Audience: New Homeschoolers
| Title: | How to Protect Your Family Against a Truant Officer or Social Worker Visit | | Speaker: | J. Michael Smith | | Length: | 45—60 minutes | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Child Protective Services, Dealing with Social Workers, Legal | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | As the government’s ever—growing role expands to encompass family life and decision—making, the information presented in this seminar is critical for every attendee. Michael Smith calls upon over two decades of defending homeschooling families against social services and child protective service contacts to inform the audience of the newest threat to their freedom. This session primarily addresses your state’s laws relating to social services contacts and provides general application for other states as well. Audiences find this session “very, very informative,” “clearly presented, enjoyable to listen to,” and “a necessity.” |
| Title: | The History of Homeschooling | | Speaker: | Darren Jones | | Length: | 45 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Workshop | | Topic: | Legal, Motivational | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers | | Description: | Many new homeschoolers do not realize how dramatically homeschooling has grown and changed in the last 30 years. Come hear about the exciting victories and narrow escapes as God has worked to protect parents’ freedom to teach their children at home. |
| Title: | What is Generation Joshua? | | Speaker: | Thomas J. Schmidt | | Length: | 30 minutes | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Political | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Support Group Leaders, Teens, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | With the goal of challenging Christian homeschool families to become more involved in government and politics, Tj explains what Generation Joshua is and the exciting opportunities it offers to young people and their families. Generation Joshua’s vision is to create an educational foundation in government and civics for homeschooled students and provide unique opportunities for homeschoolers to make a positive impact on our nation’s policitical landscape. |
| Title: | The Compelling Case for Home Education | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45 minutes | | Type: | General Session | | Topic: | Why Homeschool | | Audience: | All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Are you curious about home education, but not sure if you’re ready to make the commitment? Do you have a friend or family member saying you’re crazy if you homeschool? Join HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Mike Donnelly for “The Compelling Case for Home Education” and see why homeschooling may be the right choice for you. Mike will help you understand the basics, show how homeschooled students often outshine their public school peers, and shed light on the myths surrounding homeschooling. |
| Title: | Juggling on a Tightrope | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 50 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Marriage, Motivational, Parenting, Spiritual | | Audience: | Fathers, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Today’s father has precious few waking hours that are spent going in countless directions to address seemingly great causes—not least of which is family. Our children have only one earthly father and our wives but one husband. How can we best invest our most precious resource time? And where should we be investing it for eternal value? How can we properly lead our families and serve God in an increasingly demanding and busy world of sports, music, drama, church, school, support groups, homeschool co—ops, extended family responsibilities, and ministry programs? How do we know when to say yes, and more important, when to say no? Must we choose between competing priorities to be effective stewards? Come hear thoughts on answering these questions from Mike Donnelly as he shares insights gained from his experiences as a father of six and as an army officer, entrepreneur, company executive and attorney for the Home School Legal Defense Association. |
| Title: | Organized (Well, Almost!)—Time Management for Busy Moms | | Speaker: | Vicki Bentley | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | As a busy mom, do you sometimes struggle with lesson planning, keeping the house somewhat presentable, teaching, keeping up with the laundry, and getting dinner on the table the same day you homeschool? Come hear practical tips and encouragement from a fellow homeschool mom of many. Your husband and children will thank you, and you will have hope for another day of science and language arts! |
| Title: | Organizing Your Home—Creating a Lifestyle Learning Environment | | Speaker: | Vicki Bentley | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Vicki will help you decide what is important to your family, where you need to begin, and will discuss organizational challenges unique to homeschoolers. Vicki Bentley, fellow busy homeschool mom, shares practical ideas that have helped her manage her household of ten.
Note to planners: There is some content overlap in the two organization talks, since some concepts are the same for “stuff” and “time.” If you anticipate having primarily the same audience for both, you can (1) select just one, (2) contact Vicki to present both in one workshop (with very abbreviated info), or (3) contact Vicki to adapt both so there is minimal overlap. |
| Title: | Getting Started | | Speaker: | Vicki Bentley | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Q & A, Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Are you overwhelmed by the options? Not sure where to begin? Good planning is the key to any successful road trip, so Vicki will walk you through a planning checklist to help you prepare for this homeschool journey! Topics include setting goals, choosing supplies and curriculum, lesson planning, and more—plus Six Tips for Success. Appropriate for any grade level. |
| Title: | Preparing Your Teen for Life | | Speaker: | Becky Cooke | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Parenting, Spiritual, Teens | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | The high school years present an opportune time to develop skills young adults will utilize the rest of their lives. Learn about the importance of teaching finance, health care, car ownership, job preparation, spiritual principles, and more. All of these areas will benefit your teens when they take that giant step into independence and adulthood. A list of suggested resources will be provided. |
| Title: | Preparing Your Teen for Life | | Speaker: | Diane Kummer | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Parenting, Spiritual, Teens | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | The high school years present an opportune time to develop skills young adults will utilize the rest of their lives. Learn about the importance of teaching finance, health care, car ownership, job preparation, spiritual principles, and more. All of these areas will benefit your teens when they take that giant step into independence and adulthood. A list of suggested resources will be provided. |
| Title: | The Scoop on Tests for Teens | | Speaker: | Becky Cooke | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | College, Education | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Are you in a quandary as to what tests your teens need to take during high school? Do you know the array of possible tests—from college admissions tests; to tests for college credit, placement, or military enlistment; to tests necessary for certain scholarships; to even career tests? When should they be taken? Where? How can your teen prepare for them? Come with your questions and receive answers and new confidence. |
| Title: | The Scoop on Tests for Teens | | Speaker: | Diane Kummer | | Length: | 1 hour | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | College, Education | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Are you in a quandary as to what tests your teens need to take during high school? Do you know the array of possible tests—from college admissions tests; to tests for college credit, placement, or military enlistment; to tests necessary for certain scholarships; to even career tests? When should they be taken? Where? How can your teen prepare for them? Come with your questions and receive answers and new confidence. |
| Title: | Homeschooling and Parental Rights—Freedom Under Fire | | Speaker: | J. Michael Smith | | Length: | 45—60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Legal, Legislative, Lobbying, Motivational | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Parental rights and religious freedom have been the two foundations to establish a constitutional right for parents to teach their children at home. The U.S. Supreme Court some years back weakened the free exercise of religion claim as a foundation for homeschooling so that in order for homeschoolers to claim a fundamental right to homeschool, they must be able to combine the free exercise right with the parental rights claim. In other words, both rights have to co—exist. Currently, this is not a problem, but because of the fragile nature of freedom, moral decay, complacency and apathy, homeschooling freedoms are in jeopardy. An additional threat that is brewing but not well known, is the opposition to homeschooling from the intellectual elites, e.g., law and college professors. This opposition is based on a belief that the state, through public schools, should have access to all children to teach tolerance for others, which leads to collectivism. Homeschoolers are in their cross—hairs. We are clearly at risk. |
| Title: | How Do We Measure Success in Homeschooling? | | Speaker: | J. Michael Smith | | Length: | 45—60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting, Spiritual | | Audience: | New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Why aren’t your Christian neighbors homeschooling? What is the number one reason that parents do not homeschool? Their lack of confidence to believe that they can actually do the job, or, put another way—fear of failure. Many homeschoolers in the midst of homeschooling are wondering how they will be able to determine whether they are successful or not with their children. Mike will explain in very clear and decisive terms how you can know whether or not you have been successful when you get to the end of your homeschool experience where it says “The End.” One way to answer the question is whether or not our work homeschooling with our children has been in vain. The Bible gives clear and decisive direction in this area which should be very encouraging to all of us, and hopefully give us encouragement in even the most difficult situations. |
| Title: | Balancing Responsibilities for the Busy Homeschool Family | | Speaker: | J. Michael Smith | | Length: | 45—60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting, Spiritual | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Many homeschoolers confess that the most difficult thing for the homeschooling family is to balance all the responsibilities the family has. This workshop will approach this challenge from a strictly biblical perspective. Mike Smith will explain that the key to solving the time crunch is establishing priorities, and how to carry out those priorities. This is an essential workshop. Lives will be changed, schedules will be met, and families, many for the first time, will go through days, months and years without the frustration of feeling like a failure because you have not accomplished your goals and objectives. |
| Title: | The Greatest Deterrent to Homeschooling—Fear and Inadequacy | | Speaker: | J. Michael Smith | | Length: | 45—60 minutes | | Type: | Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting, Spiritual | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers | | Description: | This presentation is based upon scriptural principles gleaned from King Jehoshaphat of Judah and the teachings of Jesus Christ. This session involves more of a general encouragement and challenge to homeschoolers than to specific direction on how to homeschool. However, there will be specific application principles that will be given in a 1—2—3 etc. format to help those who like to take away specific points to overcome fear of failure, one of the greatest enemies of homeschooling moms. |
| Title: | International Homeschooling—Why Should American Homeschoolers Care what Happens over There? | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, History, Motivational, Political | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Homeschooling is a growing global movement, but homeschooling parents overseas face the mounting pressure and challenges similar to those American homeschoolers experienced 30 years ago: social services investigations, fines, and criminal prosecution. In a world where ideas travel at the speed of light, should American homeschoolers be concerned about the plight of homeschoolers in other countries? Should we, and how can we help? Can what happens “over there” really affect homeschooling “over here”? HSLDA Staff Attorney, Director for International Affairs and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly has traveled the world supporting homeschooling freedom. He will tell you why American homeschoolers should care what happens “over there” and what can be done to help. |
| Title: | Go Home and Love your Family! | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, History, Parenting | | Audience: | All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Someone asked Mother Theresa what society could do to promote world peace, and she responded: “Go home and love your family!” Homeschooling is really about putting love in action, but does homeschooling really promote world peace? Parents who homeschool their children produce outstanding citizens, leaders and future parents. Isn’t this the essence of laying a foundation for world peace? HSLDA attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly shares why loving your family through homeschooling really does promote world peace, but more importantly, allows parents to fulfill their most fundamental and sacred duty. |
| Title: | Grades and Graduation—Do These Belong in a Homeschool? | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting, Why Homeschool | | Audience: | All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Grades and graduation may be part of school, but should they be part of your school? Are we limiting ourselves by thinking in these terms? Should we really care about grades in a classroom of one? Or is there another way to think about academic, spiritual, and emotional progress? HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven explores the freedom and flexibility homeschooling offers you and your children. |
| Title: | Hey Dad, Let’s Get Involved! | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, Marriage, Motivational, Parenting | | Audience: | Fathers, New Homeschoolers | | Description: | Are you sitting on the sideline in your homeschool, Dad? Your wife needs you to get involved. But with so many demands in today’s world how can a busy Dad do it? How can you be involved in homeschooling? Teaching a class? Casting a vision? Leading devotions? These are important, but in order to find time to do these things, you have to manage your schedule and carefully prioritize your time. HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly shares how you can do all of this. |
| Title: | If It’s Broke, Fix it! | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Child Protective Services, Encouragement, Motivational, Parenting | | Audience: | All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | Homeschooling families face many challenges. Financial, emotional, and physical demands put significant strain on our relationships and our families. The homeschooling community is not immune to the problems facing our society, including broken marriages and broken children. But, it’s never too late to try to fix something that’s broken. It may be easier to try to hide the pain than to confront essential elements required for “fixing” these complex and serious issues. HSLDA Staff Attorney and homeschooling father of seven Michael Donnelly was raised in a broken home and will explore the necessary ingredients to helping homeschooling families stay connected and whole amidst the pressures and stresses of life. |
| Title: | Creature of the State? | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45–60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Keynote, Q & A, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, History, Legal, Motivational | | Audience: | All, Fathers, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents | | Description: | In 1925 the U.S. Supreme Court said children are not mere creatures of the state. The 1945 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that parents have the “prior right” to decide what kind of education their children will have. Is homeschooling a “human right” of the first order? HSLDA Staff Attorney, homeschooling father of seven, and Director of International Affairs Michael Donnelly explores this question and shares a presentation he delivered at the world’s largest human rights conference on the philosophy of law and social philosophy. In this talk, Donnelly examines philosophies on the relationship between the family and the state and looks at how human rights doctrine is applied globally towards homeschooling. |
| Title: | You Can Home School Your Struggling Learner and We Can Help! | | Speaker: | Faith Berens | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | This workshop will provide an overview of HSLDA’s Struggling Learner/Special Needs Department and the many resources we provide to both members and non-members. Faith will share diagnostic checklists for struggling learners, common roadblocks homeschooling parents face, and help you navigate around those, as well as share strategies for success with your children who learn differently. |
| Title: | Tackling Tricky High School Issues: Practical Help and Guidance for Homeschooling High School Students with Special Needs | | Speaker: | Faith Berens | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Teens, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | This workshop addresses some of the challenges associated with homeschooling struggling or atypical learners in the high school years. Do you have questions such as, “How do I award my child with special needs a diploma?” or “What do I do since my child with dyslexia can’t read typical high school level material?” Faith discusses alternative course work, specialized curricula and learning materials, assistive technology, transcript options, possible graduation guidelines/high school programs for special learners, post-high school options, as well as offer tips for navigating the process of applying for testing accommodations for the college boards. |
| Title: | Teaching Struggling Learners At Home: Nuts and Bolts for Success | | Speaker: | Faith Berens | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | This workshop offers practical resources, lists of materials, and curricula in order to help equip you as you work with a struggling learner in your home school. Multi-sensory teaching methods, direct instruction, modeled teaching, and “scaffolding” instruction are shared, as well as ideas for designing a unique home instruction program tailored to your child’s specific challenges. |
| Title: | Developing and Drafting SEP’s (Student Education Plans) | | Speaker: | Faith Berens | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Does your child have a learning disability or perhaps severe special needs? Have you pulled your child out of public school where he used to have an IEP (individual education plan)? Participants will learn the purposes and benefits of writing an SEP, student education plan, the homeschool version of an IEP. This workshop also provides guidance in how to draft an SEP. Participants will look at sample student education plans, receive a template of a Student Education Plan, and a resource list of books that will assist them in drafting their own homeschool student education plan. |
| Title: | The Keys to the Kids | | Speaker: | Michael Donnelly | | Length: | 45-60 minutes | | Type: | General Session, Support Group Leaders, Workshop | | Topic: | Encouragement, History, Motivational, Parenting, Political | | Audience: | All, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Who really has the best interests of children at heart, parents or the state?
There is a growing chorus of voices insisting that children don’t belong to parents. Children, they say, belong to the “community.” In order for democracy to survive, these voices claim, the government must require that children be taught approved values such as “tolerance.” Some of these voices say that children should only learn in government-approved schools or from government-approved standards and curriculums. Lawmakers are being prompted by these voices and misguided groups both in states and at the federal government level to hand over the keys to the kids. These forces want to dictate what children eat, what kinds of doctors they can and can’t see, and what they are taught! Skirmishes are being fought over this issue now—are you prepared?. HSLDA Director of International Affairs Michael Donnelly and homeschooling father of seven will address these serious issues and tie together events both current and historic, providing perspective needed to fully comprehend currents and trends in a timeless struggle for control. |
| Title: | You Can Home School Your Struggling Learner and We Can Help! | | Speaker: | Krisa Winn | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | This workshop will provide an overview of HSLDA’s Struggling Learner/Special Needs Department and the many resources we provide to both members and non-members. Krisa will share common roadblocks homeschooling parents face, and help you navigate around those, as well as share strategies for success with your children who learn differently. |
| Title: | Keeping Perspective on Progress | | Speaker: | Krisa Winn | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Do you ever wonder. “Are we really on the right track?” Most likely, the answer to that question is, “Yes!” It is very possible that progress is being made, but not the way in which you are hoping or expecting. In this workshop, Krisa points out the sometimes forgotten areas of progress, and also provides some teaching strategies, assessment ideas, and other resources that will help you “keep up the good fight” when it seems your efforts are in vain. |
| Title: | Developing and Drafting SEP’s (Student Education Plans) | | Speaker: | Krisa Winn | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | Does your child have a learning disability or perhaps severe special needs? Have you pulled your child out of public school where he used to have an IEP (individual education plan)? Participants will learn the purposes and benefits of writing an SEP, student education plan, the homeschool version of an IEP. This workshop also provides guidance in how to draft an SEP. Participants will look at sample student education plans, receive a template of a Student Education Plan, and a resource list of books that will assist them in drafting their own homeschool student education plan. |
| Title: | Once More | | Speaker: | Krisa Winn | | Length: | 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes with Q and A | | Type: | | | Topic: | Education, Encouragement, Special Needs | | Audience: | Fathers, Junior and Senior High Parents, Mothers, New Homeschoolers, Parents, Support Group Leaders, Veteran Homeschoolers | | Description: | In this workshop, Krisa shares her personal testimony of God’s faithfulness in the midst of challenging circumstances. If you’ve ever experienced an answer to prayer, but find yourself in need of God’s provision, once more– this session will encourage and strengthen your faith. |
|
| Search By: |
| |
| Topic: | | Speaker: | | Audience: |
|
|
|
