Our Teachers

"The teachers are well-prepared and extremely encouraging . . . yet with very helpful suggestions for improvement. This is a difficult balance and [they] pull it off beautifully."
"I can't say enough good things! The teacher's level of commitment is amazing . . . and the classes? Amazing!"
"I don't even know where to begin with how fantastic our experience has been with the Learning Center and the instructors!"
"My daughter loves it, and it helps keep us on task."
"It has been an answer to prayer for my 15-year-old!"
"The teacher has been gracious and has encouraged the students to become thoroughly acquainted with the subject material. She does a good job of covering all the required information, and also getting the students to think about the questions that are a little deeper than just the 'facts.'"
We are blessed with wonderful teachers!
Lucerna Academy believes that passionate, skilled teachers who bring their subjects to life are the key to creating a classroom that students love. Our teachers are master educators who care deeply about their students and desire to inspire them to embrace a biblical worldview that will shape the rest of their lives. All of our teachers are Tapestry of Grace moms who have taught for over a decade and bring that rich history and experience to our classrooms for the benefit of our students.

Teresa Burger

HISTORY, LITERATURE, & ELECTIVES
​​Teresa is the wife of a career Marine Corps officer and is currently living in Virginia with their three children (all graduated). As a military wife, she has made her home in 10 different states (so far), with each child being born in a different location. Mrs. Burger earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Development from the University of Kentucky, and after the birth of her third child, pursued an M.A. in Human Development in 2001. Tapestry of Grace has been a part of their homeschool curriculum for over 10 years, and she considers it a true privilege to work with families enrolled with Lucerna Academy and to partner together on this homeschool journey.

Kate Conti

HISTORY, WRITING, & ELECTIVES
Kate has never left the educational arena. After graduating with a B.A. in English and Mathematics from Wellesley College she joined Harvard Business School’s (HBS) Publishing Division as a marketing manager, promoting not only HBS’s educational materials, but also training for teachers to sharpen their Socratic Method teaching skills—the basis of HBS’s teaching style.  This teaching method has been the gold standard for Kate and is one of the primary reasons she selected Tapestry of Grace for her own homeschool 14 years ago.  Living in New England has brought her an appreciation for our rich American history.  She loves to walk where the people who made an impact on and for our country walked.  With only one student of her own left at home, Kate is thrilled to join the team of teachers at Lucerna Academy to continue to enlighten and enjoy more students’ love for learning.

Kim Holman

HISTORY, WRITING, & GRAMMAR
​​Kim, a lifelong OSU Buckeye fan, earned her B.S. in Education from The Ohio State University and her Master of Education in Curriculum and Supervision from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. She and her husband live on an 8 ½ acre homestead in the geographical center of Ohio and have four adult children, three of whom are adopted, and two four-year-old grandsons. For the last 40 years, Kim has enjoyed teaching writing and grammar in various capacities, including private, public, online, tutoring, and co-op settings. She and her husband of 35 years homeschooled their four children and loved using the Tapestry of Grace curriculum. Kim taught with Lucerna Academy (formerly, Lampstand Learning Center) for several years before filling a need in 2018 at a Christian school, teaching middle school and high school writing and literature. God called Kim back to Lucerna Academy in 2022, and she is excited to guide students in their writing skills to “develop strong communicators for Christ!”

Elizabeth Jacobi

SCIENCE & CODING
Elizabeth lives in the middle of Missouri with her husband. They have almost finished their 20-year homeschool journey with their three sons. One son graduated college with a Computer Science degree, one son is studying Industrial Engineering, and one will start studying Biomedical Engineering in the fall. Elizabeth earned her B.S. in Computer Science and worked as a systems support analyst until her first child was born. She then switched paths to teaching, first her children and eventually including others as she saw the desire for group homeschool science classes, which she has taught over the last 10 years. In addition, using the Tapestry of Grace curriculum since 2009, she has led cooperative classes both in-person and online. Elizabeth also enjoys mentoring piano students and teens in her church’s youth group and youth worship team. She is excited each week to teach computer programming and the design of God’s creation through science with Lucerna Academy.

Kim Moss

LITERATURE, VOCABULARY, & HEALTH AND NUTRITION
​​​Kim is a California native, transplanted to New Hampshire! She now adores the beauty of God’s Creation in the magnificent New England colors of autumn. She holds a B.S. in Nutritional Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She enjoyed a career counseling patients and teaching classes in the many facets of healthy eating. She and her husband knew that, if the Lord ever blessed them with children, that they would homeschool them. Kim left her career as a dietitian when they were blessed with two sons. and began using her teaching skills in her homeschool. She taught from 2006-2010 in a local homeschool co-op. The Lord brought Tapestry of Grace into her family’s homeschooling journey in 2007, and they fell in love with it! Kim especially appreciates how Tapestry weaves God’s truth into the study of literature. She began teaching rhetoric-level literature in an online Tapestry virtual co-op in 2015 and is thrilled to continue teaching rhetoric literature with Lucerna. She is also excited to share God’s intricate and amazing creation of our bodies with her Health and Nutrition students and guide them in exploring their health from both a biblical and scientific perspective.

Teri Skidmore

DIRECTOR & ELECTIVES
​Teri earned a B.S. in Computer Science and worked as a computer system engineer, corporate trainer, freelance writer, and project manager before becoming a homeschooling mom. But, what Teri really loves to do is teach, and she has found opportunities to do so for the past twenty years through local co-ops, private schools, tutoring, and Bible studies. Teri is a computer geek at heart, and now that her children are grown, she is excited to have the opportunity to bring classes to life online for students around the corner and around the world! We know you will find that her unique blend of enthusiasm for teaching and tech-savvy approach makes her a lively and engaging discussion leader. She and her husband have graduated four great kids and are now enjoying growing their young baseball team (5 grandsons and one granddaughter so far!).

Becky Suon

SPANISH
Becky Suon is a wife, a Christian missionary, a teacher, and a mother.  She has four children biologically, all still in the nest, and they would say that over the years that number has grown to be many more than four.  Though she holds a degree in Interior Design, God has made it clear that He has other plans for her life.  In a series of events that could only be the Lord working, the Suons moved to the Dominican Republic, where they currently make their home and have been teaching and discipling Haitian immigrants in need.  Becky has a passion for teaching children and walking alongside families.  She has a spirited personality, is a dynamic teacher, and takes her role of influence seriously.  Always a student herself, she is thrilled to be teaching Spanish for Lucerna Academy, where her four children also attend classes.  Her purpose is missional: to equip students to engage with Spanish speakers in order to develop relationships that might Glorify God and present opportunities to communicate the gospel.

Laura Thurston

SCIENCE & HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND WORLDVIEW
Laura is a homeschooling mom of five, currently living in Upstate NY. Originally from Canada, she moved to the States to complete her master’s work in education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, a Master’s of Elementary Education, and a certificate in Curriculum Development and Leadership from Liberty University. She started homeschooling in 2010 and has been using the Tapestry of Grace material with her own children since 2014. Laura teaches Science in her local homeschool co-op and has five years of online teaching experience. When not teaching, Laura enjoys spending time with family in NY and Canada, reading good books, and drinking coffee.