From teaching phonics to graduating teens, from refereeing fights to nurturing faith, our lives as homeschooling parents run the gamut from the very mundane to the very meaningful. In the midst of the mind-boggling demands of homeschooling and everyday life, we constantly need to remind ourselves that our work as homeschooling moms and dads has tremendous significance in building God’s kingdom. Using the lessons of Scripture and history, this workshop will expand your vision of how God is using the homeschool movement, as well as your specific work as a homeschooling parent, to usher in spiritual, educational, and family revival—and to preserve our American heritage.

Relaxing and enjoying your children is an important part of homeschooling. Focusing on conversation with your kids is an important key to that. Conversation is also an essential tool in providing a rich educational experience. In the traditional classroom environment, students have an average of eight to ten individual interactions with their teacher each day. In your homeschool, these verbal interactions can number in the hundreds and greatly enhance the quality of education your children receive. Zan shares how the simple and free tool of conversation can help your children replace boredom with a motivation to learn. Explore strategies to minimize conflict in your home and promote camaraderie, enthusiasm, and joy in learning. Conversation is the key! Conversation IS core curriculum.

Homeschooling places great demands on parents and leads to great expectations. This combination can set us up for an intense sense of failure and disappointment. Homeschooling doesn’t always go according to our plans. Even when we are doing our best to follow God and love our families, we may find ourselves in the “fiery furnace,” like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Learn the causes of burnout and shares ways to avoid them. Get many practical tips for simplifying your life. Develop a biblical vision for what you are ultimately trying to accomplish in your children’s lives through homeschooling—a vision that will sustain you through the hard times and difficult days that are sure to come.

When Zan Tyler was threatened with jail in 1984 for teaching her son at home, she was forced to count the costs ofhomeschooling and decide if it was really worth it. Zan learned powerful lessons about fighting for freedom, family, and faith that remain pertinent today. Our nation is at a crossroads where the liberties we often take for granted are at stake. We are one lawsuit, law, or treaty away from watching our freedom erode. We must all work to preserve our homeschool freedoms, while intentionally raising up a new generation of freedom fighters. This session will encourage and equip you with powerful principles to share with your children and teens.

Our children live in the midst of a secular culture facing a host of issues and moral dilemmas that we never had to deal with at their age. Because many children are not prepared to counter this culture, startling percentages abandon their faith and beliefs as they move into adulthood. For this reason, a strong biblical worldview is one of the most important gifts we can give them. Teach them to think biblically, quipt them to become powerful thinkers, leaders, and communicators. Most importantly, give them staying power in their faith as they face opposition. Learn why biblical worldview is it crucial; how studying the life of Daniel change my teenager’s life; and why our goal as Christian homeschoolers must be bigger and broader than turning out kids with exceptional talent and high SAT scores. Through worldview training, we can better equip them to use their gifts to impact the world for Christ, help others by solving real problems, and bring glory to God in the process.

Whether we are teaching phonics or physics, refereeing sibling squabbles, or teaching our children eternal truth, we constantly need to remind ourselves that our work as homeschooling moms and dads has tremendous Kingdom significance. Just like adults, children and teens need vision to stay focused and energized. Do your kids know why you homeschool them? Do they share your vision for this innovative, spiritually powerful education you are giving them at home? Is your marriage withstanding the pressures that come with homeschooling? Hear Zan and Joe as they share powerful principles and practical suggestions for creating a family vision for homeschooling that enables you to all pull in the same direction.