Curious about the people who lead our courses here at Foundations? On this page, you’ll get to know our dedicated local teachers. We believe a strong community thrives on shared knowledge, and these individuals are at the heart of our learning environment. Learn about their expertise, their approach to teaching, and what sparks their passion for what they do. Just scroll down to meet the instructors who make learning at Foundations possible.
Fern Pence is a homeschooling mom with a heart for those who learn differently. She appreciates the many options homeschooling families have to tweak the education for each child making it best fit their needs. Not feeling “tied” to any one method or program, she has several years of experience as a Challenge Director and Foundations Tutor in a local Classical Conversations Community. While her two oldest have graduated, she is still teaching (and learning with) her two youngest teenagers.
Jill Bywaters has three adult children and is a former homeschool mom and Classical Conversations tutor. For the past 7 years, she has worked at Grace Christian School, teaching in the areas of grammar, literature, Bible, and art. Jill is passionate about apologetics, and she was thrilled to participate in the CrossExamined Instructor Academy in 2024. She is excited to pass along all that she has learned in order to prepare the next generation to defend their faith.
Gina Moore began her teaching career in the public school system before continuing the journey through 20 years of homeschooling. During that time, she taught a variety of classes in three local homeschool cooperatives and served in leadership roles in the homeschool community. She brings a lifelong love of learning and a background that includes a bachelor’s degree in education from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in education from James Madison University, along with experience supporting adult ESL and GED learners. She is also an accredited instructor with the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). After years of homeschooling, Gina is grateful for the opportunity to continue to support students through individual and small group tutoring.
Carleen Nuckols, first and foremost, is a follower of Jesus, the Lover of her soul, though very undeservedly and with much grace. Secondly, she believes that the greatest gifts and the desires of her heart on this side of heaven are her husband and five children. She has homeschooled them for their whole lives and what seems like hers as well. They have all graduated, except one, who will be starting 9th grade this year. Thirdly, Carleen is a Medical Sonographer by trade, though she tries to work only two days per week. She currently spends her time scanning at a women’s center with pregnant and non-pregnant patients.
Carleen loves to be outdoors…hiking, gardening, beach, mountains, etc. She also loves to have 2-3 books going at any given time, which she finds takes forever to get through because of all her other loves, including her people and her dog. She looks forward to leading this lab class because she loves understanding how living things work, and she is excited for her son to have partners to do the labs alongside him!