids and helping them learn and explore new things.  I enjoy camping with my husband and kids, crafts, and swimming. I am excited about HCOS as well as the challenges and unique opportunities that will unfold. I look forward to getting to know and to assist the families that I have been given.

Born and raised in the Fraser Valley, I completed a Bachelor of Arts(European History) at UBC, and a few years later completed the Professional Development Program at Simon Fraser University and went off to teach High School in Lumby. I was married to Gwen during the first year of that first teaching assignment, spent the summer honeymooning in Europe, which grand adventure culminated in an outreach with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) at the Munich Olympics. This 2 week experience whetted my interest in missions, so for the next 9 years we would work long enough to pay for the next missions trip! Our 4 sons were born during this time.

In 1981 we were asked by the Canadian YWAM Director to come teach the children of staff at a new training facility in Cambridge, Ontario; I was Principal, Teacher, Janitor, and Secretary of a small school for the 4 years we were there. We returned to BC in 1985, to a new responsibility of leading the Discipleship Training Schools, in Richmond and in the Okanagan. It was during our time in Winfield that we decided to home-school our sons, and my wife particularly was occupied with that for the next 10 years. Often I would take 1 or 2 of our boys with me when I traveled to visit our outreach teams in Guyana, Guatemala, Mexico, or Thailand.

During our 30 years in YWAM I have maintained my teaching qualification by serving as Teacher On Call in the BC public school system, in a variety of Christian schools, and in the Roman Catholic school system. I firmly believe that each child is unique, and may thrive in a different setting from his peers or siblings. However, I believe that the most important component in a child's education is the family dynamic, particularly when it works well in conjunction with a larger community and church family, and when the questions that arise can lead the individual to a living faith.

Hi there, my name is Adriana Pasche. I feel very honored and blessed to be working with Heritage Christian Online School’s northern families. This is my second year with the school and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for this year. Before HCOS, I had been a teacher in both Vernon and Chilliwack. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and German Literature and have a Bachelor of Education majoring in Children’s Literature.  Both degrees were completed at the University of British Columbia. Currently, my husband and I live in Vancouver. We enjoy going to the movies, road trips, visiting artisan shops, hiking and planning the next big adventure.

I am married and the father of four boys (ages 4-13). I have been a teacher in the public system for 17 years. We have homeschooled our boys for 9 years. This is my first year with Heritage Online School. I have therefore limited myself to being the contact teacher for my children for this year. In my spare time I enjoy woodworking, hiking and boating.

Although I have worked as a classroom teacher, for the last 10 years my most rewarding and fulfilling experience has been homeschooling my two children. Over the last four years I have had the opportunity to encourage and support other homeschool families as an online support teacher. I believe parents are given the awe-inspiring privilege to share their life in Christ with their children. They are ultimately commissioned and gifted to “train up” their children in the way they should go. Through a loving supportive family the potential to grow and learner is optimized. As an educator I seek to support this commission through sharing my experience and trusting God’s Spirit to guide my counsel. My vision is for each child to discover and develop his gifts in service and relation to Christ. For this I know – following ones purpose and calling brings true peace, happiness, and fulfillment.

Janet is a qualified teacher in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. She has taught pre-school through grade ten in the public school system, and home schooled her own children- son Raun and daughter Rita. Janet has served as principal of a private school, has worked as the home-school liaison for Campbell River Christian School since 1990 and is well-known throughout British Columbia for her workshops on a variety of topics relating to home schooling. Through Rainbow Educational Services, she has worked with over 100 families every year. The last two years she worked with the Traditional Learning Academy (TLA was one of the DEL pilot schools in the Independent School Branch) as one of their Distributed Learning Teachers.

My name is Tricia Ross and I was born in Tanzania, Africa as the daughter of a medical missionary. So my early schooling experiences were unique!

I have been an educator since 1987 when I graduated from the U of A with a B. Ed major in Special Education. I worked as a Special Education Teacher with the Edmonton Public School Board for many years before moving to Kelowna. In Kelowna I worked as a Learning Assistance and E.S.L. Teacher for the Okanagan School District #23 until I had my first child. I have been a stay-at-home mom for the past 11 years but also worked part time as a counselor and a substitute teacher during those years as well. We homeschooled our 3 children for a few years and now they attend Heritage Christian School.

I feel blessed to be able to use my background as a SE Teacher and my personal homeschooling experience to encourage and support parents who have chosen homeschooling for their children. I am passionate about the blessing we have in Canada of homeschooling and families being able to make choices to best meet the educational needs of their children.

In my spare time, I enjoy bike riding with my kids, taking hikes, love going to the beach and I am an avid reader.

I am the online English and Planning teacher for High School at HCOS this year. I live in Cloverdale, B.C with my husband and two daughters, Lauren and Chantelle who were both enrolled with HCOS. I am a graduate from Simon Fraser University (majoring in Psychology..hmmm) and I bring 18 years of experience to the school. Although, I have not been actively teaching for a few years while my husband and I built a successful business. The opportunity to be part of this dynamic educational opportunity was too exciting to pass up. I look forward to having a very successful year with our students!

Editor's Note: Sue is currently the counsellor/coordinator for our graduation program.

As I begin my fourth year as a teacher with HCOS, I am also beginning a new chapter in my life – my career of 13 years as a homeschool Mom is over!  As I reflect on these years, I am so thankful that my husband and I chose to homeschool our 3 children.  As our children become more independent, the good memories from homeschooling will always be with us.  Of course those years/months/days of homeschooling had their bumpy times, times where the kids didn’t ‘want’ to do school, where there were rebellious attitudes and where I felt like throwing in the towel.  On the other hand, there were times when I felt so fulfilled, where I saw the ‘light bulb’ come on, when a child shared something ‘sweet’ they had learned, where we watched a unique bird that flew into our yard, where we talked about what was really important, times when we could drop everything, and take advantage of the teachable moment to impart God’s truth and where my children could see our faith in action through challenges in our lives.  A highlight of homeschooling was having the opportunity to go to Africa on a short term mission as a family for 6 months.  It is my joy and desire as a teacher with HCOS, to encourage others in their homeschool journey.  The investment in our children’s lives is worth every effort that is made!

I have the best job in the world!  I get to combine my passion for homeschooling with my love for teaching.  I enjoy seeing such a wide variety of people learn and grow through their homeschool experience.  Homeschooling our 4 children (ages 14, 12, 9 and 7) has without a doubt been the best decision for our family. 

Hi, my name is Nicole Terpstra.  This is my first year at Heritage and I am excited about this new opportunity. I have been married for 7 years and my husband and I have a 15 month old son. I graduated from Malaspina University-College with a BA in History/Sociology and a Bachelor or Education in 2001.  My husband and I are both teachers and after graduating university, we taught in a remote Northern community for 2 years.  I taught grade two and then grade three, so I had the opportunity to have the same students two years in a row.  Living in the North was a wonderful experience, but we love being back on the island in Campbell River . I feel blessed to be able to use my teaching skills while staying home with my son. I am excited about working for Heritage and getting to know you better.  I enjoy spending time with my family, walking, running, biking, playing tennis and scrapbooking with my friends.

Howdy! I am a graduate of Trinity Western University with a B.A. in History with a Minor in Education. I have been working with HCOS as Technical Support as well as a Teacher for 4 years now and have had a blast getting to know the students and families we have here at HCOS.

I was born in New Westminster, British Columbia and raised in Richmond, BC where I attended public school until my graduation. After graduation, I attended the Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, Saskatchewan for three years and then attended SFU and UBC where I completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees. Patsy and I have been married since 1992 and we have three girls, Courtney (b. 1997), Lauren (b. 1999), and Grace (b. 2000). We are presently living in Burnaby, BC.

Christian Education is my passion. My formal teaching career began in 1992 and I taught in ‘bricks and mortar’ Christian Schools for just over 15 school years. It has been a challenge and a privilege to create Christian curricula for a wide variety of subjects and grade levels. The Lord has blessed me with a fairly lengthy teaching career which has been highlighted by a wide variety of academic, athletic, and administrative educational experiences. I am especially thankful for the students and colleagues the Lord has brought into my life and how they have shaped my development as a person.

The Lord led me to the Heritage Christian Online School in the summer of 2005. My first job with HCOS was teaching Social Studies 11 (Online). I have been a full time individualized/online contract teacher for our diverse, exciting educational community since the 2007/2008 school year. My favourite online course is Comparative Civilizations 12. My favourite hockey team is the Vancouver Canucks. My favourite book is the Lord of the Rings.

I am excited about the opportunities that God is unfolding! I am very blessed to be a part of the HCOS team. I come to HCOS with an eclectic background of teaching and life experiences. I taught in the classroom for approximately 10 years mainly in Christian schools. I look forward to being able to draw from my teaching and life experiences to serve and bless my homeschooling families. I am excited about the relationships that will be built.

My husband and I have lived in different locations in Canada; but, together with our children, we are glad to be able to call Vernon our home. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, playing sports and camping. I also enjoy gardening, but the deer keep eating my efforts; so, I’ve given up for right now. I look forward to my future with HCOS as God leads!