Instructors
Mrs. Jeanie Heethuis
I have been blessed with parents that raised me in a strong Christian home. My father is a pastor and now God has me serving as a pastor’s wife. My husband is a pastor at a local church. Together we have grown closer to each other and to Christ through the blessings and struggles of leading our church, the bride. I studied at Calvin College where I earned a teaching degree for both general education as well as special education. I taught full time for about 10 years in both special education and general education classroom settings. When our own children became school aged, I began to teach at home full time. Our two oldest now attend Cornerstone University and Calvin College as I continue to enjoy teaching our other two children from home.
Mrs. Kristen Hinkle
Who is Mrs. Hinkle?
The first thing I want you to know about me is that I LOVE TEACHING! God has created me with a passion to teach and impact students for His kingdom. I love doing this. As I look back on my life, I see God’s hand so clearly and faithfully. He drew me to a relationship with Him at a young age. I attended Word of Life Bible Institute and Cornerstone University where I received my bachelors degree. I spent ten years teaching in a variety of settings including Christian, public and charter schools. I loved each one for different reasons, but my favorite thing was always the kids. Following some unfortunate and tragic circumstances that God led my husband and me through, I found myself without a classroom. Since that time in the spring of 2002, God has led me to teach homeschool students which has been the most rewarding experience. It is a joy to work alongside parents in educating their children.
Mrs. Braelynn Hoff
As a PTC alumnus, I am very excited to join PTC once again, but now as an educator! I was homeschooled through my entire education until graduating high school in 2017, participating in the PTC graduation ceremony that year. God has given me a great passion for art, and while this will be my first art teaching expirience, I have been a practicing artist for 9 years, gaining my Associates of Arts at Grand Rapids Community College in 2021, and working on many projects from public art in downtown Grand Rapids, private mural commissions, participating in Art Prize 2022, and much more. I am so excited to share the love of creativity God has given to me with the students who may come into my class room, and I look forward to encouraging them to explore the artistic gifts given to them by their Creator.
Mrs. Amber Impellizzeri
Aloha! My name is Amber Impellizzeri. I’m the wife to a multi-talented, adventurous, and steadfast man of God. The daughter to two wonderful, self-less parents that blessed me with a fantastic home education and a daughter to a Heavenly Father. I attended Cornerstone University for my undergraduate degree and majored in Environmental Biology where I was given a solid science foundation through a Biblical worldview. Throughout my college education, I was privileged to study in places like upper MI, Washington state, and Hawaii as well as work two summers as a research technician.
The 2018/2019 school year will be my 7th year teaching at PTC, both history and science. Although science is where my degree lies history has always been a personal interest. This year for science I am thrilled to be teaching high school Anatomy and Physiology for a sixth year. I LOVE this course and helping students discover how and why the body functions the way it does. It’s truly amazing! I will also be teaching the 1st - 4th grade science and history class. We will be doing an ecology and zoology unit for science this year as we look at land animals and the many habitats they make home! In history for 1st- 4th we will be studying the earliest civilizations and how their lives were similar and different from ours, using Story of the World. Chemistry is the last course I teach at PTC. I look forward to helping your student marvel at the order in God’s creation at the atomic level.
It is a pleasure and joy to be teaching at PTC again this year. I look forward to not only teaching your student about science and history but also about the creativity and divine provision of our awesome God.
Mrs. Maria Krawczyk
Hola, my name is Maria Krawczyk. I was born in Mexico City. Kurt and I have three children (boys) and they are presently homeschool students at PTC. I have been teaching my native language Spanish for almost 8 years. I started as volunteer teacher in Grattan Academy, for two years. In addition, I had the opportunity to work at Koinonia homeschool group in Rockford. This will be my third year in PTC. I love teaching my native language and my primary culture. It is a blessing for my family and me to work with the students and their parents and sharing the diversity among the Hispanic community. My passion for the language continues to grow and I look for ways to build on the different fields for teaching the language. I started to form Spanish for Moms groups, missionary group, Manufacturing Spanish and recently Spanish for toddlers and moms.
I believe that God has a plan and I trust that he continues to work in our life with a purpose and he wants us to be obedient and to trust him is the hardest situations.
My favorite Bible verse is Psalm 100.
Muchas Gracias y Bendiciones (blessings)!
Señora Maria L. Krawczyk
Mrs. Erika Leuschner
After being very involved in the home school community throughout high school, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Thomas Edison State University. Since then, I have taught for different home school groups including PTC, Home School Ancillary Program, and Friday Addition as well as a private tutor. I have a passion for the English language and writing because I believe that the proper use of words is one of the greatest tools God has given us to make an impact in the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Additionally, I believe that exploring and understanding the past is imperative to understanding and impacting our present culture for Christ. My passions include writing, literature, athletics, history, politics, the fine arts, and spending time with my family. My desire is to faithfully serve my Lord and Savior and to help encourage others to seek Him and serve Him by making an impact in the world around us.
Mrs. Cheyenne Smith
Growing up in a Pastor’s home, I came to a saving knowledge of Christ at a young age. It has been with amazement and awe that I have seen Him work directly in my life to bring me to where I am today. I attended both Cedarville and Cornerstone Universities and graduated with a degree in Secondary English Education and Speech Communications. I have taught in both a Christian and Public High School, but after having my first child I decided to stay home and ‘teach’ my own children. I have worked within the Homeschool Community for the last ten years tutoring students, teaching Literature/Writing Classes and teaching Choreography for the Homeschool Performing Arts (HPA) program.