Anchored in Excellence: Meet the crew

Brandon Arnold’s journey to teaching is one of humor and irony. Growing up, Brandon hated school, reading, and anything related to learning. It wasn’t until he started following Christ at age 14 that this all completely changed. Once he was transformed by the light and truth of the Gospel, reading, learning, and sharing with others (teaching) became a natural obsession. But that’s not the whole story. After discovering the topic of spiritual gifts in high school and receiving multiple confirmations through family, friends, and church leaders that teaching was his call, Brandon pursued and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education through Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University) and a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling through Grand Canyon University. No matter what sphere, whether information technology, finance, insurance, counseling and ministry, or real estate, Brandon always passionately pursues a way to help others by creating light bulb moments for them. In this vein, Brandon wants to provide an education to children that he did not receive: one that is personal, provocative, and practical rather than one that simply checks a governmental box. 

Tammy Baldwin has had a deep love of cooking for many years. She began working at a restaurant when she was seventeen. On her first night of work as a dishwasher, the restaurant’s cook got sick and Tammy was asked, on the spot, to take on all of the cooking for the night with the help of a waitress. She served roughly 350 people that night and continued in the restaurant industry for ten more years. Tammy has since catered any event you could imagine and has served as the head of the kitchen for church events, both alone and while managing a team. For Tammy, cooking is not simply about preparing food; it is seeing the joy that people experience from sharing a delicious meal with those they love. She has been a part of the homeschool community for over ten years as a parent, a kitchen director, and a volunteer. 

Diane has lived in the valley most of her life. Before living here, she moved around quite a bit,

twice overseas, due to her father being in the military. She was the youngest of five and grew up in a loving family. All this moving meant going to many different schools! There were things that she missed out on in her education, but there were also some great field trip experiences in different countries. Graduating from Cactus High School, she went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Educational Studies from Ottawa University. She met her husband in 1994 and is happy to say they have been married for 29 years and have four grown children. Diane homeschooled all her children 

through their elementary years while simultaneously running a Montessori enrichment program from her home. Drawn to the Montessori method because of its emphasis on the uniqueness of each child, Diane uses it to create an environment that focuses on mutual respect, beauty, freedom, and independence. Diane believes the love of learning should be a lifelong pursuit, and it begins in the early years of a child’s life.

Evie Brechler earned a bachelor's in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. Referring to herself as a “homeschool veteran,” she fondly remembers being taught at home for the entirety of her elementary and secondary education. She has a love for children of all ages and has been involved with childcare and church mentorship programs for youth throughout her high school and college years.

Biography coming soon!

Justin Carpenter received a Bachelor of Science in Space Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has had the opportunity to tutor a wide variety of students in both classroom and one-on-one environments. With passions for both math and science, he strives to bring real-world examples into the classroom. He desires to help students not just understand math, but learn to enjoy it and recognize it in their everyday lives. bio

Ryan was born and raised in Arizona. Throughout his youth, he played sports like competitive soccer, tennis, basketball, cross-country, and track and field. He grew a love for the games and the fundamental practices of them. A year after high school, Ryan and his high-school sweetheart, Brianna, got married and focused on growing their faith and family together. Ryan was led to Ashford University, earning a Bachelor of Science in sports and recreational management in 2018. Ryan and his wife have four wonderful children. Although neither Ryan nor Brianna were homeschooled, they felt God tugging on their hearts to homeschool their kids. In 2023, Ryan realized a need for physical education in the homeschool communities, and so he transformed his love and passion for sports and games into an organization that offers young people a place to experience PE in a Christ-centered environment. Ryan’s goal is not only to have children learn the fundamentals of sports and athletic games but to create a Christlike community where participants can express their faith in Jesus and have fun while doing it. In addition to teaching physical education, Ryan serves as a Deacon at his church while being one of three men who established and run their men’s ministry. Ryan also serves with his wife and oldest daughter in the children’s ministry.Enter bio

Aalayah is a native Arizonian. Her parents are both from Mexico City, but Aalayah was born in Phoenix and raised in Peoria, where she attended Ironwood High School. She grew up bi-lingual in Spanish and English. Because of COVID-19, Aalayah completed her last year of high school at ASU Prep, where she also started her college career. During that time, she started tutoring students, including her sisters, who were doing school online because of COVID. For the next 2 years, she worked as a Spanish teacher at a Christian school in Cave Creek. While there, she earned her ACSI (American Christian School International) certification.  She planned on continuing her college education in mechanical engineering and integrative medicine, but the plans of her Heavenly Father took her in a different direction. The joy of teaching and helping kids succeed changed her plans. While she works on earning her med tech certifications, she looks forward to teaching and helping students succeed.

Elisa began her educational journey fresh out of high school, knowing she wanted to become an educator. She explored various grades and subjects before finding her passion in secondary English. After earning a degree in Secondary Education with a teaching certification in 2013, she eagerly stepped into the classroom as a high school English teacher. For a decade, teaching brought her immense joy, but she also witnessed the challenges some students faced in traditional education. Determined to find alternative methods to support those who struggled, she founded Noema Learning. Elisa is passionate about providing students with personalized education, holding them accountable while respecting their space and choices. She is dedicated to helping students take ownership of their learning, build confidence in their abilities, and discover the joy of mastering new skills. 

 Emily is passionate about English Language and Literature and loves to help children develop their strengths and creativity. She and her three brothers were homeschooled on three continents by their mother, Becky Lewis, who helped design the early Sonlight Curriculum for missionary families in difficult places to educate their children at home. Since graduating from Gordon College with a BA in Creative Writing and Journalism, Emily has traveled to more than 33 countries as a travel writer and blogger. Emily is also a certified TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Teacher and can tutor children struggling to adapt to the English language curriculum.  

Wendy Lopez earned an Associate of Science degree in X-Ray Technology from Gateway Community College. After 2 years, she decided to go back and get her license in Nuclear Medicine Technology. She worked in the medical field for 24 years at various hospitals and doctor offices, the last one being in the Cardiac Cath Lab. Wendy and her husband attended Phoenix Church of Christ for over 30 years, and for the last 20 of those years, they have coordinated children’s ministry. She loves helping and teaching kids to increase their faith and to have a strong relationship with God. Wendy has homeschooled all three of her children. She loves learning about apologetics, science, creation, and all the evidence of the work of God's hands in it.

Tamara McClure is an Arizona native who began her educational pursuit at Northern Arizona University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and her Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education.  She taught for four years in the Peoria school district before starting her family.  After her first child turned five, she was blessed to start her fifteen-year journey of homeschooling her five children.  During this time, she taught General and Physical Science at Calvary Homeschool Co-op.  After this, she taught for fourteen years at Northwest Christian School.  While teaching she provided mentorship to many student teachers as well as tutoring before and after school to help “at-risk” children diagnosed with reading deficiencies.  Recently, she finished training with Education 101 as a certified brain trainer.  Tamara also does private tutoring for children who need additional support with reading. She is quite excited to return to her original roots in the homeschool community!  In her free time, she loves to see her adult children and two grandsons as well as church activities. 

Mrs. Rutter has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Delaware and a Master of Arts in the Great Books from Memoria College. She taught band, orchestra, classroom music, guitar, choir, and piano classes in Christian and public schools for many years before marrying and having a family. Since then, she has been teaching private lessons and has finished homeschooling her two girls. One of her favorite things to do is to collect and play as many instruments as she can. She currently performs weekly on ten different instruments and in nine different groups. Sue's second love is learning languages. She studied French for many years both of which she taught to her children and others. She is eager to share her love of music and languages with students.

Shannon Scott knew she wanted to be a teacher at a very young age and her parents will tell you that she was always practicing by helping others, setting up study groups, and peer tutoring while in school. Upon graduating, she attended Western Washington University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a major in Child Development. Having strong ties with the community in which she grew up, she returned to her hometown to teach in a multi-age program for 6 years at the same elementary school she attended from kindergarten through sixth grade. In 1999, Shannon took 8 years off to start her family and worked in her family’s restaurant business. In 2008, her husband’s career took their family to Temecula, California and Shannon taught kindergarten for a year at a private school. Missing family and their roots, they returned to Washington where Shannon taught at the elementary level for 15 years. With a passion for math and wanting to ignite the spark in older students, Shannon moved to the middle school level to inspire students while teaching Math Support, Math 7, Math 8, and Pre-Algebra. She is dedicated to creating and fostering a supportive and cooperative environment and meeting kids at their level. She is passionate about providing a hands-on approach, creating visual examples, and showing students where, when, and how they might use math in their lives. She has knowledge of the sequence and progression of mathematical skills and concepts from grade 3 through Algebra and with such expertise has mentored many at-risk learners to fill in gaps in their understanding. In July 2024, with all their children graduated and pursuing their own path, Shannon and her husband decided to move to sunny Arizona to be neighbors to Shannon’s parents and close to their two sons who live in Flagstaff. 

Alicia Silberman has been teaching ELA and History at the elementary and high school levels for 10 years. She was inspired to teach after being a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for 2 years shortly after earning her undergraduate degree in English Literature.

Though she was working a corporate position and had earned a Master's in Adult Education and Training, working with her younger sisters inspired her to pursue Secondary Education. Alicia earned her Master's in Secondary Education and another Master's in Liberal Studies and

launched her career in teaching! Alicia has loved her time teaching and has continued to grow in the education space by earning her Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership and nearly finishing a Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies (just one class away!). She has held a soft spot for books since childhood and has been an avid reader over the years. Some favorite genres include dystopian, mystery, and historical fiction. It is her great hope to inspire others through literature as she has been. For Alicia, learning more about our collective history and delving into literature is about so much more than earning a course credit. History and literature can give us all a glimpse into our own humanity and teach us how to create a more wonderful world for us all to share!

Analisse’s love of art started from a young age. As a homeschool graduate, Analisse dedicated many hours to art classes and honing her craft. At GCU, she has completed various art classes and has learned to combine her love of art with her love of psychology. For the past five years, Analisse worked as a teacher’s assistant for high-school math and science classes. She is excited to teach what she loves–art and comic drawing.

Asked as a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Michelle would answer, “Teacher, lawyer, or hairstylist.” Upon graduation, doing hair sounded the most exciting, so off to Los Angeles she went. She experienced excitement and travel for the next 20 years doing hair and makeup for film, commercials, and exotic weddings in the U.S. and abroad until it was time to settle down and start her family. Once her sons started school, she discovered both were experiencing social and learning challenges. Michelle immersed herself in the world of education and brain development, and for the next 20 years, she helped her own children and others successfully discover and activate their superpowers, but also became an advocate for other families. Michelle is a passionate and dedicated educator who believes students should pursue BIG dreams and have fun while on their educational journey.  In between empowering superheroes, Ms. White celebrates time in nature with her family and Boseman the Doodle; she enjoys gardening and diligently pursuing the completion of her first memoir that documents the miraculous healing journey of her eldest child.