Panel

Moderator Panelists:

               Shawn Crane

Mother of three children ages 21-13. As a homeschool support group leader she has had the privilege of mentoring hundreds of parents in educational and parenting philosophy. She was introduced to Thomas Jefferson Education in 1999 and began incorporating its key principles into her family’s education and that of her community.

Shawn is the founder and director of Youth Leadership Project and Crane Academy of Excellence both in the Los Angeles area. These two organizations offer enrollment and classes for homeschooling students using TJEd principles. She is the owner of TJEd M.U.S.E. (Mentors in Support of Education) a Yahoo group for those families implementing the principles of Thomas Jefferson Education. She has served as President of the of the Leadership Education Mentoring Institute (L.E.M.I.) Mentors Association since 2003. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in education from George Wythe University. Shawn and her husband Andy reside with their three children in West Hills, California.

       Panelists:

           Elizabeth Sanders

Elizabeth Sanders and her husband Don have five children, three of whom are married—currently seven grandchildren—and have been homeschooling more than 20 years, using Susan Kovalik’s brain-compatible model of integrated thematic instruction with a yearlong theme. Elizabeth first attended the Face to Face with Greatness seminars in 2005 and then took Don to hear Dr. Oliver DeMille when he spoke at the CHN Expo in June of 2006. They have always used the principles of leadership education to some degree, but hearing about TJEd produced some epiphanies that allowed for an even better learning environment for their younger scholar-age children. Elizabeth says that perhaps the best thing she did was to put Daniel in charge of scheduling his education when he reached scholar phase; and if 18-year-old Daniel were in town, we would probably include him in the panel lineup, but he is away at school. (Daniel is equally proficient in violin & piano and held his senior recital this past December to a full hall; he was also the bass soloist in a performance of Haydn’s Requiem for the college choir. He completed 30+ units at the local community college (earning a 4.0) before transferring to the university, and these were tough courses like music harmony, calculus, biology, and English. He participated in the local homeschool Shakespeare troupe for three years, performing the role of MacBeth to rave reviews.) Elizabeth has also supported the TJEd community by opening her home for scholar classes to be held there, hosting the FATJEF committee meetings, and hosting a Five Pillar study group that has just completed its fifth year of regular monthly meetings.