About our teachers

Dr. Jay Anderson is a professor of Computer Science at F&M, where he has taught a variety of computer courses for 20 years. In addition, he has taught and lectured internationally and developed software for Hewlett-Packard and other companies. In addition to his academic interests, he is active in his local church, loves the theater, opera, and long-distance bicycling.

Doris Benedict is a native of Peru, where she taught English. Since moving to the U.S., she has taught Spanish at Lancaster Mennonite and Lancaster Country Day Schools. This will be her fourth year at HATS.

Dawn Brandt has homeschooled for 15 years and has taught various science, literature, and writing classes. She believes that clear, organized writing is a skill that can be learned even by those to whom it does not “come naturally.” She looks forward to working with your students. This will be her third year teaching Composition at HATS.

Ann English holds a BA in early childhood and elementary education from Converse College, Spartanburg, SC and a Master’s in Education: Curriculum and Instruction: Integrating the Arts from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. She has taught in both public and private schools.

Tom Ford serves as Worship Pastor at Grace Baptist Church.  He grew up in Taiwan, where his parents were missionaries, and where he learned to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently.  He received his BS in Bible/Music Education from LBC, and is currently finishing his Master’s in Music Education at Lebanon Valley College.  Tom and his wife have been back to Taiwan many times, most often leading mission trips.  He has previously taught Chinese in both academic and business settings.

Terri Gallagher earned a BSN degree from DeSales University and an MSN degree from the University of Delaware. She is a nationally certified nurse practitioner who has practiced in primary care, hospital, and long-term care settings. She especially enjoys her role as a patient and staff educator. Terri is an active member of Grace Baptist Church of Millersville, where she is an AWANA leader and Sunday school teacher. This is her sixth year homeschooling her 3 sons, and her second year teaching at HATS.

Heather Gerlach received a BA degree in Psychology, with Business and Sociology minors from Marshall University. She was a manager for Bell Atlantic for 9 years before becoming a homeschool mom 8 years ago. She is the Small Group Director at Hosanna Christian Fellowship in Lititz, and has led and trained numerous small groups and small group leaders. This is her fourth year at HATS.

Pam Humbert attends Lancaster Bible College and is a life-long student of history and civics. She attended the Presidential Classroom, a weeklong conference on American Government with participants from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and allies in Washington, D.C. She has also formulated curriculum on foreign missions for daily vacation Bible school. She has homeschooled for 13 years. This is her seventh year at HATS.

Sandy Johnston has been homeschooling for 12 years. She has Bachelors and Masters degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and taught music for 7 years in public schools and 4 years in a Christian school. She has taught various high school music and English classes, as well as violin lessons in her home for the past 25 years. This will be her third year teaching at HATS.

Elizabeth Jones earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from Wheaton College. Over the past 20 years, she has enjoyed teaching in the United States, Italy, and Ukraine as well as homeschooling her own children for the past 11 years. She loves actively involving students in learning and finding creative ways to make material understandable. This is her third year at HATS.

Shirley Mast is a registered nurse with a B.S. in nursing and 16 years of clinical experience. She and her husband, Cliff, currently homeschool two of their three sons; the oldest graduated in 2006. Shirley loves to teach and has a special fondness for Biology lab work. She enjoys helping her students share her enthusiasm for science. This will be her third year at HATS.

Kym Funk MacKilligan received her BS degree in Deaf Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an AA degree in Interpreting for the Deaf from Community College of Philadelphia and an MS in Education from Wilkes University. Kym has been an interpreter for over 12 years, and has been teaching ASL classes for many years. This will be her third year with HATS.

Sam and Kate Mylin are owners of MASTERPIECE Art. They teach art classes throughout Lancaster County and are involved with Christian outreach using art. The Mylins are on staff at the Delaware Art Museum and are members of the Association of Christian Artists and the Lancaster Art Association. This will be the Mylins’ twelfth year teaching at HATS.

Delia Read has a BA in mathematics and a MBA in Applied Statistics. For many years she worked as an applied mathematician for Campbell Soup Company and then taught computer science at Community College and La Salle University. She is now a stay-at-home mom and is happily homeschooling her seven-year-old son.

Becky Toews holds an MA degree in Speech from the University of Colorado. She has worked as a Speech and Language Pathologist, speaks publicly at Christian women’s gatherings, and teaches at Lancaster Bible College. She is the author of the booklet The Role of Women published by Captivate Publications. Becky homeschooled for 12 years. This will be her eleventh year at HATS.

Ruth Winne holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a specialization in Interior Design and Art History from Arcadia University, and has worked as a residential designer with Ethan Allen. She has 5 children and has been homeschooling for 18 years. She has been teaching homeschool classes for 11 years. This is her fifth year at HATS.

Cliff Zeller holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s in Bible with a proficiency in Greek. He lives on a small Farm in Berks County, where he keeps a herd of fainting goats as well as numerous other critters. This will be his fourth year at HATS.