Meet Our Teachers

Miriah Phelps

Classes: Exploratory Music K-2 & K3-5

Ms. Miriah is a certified Suzuki Method violin teacher and has been teaching privately for over 15 years. She teaches guitar, ukulele and fiddle in many folk music camps around the state including Alaska City Folk Arts, Cordova 4H Music Camp and Dancing with the Spirit. She also taught the Violin Suzuki Club and Orchestra at the Rilke Schule Charter School from 2019- 2023. She loves being a part of the Anchorage music community by hosting workshops for festivals, making up songs and putting on recitals with her students. She also performs locally with the Super Saturated Sugar Strings. You can check out what she’s been up to at: https://www.miriahmaymusic.com/blog.

Heather Stefanec

Classes: K1-5 English Classes, Orchestra K8-12

Email: redwoodartsandhumanities@gmail.com

Ms. Heather Stefanec is a writer, musician, and educator with nearly twenty years of teaching experience. She holds degrees in English and Philosophy and is the founder of Redwood Arts & Humanities, where she teaches English language arts, creative writing, literature, philosophy, and music. A professional violinist and longtime violin teacher, she loves finding unexpected connections between stories, poetry, art, music, science, and the world around us. Her teaching style is curious, creative, and hands-on—she wants students asking questions, making things, noticing details, and discovering that learning can be genuinely fun. Outside the classroom, Heather writes poetry and nonfiction, plays violin, creates art, reads far too many books, and explores Alaska with her family. At East Anchorage Homeschool, she brings her background in language, literature, the humanities, and music into creative, discussion-rich classes that encourage students to ask questions, make connections, and enjoy learning.

Kimberly Williams

Classes: K3-5 English Class

Email: kawilliams907@gmail.com

My name is Kimberly Williams, and I’m so excited to be teaching Math and Language Arts at East Anchorage Homeschool. I’ve spent most of my life in our wonderful state. I love Alaska! But I also love to travel anywhere I will find sun and warm weather. I have a wonderful husband and thirteen-year-old boy/girl twins and a cat, named Lily. I’m an Alaska state-certified teacher. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education, English, and a graduate certificate in Elementary Education. I’ve taught 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and Reading, and I taught second grade before homeschooling my own children. When I’m not teaching, I love to read, sew, do arts & crafts, hike, go camping and exploring, and travel to my favorite sunny places. I’m looking forward to a great school year!

Ember Hightower

Classes: K-5 Science classes & Intro to Reading

Email: emberdaugherty@gmail.com

Mrs. Ember Hightower taught Preschool to 2nd grade for 5 years in Illinois before moving to Alaska in 2024 after getting married. During 2025, she completed her bachelor’s in Human Services with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She has always had a passion for teaching and spent the summer interning at a local Head Start and Beacon Hill, a family support center for youth in the foster system. Ms. Ember loves hiking and exploring nature and learning new board games. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, embroidery, and serving the students at True North Church. Ms. Ember will be teaching a hands-on Science class for K-5th, as well as Intro to Reading for Kindergarten. She is so excited to meet her future students and their parents and take this new journey with them.

Anna Roys

Classes: ELA Tutoring K-12

Email: roys.anna@gmail.com

Anchorage is Ms. Roys hometown. Graduating from Alaska Pacific University, she earned a dual major in Elementary Education K-8 and Liberal Studies, a pre-law degree. She possesses an Alaskan Lifetime/Retired Teacher Certificate for K-8 Education, English and Social Studies. Her family entirely homeschooled their two youngest kids; she loves homeschooling. She sponsored/advised homeschool families and taught small group classes for ten years as an ASD teacher at Family Partnership until she retired in 2022. She is excited about fostering students’ love of learning and using student interest and diagnostic data from IXL.com to guide lesson planning, thereby improving their academic performances.

Judy Goetz

Classes: Math K-5, Tutoring K-12

Email: judygoetz9@gmail.com

Ms. Judy worked as a substitute teacher with ASD for seven years and has been tutoring students for the past five years. She is passionate about helping students reach their educational goals, because when students feel confident and successful academically, learning becomes much more enjoyable.

She enjoys working with students of all ages, abilities, and subject areas. Her tutoring approach focuses on one-on-one, hands-on learning. She begins by identifying what a student already understands and then build from there, guiding them forward as both a teacher and mentor.

Beth Romero

Classes: Spanish Classes

Email: SpanishWithOwls@gmail.com

Connected to the language through her husband’s family, Mrs. Beth loves bringing Spanish culture to life—both in the kitchen and the classroom. She enjoys cooking traditional Spanish foods and, at the end of the term, invites her children’s grandmother, who speaks only Spanish, into class for real-world conversation practice. Beth firmly believes that immersion, speaking, and experiencing the culture are the best ways to master a language. Deeply inspired by her family’s heritage, she is passionate about teaching kids, boosting their confidence, and helping them develop a lifelong love for language and community.

Mary Glover

Classes: Art & Home Ec Classes

Email: Jedifiddler@gmail.com

Mary has proudly called Alaska home for many years and brings over 20 years of experience working with children. She has a deep passion for sewing, quilting, crafting, and creating delicious food in the kitchen. Mary is incredibly excited to welcome your children into the classroom this year. Through her guidance, students will learn to master everyday household chores, budget money, create beautiful quilt blocks, and explore unique crafts. Most of all, Mary is looking forward to creating wonderful, lasting memories with every student as they grow, learn, and create together.