Education and discipleship are not the same as mass schooling. They have different traditions and different expectations. If you have ever asked, “How do I know if they are on pace?”, “What if they miss something?”, “How do I know if they are learning?”, or even “I’m not sure I know enough to teach high school!”, then this session should settle your mind and help you plan for discipleship with excitement. Explore some of the key differences and save massive amounts of time and stress trying to recreate schooling at home.

For the history lovers, this session will review 150 years of government schooling in America against the backdrop of freedom-keeping Christian education. We’ll review key legislation, key thought leaders, and the motivation, design, and intentions of education leaders; answering questions like “What were government schools designed for?”, “Where did they go so wrong?”, “How might the system itself be contributing to the dumbing down of learning?”, and clarify how powerfully different home discipleship is in contrast.

No child should sit in front of a screen all day. If we can agree on that, then the core question for parents is, “How much, if any, screentime is good for children?” What does research and common sense say about cognitive growth and the strengths and weaknesses of digital tools for learning. If our children are entering workplaces that use computers, how can we equip them over time, give them spiritual armor and ethics around usage, and finnd balance for a healthy family.

It’s easy to recognize how valuable play is to our children. They love it! It is not so easy to convince ourselves that play has a variety of long term benefits and that play is actually learning. It is arguably the most pure form of learning we have. Dr. Dikkers will walk us through an overview of the physical, developmental, social, and academic benefits of non-directed outdoor play time.