Instructors
Ms. Annie Alvarez
My Name is Annie Alvarez I have been homeschooling for the past 10 years and have taught art and science out of my home for the past 5. I have also taught classes at Schaumburg House for 5 years and currently also teach at Champs co-op. I have a big passion for art and science, and I love to teach. I am also a scout leader and mother of 3 beautiful kids. We are so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity to homeschool and wouldn’t have it any other way. Looking forward to this year.
Ms. Stephanie Barth
I have a BA in Art from Florida State University, and worked as a computer programmer, software developer and project manager for 10 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. I have been homeschooling for over 10 years and have taught classes at Schaumburg House and Little Red Homeschool co-op in subjects such as Book Club, Art, and STEM. I was a Scout Leader for a few years as well. I love art and books, and I enjoy seeing the creativity of children. At GROW I am advising the student newspaper.
Ms. Liz Cassidy
Liz is a 23 year veteran homeschool mom of nine, with a BS degree in Math/Computer Science from University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. A love for math and discovery of learning for children makes teaching a joy for her. She has taught religious education, and supplemental math and science to all different levels of education. She also teaches at Champs Homeschooling Co-Op. She is actively involved with church and loves to cook, read, and garden.
Mr. Guy Desaulniers
Guy's educational background is in Psychology and Statistics. After graduating from the University of Connecticut he attended graduate school at the University of Illinois in Psychology. During that time he was a TA and an Instructor at the University of Illinois. A lecturer presents to a class but a TA works with students one on one. Subsequently he worked in the business world for many years. As a manager he was extensively involved in training, to the point that his company had a nickname DesMac U because of the emphasis on training. He has for the last 10 years worked as a tutor at Discovery Learning Institute. His emphasis has been in math and test preparation. Test prep, in addition to math, includes English, Reading and Writing. Teaching Philosophy: Like most teachers his philosophy of education is a Socratic approach. He is trying to help the student figure out the answer on their own. Fortunately this is much easier to do in a small group, such as a co-op class. We all remember information that we have discovered on our own much more easily than when we are “zoning out” while we listen to something. Of course information does need to be presented briefly. But then the emphasis is on practice and integrating the material into one’s thinking.
As a final note he will mention that he generally believes that math is easy for most students. Problems arrive from a couple of sources: The way we communicate about it, the vocabulary and notation, and the cumulative nature of the knowledge. He does his best to be watching for those issues and thus minimize the the barriers to a student’s success.
Ms. Masha Furmanova
Eight years ago, in search of an improv class for my daughter I was given the opportunity to create such a class for her and other homeschooler at Champs Homeschooling Co-Op. This led to my developing theatre classes for youngsters that isn't quite improv, but employs improvisation.
My involvement in theatre goes back to college days where I performed in stage plays each year. About that same time, I took upon myself to produce and direct church Christmas pageants and did so for 18 years. For the past 14 years I have been a student of improv. For about 5 years I have taught, these same classes offered here, at Champs Homeschool Co-Op. I absolutely love theatre - but the joy in children's eyes as they come to life through imagination and creativity is what really makes it worthwhile.
Ms. Kinga Maciejewski
Kinga has homeschooled her two children since 2019. She has had experience working with children of all ages in many group settings. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she worked as a speech therapy paraprofessional at a school for children with developmental disabilities. She enjoys using adapted and interactive books, as they create a fun and positive learning environment. Kinga is very passionate about homeschooling and likes to take on new challenges.
Ms. Rebecca Reid
Rebecca is starting her twelfth year of homeschooling. She has a degree in English and teaching experience as a writing tutor and as an elementary-level teacher at local homeschool co-ops, where she’s taught language arts, Spanish, history, and STEM. She has two decades of Spanish language experience. Over the years, she has been a member of GIFT, Fox Valley Free Learners, Champs, Little Red Homeschool, Barrington Area Homeschoolers, and more. She loves creating games and hands-on activities for her own kids and her students, and she sells games and printables on TPT. For the 2023-2024 year, she’ll be homeschooling 1.5 of her three children.
Ms. Missy Stankowitz
Hi! My name is Missy Stankowitz. I’m starting my fifth year of homeschooling and I have two amazing sons. Before becoming a homeschooling parent, I worked in healthcare management and specialized in supporting seniors with memory care, which is something I truly cherished. Both of my sons are heavily involved in sports and we are a very active family. I, myself, just started playing hockey, but have always had a love for sports and friendly competition. I have experience playing volleyball, basketball, track, softball, and dance. I am also an avid gardener, reader, and homesteader. I’m excited to utilize my energy and love of sports this year at GROW.
Ms. Mariana Wade
My name is Mariana Wade, I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and moved to the U.S. in 2007. I have homeschooled my kids here in Illinois for the past 13 years. I specialized in languages in college, and taught English in Bogota. In addition to sales for IBM, I did translation work for 2 years before moving to the U.S. We speak Spanish and English in our home in Saint Charles.