© 1998-2024 Texas Home School Coalition. All rights reserved
Atheist-turned-Christian Lee Strobel, the former award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, is a New York Times bestselling author of more than forty books and curricula that have sold fourteen million copies. He currently serves as the Founding Director of the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University.
Lee has been described in The Washington Post as “one of the evangelical community’s most popular apologists.” He was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism degree) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law degree). He was a journalist for fourteen years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois’s highest honors for both investigative reporting and public service journalism from United Press International.
After probing the evidence for Jesus for nearly two years, Lee became a Christian in 1981. He subsequently became a teaching pastor at three of America’s largest churches and hosted the weekly national network TV program Faith Under Fire. In addition, he taught First Amendment law at Roosevelt University and was Professor of Christian Thought at Houston Baptist University.
In 2017, Lee’s spiritual journey was depicted in an award-winning motion picture, The Case for Christ, which showed in theaters around the world. Lee won national awards for his books The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and The Case for Grace. His latest books are The Case for Miracles and The Case for Heaven. A documentary based on The Case for Heaven was shown in movie theaters nationwide in 2022.
Lee and Leslie have been married for fifty years. Their daughter, Alison, is a novelist and homeschooling expert, and their son, Kyle, is a professor of spiritual theology at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
Andrew Peterson is a singer-songwriter, author, filmmaker, and founder of the Rabbit Room. Andrew has released more than ten records over the past twenty years, earning him a reputation for songs that connect with his listeners in ways equally powerful, poetic, and intimate.
As an author, Andrew’s books include the four volumes of the award-winning Wingfeather Saga, released in collectible hardcover editions through Random House in 2020. In addition, the first season of the animated series for The Wingfeather Saga is now streaming through Angel Studios.
His memoir, Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making (2019) was named by Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, WORLD Magazine as one of their books of the year.
God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom (2021) is a second creative memoir, but it’s also a call to wake up the reader to the glory of God shining through his creation.
In 2008, Andrew founded the Rabbit Room, a non-profit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee that fosters Christ-centered community and spiritual formation through music, story, and art. A homeschooling parent of now-adult children, Andrew lives in Nashville with his wife and about 80,000 honeybees.
Ginny is a Michigan homeschooling mother of five and the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. She is a thought leader in the world of nature-based play and its benefits for children. One of her top priorities is to inspire parents to invest in spending time in God’s creation with their children. Her 1000 Hours Outside Challenge spans the globe, and many people from all walks of life look to her for inspiration as well as practical tips on how to put down the screens and get outside. Ginny has a BS in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Michigan and is also a speaker, author, and illustrator. She is the author of The Little Farmhouse in West Virginia and 1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time.
Dr. Jeff Myers is the president of Summit Ministries. As an educator and entrepreneur, Dr. Myers has become one of America’s most respected authorities on youth leadership development. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson referred to him as “a very gifted and inspirational leader.”
Evangelist Josh McDowell called him “a man who is 100% sold out to preparing the next generation to reflect the character of Christ in the culture.”
Through his speaking engagements and media appearances, Dr. Myers has become a fresh voice offering humor and insight from a Christian worldview. He is the author of 14 books, including Understanding the Faith, Understanding the Times, and Understanding the Culture. His textbooks are studied by tens of thousands of students.
Dr. Myers holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Denver. He continues to engage college students and adult learners by serving as a trustee of Colorado Christian University and through a Signature Leadership Course offered by the Lumerit Corporation, which serves the training needs of many Fortune 100 companies. Jeff and his wife Stephanie and their family live in Colorado.
Rick Green is a former Texas State Representative, national speaker, author, and radio host.
Rick & his family travel the nation speaking on America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage. Rick and David Barton co-host the national daily radio program, WallBuilders Live!
Rick is the author and executive producer of Constitution Alive, America’s most engaging and entertaining study of the U.S. Constitution.
Rick & his wife, Kara, founded Patriot Academy, an elite leadership training program specializing in applied civics with a Biblical, historical, & Constitutional Foundation. Through their Constitution Coach program, they are training and empowering adults across the nation to educate their communities about the Constitution.
Rick & Kara have 4 older kids and two grandchildren. They have homeschooled for 18 years.
The Green Family is here to challenge each of us to do our part in preserving and passing the torch of freedom by living out our liberty as the founding fathers envisioned.
Mothering is a series of ever changing seasons we walk through with our children, and it often seems that one season rolls into a new one much more quickly than we expected. In her talk “The Sufficiency of Christ for Every Season of Mothering,” Ruth Adams shares what she is learning about resting in Christ through changing seasons. She encourages mothers of all ages to abide in Christ, seek His wisdom, and remember that their identity is found in Christ alone. He is their wisdom, their strength, and their all in all.
Wil and Meeke Addison co-host a national radio program, Airing the Addisons. Heard weekdays on the American Family Radio network, the program is also live-streamed online and available via podcast. The Addisons are inspiring speakers with a specific focus on culture and its impact on Christian families. In addition to their leadership duties within the American Family Association, they are raising six children for the glory of God. They disciple and educate their children at home around the kitchen table and on the sofa.
This workshop will combine elements of Python programming utilizing the Texas Instruments nSpire CX-II to automate and code Drones and Rovers to perform specific tasks. The goal of this workshop is to show off the capabilities of the iCode curriculum, both from a STEM and Soft Skills perspective, as well as sample the iCode Programmer Pack, which combines iCode Curriculum, Tello EDU Drones, the TI nSpire CX-II calculator, and Microbit sensors in one product.
Learn how to cultivate in your child an appetite for rich literature that lays the foundation for diligence, integrity, selflessness, patience, practical wisdom, and character. In our culture of pragmatism and aggressive, polluted voices that vie for the ears and heart of your child, excellent literature has fallen to the wayside. In a world that confuses information with education and seeks to divide the family, the power of the story remains a tool, a catalyst for change, and a weapon to be wielded in the development of a Christ-centered identity and Christ-like character. What story are you telling? Sarah Bade, M.S.C., LPC-A, homeschool graduate
Brenda earned a BS in Mathematics and taught in Texas public schools for 7 years. The Barnetts began homeschooling in 2001 and graduated their 4th homeschooled child in 2022. Two of their children are National Merit Scholars and one was awarded a Fulbright study/research grant. In 2013, Brenda founded High School Math Live, and in 2015 she founded Singapore Math Live. Through these companies, Brenda and her team encourage and support home-educating parents around the nation. Whether math for you and your child is frustrating, delightful, or somewhere in between, Brenda will help you to have confidence and success!
Gain confidence, organized thinking, and emotional stability in your homeschool environment! Learn to release your child’s ability to overcome life and academic challenges with Brain Sprints.
Are you confused by your child’s underperformance, reading challenges (dyslexia), ADD/ADHD symptoms, learning struggles, and/or behavior issues?
Labels typically come from a list of symptoms. Dr. Jan Bedell will reveal the reason for these symptoms that create difficulty for your child and family. She will introduce you to solutions through the Brain Sprints Program. Join us for a glimpse into how you can help your child’s brain sprint ahead of their current function. With Brain Sprints, falling further behind is no longer a “thing.”
The same spirit that leads families to homeschooling, also leads thousands to find freedom from government programs and big business by connecting with like-minded Christians to share healthcare expenses with each other. Now, young adults can join this movement whether they’re headed to college or taking their first steps into the workforce.
So many of you work hard to protect the health of your family, from choosing the right foods, and the right medicine, to selecting the right supplements. Yet today, we are raising the sickest generation of kids to ever walk the earth.
Simply raising our children in a holistic environment does not guarantee healthy adults. If you leave your kids to get their knowledge about health from the world, which is obsessed with Big Pharma, your children will undoubtedly get a message of unhealth.
While core subjects like math and writing are critical, remember that each day, we live every moment in our body, and as parents, we must pass on the vital knowledge of true health and wellness to our kids. In this workshop, we will talk about how parents can help grow generations of health by intentionally teaching principles of health and homeopathy to their children. And if you’re new to the wonderful world of holistic health and homeopathy, you can learn right alongside your kids. Today, and together with our children, we need to know what questions to ask our doctors, how to read drug labels, how to think through healthy choices, what to say ‘yes’ to, and what to say ‘no’ to. Yet, no one is perfect, and sooner or later, our bodies may get stuck and need support. That’s where education about homeopathic medicine—a wonderful, nontoxic form of holistic and natural healing—can take your family to new levels of incredible wellness.
Learn about the Reading and Spelling Pure and Simple curriculum series, which includes a demonstration of how easy it is to successfully teach the RSPS curriculum for all ages.
According to recent research, 72% of Generation Z, those born between 2000-2015, don’t believe that church teachings and science are compatible This session will cover 7 amazing scientific facts recorded in the Bible thousands of years before modern science discovered them, demonstrating that the God of the Bible is the God of science and creation.
Digging Deeper: Make Any Bible Study Come Alive. Make your homeschool Bible class the highlight of your day—a springboard of active learning.
John R. Erickson has written and published 75 books and more than 600 articles and is best known as the author of the Hank the Cowdog series of books, audiobooks, and stage plays. His stories have won a number of awards, including the Audie, Oppenheimer, Wrangler, and Lamplighter Awards, and have been translated into Spanish, Danish, Farsi, and Chinese.
Beginning as a self-publishing venture in his garage in 1982, Hank the Cowdog has endured through the years, becoming one of the nation’s most popular series for children and families.
Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. USA Today calls the series “the best family entertainment in years.”
John and his wife Kris live on their cattle ranch near Perryton, Texas, and stay in touch with the world through the Official Hank Website www.hankthecowdog.com. They have three grown children (Scot, Ashley, and Mark) and four grandchildren.
Lea Ann Garfias, homeschool graduate and expert, is the author of the subject’s most complete reference work Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. She has homeschooled her six children from the beginning and has graduated three of them. She strongly believes that with encouragement and information, homeschool parents can continue in their calling. She enjoys speaking and has appeared on television, radio, podcasts, and live events. Another of her six books, Rocking Ordinary, helps women overcome trauma and trials to reach out to those around them.
Besides writing and speaking, Lea Ann enjoys performing as a professional violinist, traveling, and eating. She screams a little too loudly at soccer games and drinks coffee a little too often at home. Her youngest children, twins, are adopted yet look exactly like her biological children. Her favorite person in the world is her husband David Garfias, and she’s living happily ever after in the Dallas area. Contact her personally at lagarfias.com.
For nearly thirty years, Patti Garibay has been at the forefront of countering the culture by leading girls and women to create lives of integrity. She is the founder and executive director of American Heritage Girls (AHG), a national Christ-centered leadership and character development program. She helps thousands of girls discover their identity and purpose in Christ through AHG’s transformative program.
With fearlessness and authenticity, Patti inspires and motivates audiences with her wisdom and experience with raising Godly girls, following God’s calling, and teaching youth to serve. She is the host of the Raising Godly Girls daily one-minute radio feature found on over one thousand radio stations across the nation. Through her work with AHG, Patti continues to create innovative ways to break barriers in reaching girls for Christ amid today’s culture.
I am a certified Texas Public School Teacher who thrived on teaching in the Public school system before we began our family. I stayed home with our first born and missed teaching so much, I reached out to our local community to tutor or host a small Spanish class. After that initial email, I received 42 replies the very next morning! So for 21 years now, I have been teaching Spanish and public speaking to homeschool students weekly in a classroom setting, most recently at the Community Homeschool Center in Bryan, Texas.
As a former public school teacher, current private class teacher, and homeschooling mother of five, I need results from our curriculum. I do my best to make sure EACH item we offer will get results and will also be simple to use. Each item came out of my Spanish classes – I designed them for my students, and my supportive husband would see the design, and how I used it, and always responded: “Hey! Other people could use that. You should publish it.” I am a happily married mother of five children, small business owner, as well as a founder & board member of the Community Homeschool Center. We are located in Central Texas and have been slowly adding products to the Flip Flop Spanish series since 2006.
Mark Hancock began his career by founding a national advertising agency and running it for fifteen years. His conversion to Christ led him into ministry as a Youth and College Pastor, Associate Pastor, Homeless Ministry Director, and Global Event Director for an international ministry, organizing events on five continents.
He holds two Master’s Degrees in the Mental Health Counseling field, having spent a number of years in private practice, and has taught at secular and Christian colleges. Mark has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs, including Fox Nation’s Starnes Country, the Family Life Radio network, Focus on the Family, and James Dobson’s Family Talk Program. In 2017, Mark was named to the American Family Association’s “40 Faithful” list. An author, award-winning writer, and conference speaker, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of Trail Life USA and lives near Greenville, SC, with his wife of over 30 years. They have two sons.
Paul Hastings is a homeschool graduate, entrepreneur, and award-winning filmmaker. In 2013, Paul served as the Public Policy Director of the Texas Home School Coalition and launched the THSC Watchmen program, which has shaped the course of homeschool freedoms in Texas for the last decade. He hosts “Compelled” (CompelledPodcast.com), a podcast telling unique stories of God’s work in people’s lives. Paul, his wife, and their children live near Austin, Texas.
Literature-based learning may resonate with your high school student, or you may have a challenge in making the study of literature appealing. Join Rhonda as she shares the value and strength of literature-based studies in high school and offers practical tips for engaging a literature-reluctant student.
Ginger Hubbard, bestselling author of Don’t Make Me Count to Three, Wise Words for Moms, and I Can’t Believe You Just Said That, speaks at women’s events, parenting conferences, and homeschool conventions across the country. She also co-hosts the Parenting with Ginger Hubbard Podcast. For more information visit GingerHubbard.com.
Planning, Scheduling, & Organizing
Do you feel as though you are throwing your school year together as you are running full speed ahead? Do you find yourself surrounded by piles of unorganized and ungraded work? In this workshop we will talk about ways to plan your school year to prevent feeling as though you are “winging it”. We will also work through some different options of scheduling and organization to help find a plan that will work best for your family.
Learn how you can start an effective co-op or strengthen your existing group through the free resources offered by the Herzog Foundation! The Herzog Foundation exists to catalyze the Christian education movement across the United States.
Liz Meyers is a homeschooling mother of eight and an Air Force veteran, as well as the author of Undefeated: From Trial to Triumph and Undaunted in Darkness: Finding Your Path From Broken to Bold. Elizabeth encourages and equips women who are feeling stuck in a personal trial, trauma, or tragedy, to build resilience so they can enjoy a fulfilling life doing what they were created to do.
Liz is also the host of the weekly podcast Resilient Life Hacks. As a motivational speaker and Bible teacher, Elizabeth enjoys expressing theological concepts through relatable metaphors that enhance personal understanding of big ideas for ordinary people.
In this workshop, you will learn how to find and use resources to determine the unique aptitudes and interests of your student which in turn equips you to create a customized plan. The topics covered are recommendations for graduation, core coursework, electives options, community service, and extra-curricular activities.
Have you heard the buzz about RightStart™ Math? Hear about our philosophy and what sets us apart from other curricula. We will teach children that a real mathematical problem is like a puzzle, that math is more than memorization, and that math is fun. Come and learn what’s special about our math program!
Want a foreign language to be a part of your homeschool? But, your family is either stuck learning vocab words instead of immersing yourself in the language by talking in it together or the whole idea of learning a foreign language is super overwhelming? I grew up monolingual and learned to conjugate verbs in high school Spanish but could barely put a sentence together without loads of anxiety. Now, my family has learned multiple languages together and have transformed our homeschool day into a full immersion experience.
If you can’t get your children to obey you without a fuss or a fight, it is going to be practically impossible to successfully homeschool them. A peaceful, happy home environment results when they do what we’ve asked without whining, complaining, pouting, or otherwise making everyone around them miserable. Learn specific practices for training your children to cheerfully obey and move from enduring your family to enjoying your family.
In today’s rapidly changing woke world, it’s more important than ever to equip our youth with the tools and mindset to face life’s challenges with courage and resilience. This interactive workshop is designed to help parents, educators, and youth leaders empower the next generation to become BRAVE: Bold, Reliable, Above and Beyond, Vigilant, and Excellent. Join Eric Presley as he guides you through creating the next BRAVE generation.
Note-taking is the backbone of a student’s success in school or any learning environment. According to professors, students don’t take notes and it’s most likely because they do not know how. Learning takes effort, and if students do not put forth the effort they will not be successful. Mark Pruitt will teach you how to take great notes to be a Student of Excellence and will also help you get the most points possible during tests.
Andrew Pudewa is the founder and principal speaker of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Presenting around the world, he addresses issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many reluctant writers and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.
Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan (Suzuki Method) and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his wonderful, heroic wife, Robin, have homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of fourteen, making their home in Northeastern Oklahoma’s beautiful green country.
Applying to college can be very rewarding for homeschool families. Grand Canyon University’s Homeschool Admissions Counselor will walk you through how to start the college journey early and with confidence. You will learn how to create a homeschool transcript, how dual enrollment can save time and money, and understand different college credit options
Are you longing to find ways in your day to bring all your children together around the table? Do you need refreshing tips that show you how to combine subjects in a way that meets the needs of all your children? Are you weary of juggling different history time periods for the different grade levels or tackling the extra work your curriculum requires you to do just to teach a lesson? Spend some time with Tomara, from BiblioPlan, as she shares numerous practical helps for teaching across multi‐age levels drawing from both a classical style and a Charlotte Mason approach.
Teaching writing well is not only possible, it can be enjoyable! Come and learn about an effective and easy-to-use approach for the very reluctant child as well as the natural writer. Using models, checklists, and a clear pathway for EZ+1 skill progression, the Structure and Style® composition program is guaranteed to instill confidence and build competence in students of all ages and aptitudes.
Our latest system, BuddyBooks, helps struggling readers, where the computer and the student “buddy read” books which keeps the child engaged in the story. Our library allows parents to select books from classic literature along with more modern books with strong family values. At the same time, the AI in BuddyBooks provides a review mode to help the child improve through “Self-Monitoring” and “Reading while Listening”. BuddyBooks encourages children to independently read at least 15 minutes a day, and we’ve seen on average a 24% improvement in fluency along with improvements in prosody.
Sonya Shafer is a popular homeschool speaker and writer, specializing in the Charlotte Mason Method. She has been on an adventure for more than 20 years studying, researching, practicing, and teaching Charlotte’s gentle and effective methods of education. Her passion for homeschooling her own four daughters grew into helping others and then into Simply Charlotte Mason, which publishes her many books and provides a place of practical encouragement to homeschoolers at SimplyCharlotteMason.com.
Visible launched in Memphis, Tennessee in 2000. Our focus as a creative Christian community is bigger than any single church or artists. We believe music is important in the world and the Church. We believe creative Christians have enormous impact as leaders in culture and developing the Church globally. Because of this, we create and partner with intimate, intentional artist communities throughout the world that emphasize training and higher education around five key concepts: global kingdom of God, spiritual transformation, professional experience and leadership, academic fidelity to the Word, and the visible way of hospitality.
Experience Classical Education in action! We will model and practice the three arts of the trivium: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Using the triangles as a springboard, this interactive session will demonstrate how learning progresses throughout a student’s life.
Paws-itive Futures: Exploring a Career in Veterinary Science
Hands-on veterinary assisting skills class for students who are interested in
pursuing a career in the veterinary profession. Career counseling will be
included so parents are encouraged to attend with their student(s).
Handling and restraint of cats and dogs, bandaging, and basic surgical
assisting skills will be demonstrated and practiced. Discussion will focus on
veterinary science home school curriculum and how to obtain a certificate
as a veterinary assistant. Designed for older middle school and high school
students (ages 11 to adult).
Sought after inspiring speaker and coach to parents of college-bound teens, Denise’s goal is to inspire, educate, and equip parents who take an active role in supporting their children to live a life of financial freedom. Her mission is to FLIP the student debt statistic in the U.S.
Denise is a 20-year homeschool veteran having homeschooled her two children from Pre-k through high school. Her children attended their first-choice college on 17 scholarships exceeding $199,000, including the National Merit Scholarship, for 4 years of college debt-free with cash leftover!
She and her husband have moved more than 15 times during their 34-year marriage, and spending 5 years full-time RV-ing across the US and traveling abroad after sending their youngest off to college.
Ask a homeschool parent to list their biggest obstacles, and “teaching math” will probably appear close to the top of that list. In response to this concern, Nicole Thomas created Nicole the Math Lady – online video lessons for Saxon Math students that make math approachable and enjoyable for kids and parents. Under Nicole’s direction, what began as a website serving a few dozen students has grown to serve thousands each day. Nicole has not only created an educational website but a family environment where children and parents share the common belief that when education is fun, there are no limits to what a child can learn. Nicole holds a BA in Economics and a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and resides in Orlando, Florida with her family.
Dr. Walter Wendler is currently the President of West Texas A&M University. Dr. Wendler has also served as vice chancellor for Planning and System Integration at The Texas A&M University System. He and his wife Mary have two sons and five grandchildren.
West Texas A&M University is proud to be the Panhandle’s University. Texas Panhandle values reflect those that many families look for in a college. This workshop will discuss the following values: trust, family and economic prosperity, hard work, regard for others, responsibility, compatriotism and patriotism, virtue, faith, and rugged individualism.
Building a Strong Foundation for Lifelong Learning at Any Age
Going beyond the textbooks and the lesson plans, and creating an environment that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning.
Todd Wilson, is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down-to-earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country.
As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, seminars, and books and products that encourage parents.
Todd and his wife Debbie homeschool three of their eight children (five have graduated from their homeschool, and four of those are now married) in northern Indiana and travel America in the Familyman Mobile. You can read more at TheSmilingHomeschooler.com.