If you are interested in becoming a Mosaic Freeschool Class Facilitator, please email us with class ideas or proposals and a brief description of your background and/or experience in homeschooling or education.
Meet the Facilitators!
Jayne Besjak |
Jayne is co-founder of Mosaic Freeschool and homeschooling mom to three wonderful children. She and her husband Chuck decided to explore homeschooling as a transition vehicle when their family relocated from the Midwest to New Jersey in 2008. What began as a temporary and pragmatic choice has evolved into a highly rewarding and welcomed lifestyle of personal freedom and enthusiastic, engaged learning.
Prior to diving into the world of alternative education, Jayne worked for 13 years as an Environmental Research Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, and lectured in the School of Continuing Studies at Northwestern University. She holds an M.S. in Geoscience from Oregon State University where she worked with the EPA's Global Climate Research Program and has completed PhD coursework in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland. From 2011 to 2012 Jayne served as the president of a large homeschooling cooperative in New Jersey, where she continues to be actively involved as an instructor. She is passionate about fostering a life-long love of learning in her own children, and is dedicated to the development of learning communities and academic enrichment opportunities for homeschooling families. |
Christine
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Christine holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Fordham University and an M.A. in Education from the University of Saint Joseph. She taught middle school mathematics in a public school for six years until she and her husband Tim started their own family. They decided to homeschool right from the start so that they could preserve a strong sense of family and a love for learning. They currently homeschool their two youngest children while their two oldest attend college and high school.
Christine loves to travel and has been to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil, working with various service organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. She dreams of taking their homeschooling on the road in an RV to explore this great country! Until then, she is content just being with her large extended family, doing puzzles, reading on the beach, tutoring mathematics, and enjoying a strong cup of coffee in the morning. |
Cristen Pantano |
Cristen received her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Vermont in 2005. While she loved the lab environment, her true passion has always been teaching. Cristen began homeschooling her own children in 2011, and that same year began teaching biology to local homeschooling middle-schoolers and loved the experience. Since then, she has developed hands on, child centered, science curriculum for the nonprofit Curiosity Hacked while teaching middle school and high school biology online.
Cristen is passionate about science education, science literacy and making sure that each of her students comes out of her classes with a deeper understanding of the world around them, and their connection to that world. When not teaching, Cristen can be found driving her kids around and feeding the family chicks, bunnies, and sheep. |
Tamara
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Tamara Hart is a mother, educator and poet. Tamara’s heart belongs to her wild four year old son and a lazy, overfed cat named, Goose. Tamara has been teaching writing and literature at the college level for the last six years. She is currently a professor of writing at Kean University. Tamara received her MFA in Poetry from Drew University and has been an active member in the writing community for over a decade. She volunteers for Arts By the People, a nonprofit organization that offers creative workshops to all sectors of the community. Tamara hosts free monthly writing workshops for them, as well as open mics and serves as the prose editor for their literary journal. Her first book of poetry, Tell Me Something Good, was published by Get Fresh Books in 2019.
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Heather Marvell |
Heather is a mom of three girls, two of whom she educates at home, while the third has significant special needs and is primarily educated at school. Heather’s children all have a love of workbooks, despite sporadic parental efforts to unschool.
Heather is also a lawyer by trade, and currently has a small solo practice focusing on special education disputes, insurance and reinsurance research and drafting, and wills. Before homeschooling, she worked in private practice at a large law firm in New York City, then as a in-house counsel for a reinsurer. She received her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in French Studies from New York University, and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. She lives with her family in South Orange, where she volunteers on her public library’s Board of Trustees |
Lisa Young |
Lisa is the founder and owner of Artfully Young Art Studio in Warren, NJ and has been specializing in teaching art to adults and children for over ten years. She is a member of the New Jersey Pastel and Watercolor Societies and her art work is held in private collections in North America and Europe. Lisa is a regular exhibitor at Art Fairs and exhibitions across the Tri-State area.
Lisa is passionate about wildlife and environmental conservation and this is reflected in much of her artwork. Many of her paintings and drawings depict endangered wildlife in natural settings. She is also an avid landscape artist and particularly likes painting places in her local neighborhood. Lisa uses a wide range of mediums, but tends to favor pastels, pencil and oils. |
Emily Axelrod |
Emily holds a B.A. in Literature from Purchase College, and an M.A. in English from City College of New York. She began her career as a substitute teacher in the New York City Schools. After that, she split her time between working as a legal assistant and teaching college-level English. Since the birth of her son in 2009, Emily has been working as a private tutor, as well as teaching college-level writing and literature at local universities such as Montclair and Kean. She’s excited to join the Mosaic team.
Emily not only teaches English, but also enjoys reading and writing in her spare time. Her book of poetry, Minor Injuries, was published in 2014, and she's at work on a new manuscript. Other hobbies include binge-watching various TV series, practicing yoga, making crafts, and holding impromptu family dance parties in her living room. In addition, as a New Yorker who grew up across the street from the Long Island Sound, Emily loves spending time at the beach. |
