As a pilot for American Airlines, Steve was very close to the events of 9/11. Steve was originally scheduled to be the co-pilot on AA Flight 11, the first flight to be hijacked on Sept. 11th, 2001. Through a extraordinary set of divine circumstances Steve was bumped from that flight the night before by a more senior pilot. Now, he tells his deeply moving story of God's providence on that terrible day in our history. Come discover why God gave Steve a second chance and now uses him to teach parents all around the world to parent with purpose and urgency as he introduces you to The Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent. Intensely practical and Bible based, the Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent is designed to give parents both the tools they need and the hope necessary to build a Christ-centered, character-driven home environment. The Nine Practices are a great way to revitalize parents in the all important task of parenting. This session will take highlights from the 10- week Parenting Matters small group study. Steve will unwrap the Three Pillars of Parenting, The Motivation Model, The Growth Continuum, The Proactive vs. Reactive Parent, and more. You won’t want to miss this keynote event to jump-start your weekend at the CHAP Convention.

Does your son or daughter seem to be faltering in their efforts to learn to read? Is it the curriculum? Is it you? Based on current research, this workshop is designed to help parents better understand the most essential elements of the reading process, along with those critical ingredients that must be emphasized to produce a successful, capable reader.

Have you ever said something like this to you child: "Johnny, stop fooling around with that and get to your school work!" or "That would be nice for a hobby, dear, but let's get back to focusing more on this subject that will help you be employable." If so, come listen to Forrest, homeschool graduate and entrepreneur (who prefers the portmanteau "evangetainer"), as he recounts his own story about stepping out into faith and answering the call that God put on his life while using his God-given talents and interests. Maybe it's us as parents that need to sometimes "get out of the boat" and step out in faith?!

Whether you are a beginning homeschooler or a seasoned veteran, there are core truths that call you back to your greatest success. Join Kristen Eckenwiler as she shares her personal list of seven insights she wishes someone had told her about homeschooling. Her passion for homeschooling and encouraging spirit is sure to help you move forward with renewed enthusiasm.

Learn how to persevere when one of your blessings is trying to leave or has left the teaching you have faithfully taught. This seminar is for the broken-hearted mom who needs to be refreshed and encouraged when the work they have done seems to be bearing no fruit. We will talk about how to be refreshed in the Lord, pray faithfully for our families, and entrust our children to Him.

When your faith and trust in God are rattled by the winds of daily life, traumatic situations, poor health, learn how to draw from the Word of God, daily prayer, and a belief in a Sovereign Lord to endure.

Being a mom is about so much more than feeding, dressing, and driving our kids to play dates. With only a few short years to impart important spiritual truths to our children, everyday becomes an eternal opportunity for teaching, training, and modeling Christ-likeness. The Disciple Making Mom session will give mothers the tools they need to disciple their children in the most important areas: prayer, service, Bible study, scripture memorization, and true fellowship. Moms will walk away encouraged and strengthened, knowing that although discipling their children seems like a huge task, God is on their side!

According to Proverbs 19:19, people who live with an angry person are continually having to "deliver him" from the consequences of his or her anger. In fact, they wind up doing it again and again. Angry people do foolish and mean things that often destroy their testimonies. But the greatest cost of anger is the destruction of relationships with the people the angry person loves. This message gives five key steps to conquer anger.

Language is an amazing grace from God and a gift to steward and revel in. Skill and confidence in crafting words into stories and arguments will open doors for your children and lead them into their futures. Here’s how to cast a vision, encourage and support the journey, capture each child’s unique writer’s voice, and delight in the prose and poetry your kids produce. You may find yourself inspired to write as well.

Afraid that you can't homeschool through high school? Think your young adult would do better inside the four walls of a school building? Come learn why staying the course through the teen years can be the most fruitful and important years of homeschooling for your child as well as the most rewarding for Mom and Dad.

Don’t be surprised when folks question your right or ability to homeschool. They did the same to Christ. “And say unto him, 'By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority to do these things?'” (Mark 11:28) Our authority is not of the government or in an accreditation agency; our authority is from Christ. Are you competent to homeschool? If you are in Christ, you are!

Do you want life-long learners who initiate studies on their own? Then let go of the wheel and start giving your children responsibility for their education. Here are practical, inexpensive steps that will encourage your children to pursue their own learning and prevent parent burn-out as well.

Second mile leaders are those counter-intuitive servants of God who earn the right to be heard by developing a consistent love of virtue, a disciplined approach to gratification, and a submissive love for the authority of God’s Word. Male leadership is essential to the success of marriages, families, the church, and society. This session will teach men to earn the right to be heard, prefer pProactivity, reject reactivity, learn to elevate virtues above feelings, build moral muscle, seek forgiveness, and develop a finisher’s attitude.

This simple, but powerful and life-changing, workshop will help you rise above the day-to-day existence of homeschooling and help you see the BIG PICTURE of why you've chosen to homeschool.

We are called to disciple our children. But what a beautiful thing it is to get to the place where our children are wishing to be discipled by us, coming to us to ask for prayer and counsel over sin struggles in their hearts. Do you know God’s vision for your family? Do your children know it? Are you headed there together? Are you connected to your child’s heart? If your child is a toddler, now is the time to begin paving the way to family unity. If he is already a teenager, don’t miss this workshop. If God’s love can conquer unity challenges in the Razvi’s family of 13 children (8 adopted and 5 birth children), He can conquer those challenges in any family. Come hear our story and take away practical tools for developing family unity.

Women, do you need to get real about homeschool and the joy and pain of life? Join Linda Lacour Hobar, author of The Mystery of History, for this down-to-earth session on the up and down seasons of a real homeschool family. With 17 years of homeschool experience, she will share “the good, the bad, and the ugly” with stories of what she did right, what she did wrong, and how she survived difficult times by God’s grace. (Sorry, but this session is not for husbands or students.)

K-12 homeschooler and Hillsdale College graduate, shares experiences from a lifetime of reading and encourages anxious Moms with a thought-provoking question: Can great literature help my kids succeed in a scientific and technological world? Ian provides an inspiring summary of an all-time classic story and argues that the self-knowledge, humility and wisdom that come from reading such stories are absolutely critical for success – and that you, as the Mom in the trenches, can lead them right to it. Literary education worked for Ian, and it can work for your students too.

As a teacher, it’s so easy to give the answer, isn’t it? Oh, that’s right... you don’t do that. How long should a child think before you start helping? Sometimes we need to be quiet and let them wrestle with the problem to discover the answer. Do you know that children learn better and remember things longer when they discover the solution? The goal is to provide a way for them to learn how to solve problems. How might you go about doing this? Come to this workshop and find out how to help your child think their way through math.

Come get some help in identifying and encouraging spiritual heroes for your children. Help your children focus on character development through a daily understanding of God’s work in their lives to develop Christian character for eternal purposes.

Juxtaposition, metaphor, symbolism, irony, foreshadowing – HELP! Parents often avoid literature because of the intimidating vocabulary of literary analysis. The truth is, you don’t need a college degree in literature to understand this vocabulary; what you need is a well-written children’s story. Take a guided tour of literary devices and become a discerning literary analyst. Doing the same with your own children couldn’t be easier, but beware: soon, they will be finding onomatopoeia everywhere they look.

How do you evaluate your child’s academic progress with reading, writing, math, and early literacy skills? Get training on curriculum based measurement, a progress monitoring strategy for basic skills (oral reading fluency, math computation fluency, spelling, writing, and early literacy skills like phonemic awareness). These measures track progress on indicators of basic skills and facilitate decisions about the effectiveness of instruction in core skills that will serve them their entire lives.

Astronomy is not a peanut butter sandwich or even a fried bologna sandwich. Astronomy is more like chicken noodle soup with star pasta in it. Or maybe it’s like Christmas cookies cut out like stars ... but not ones with red green frosting.

All children play make-believe. While they are little, allowing their imaginations to fuel their play is a harmless joy. But what if they soon yearn for the worlds they find in their favorite novels: strange worlds, imaginary worlds, non-Christian worlds? What if they lose themselves in fantasy? Get summaries of a few well-known stories and learn some simple literary tools to help you start meaningful conversations about the joys and dangers of fantasy literature.

Today more than ever we need Christian citizens who know the truth of God’s Word and have a working knowledge of our Founding Documents so that they can be the transforming power needed to bring our land back from the tyranny of socialism to the liberty secured under the American View of Law and Government.

Vision is much more than 20/20 eye sight. Symptoms of underlying visual disorders may include skipping small words or lines, frequent letter or number reversals, poor comprehension, and/or headaches at the end of the school day to name a few. Learn about more than 20 areas to vision that impact the ability to learn, how they are detected, and treatments including vision therapy.

There is a very real war for the hearts and minds of the next generation. If we do not engage the fight we are guaranteed to lose. Be equipped to stand successfully in the battle for truth. Parents may fear that when their children graduate they may turn against their homeschool upbringing. Is there a way to prevent that from happening? Explore the powerful tools God provides as well as learn from the experience of other homeschooling parents.

How do you teach your students to apply a “Christian Worldview” to the books they read, the movies they watch, and the culture they live in? The answer may surprise you, for well meaning Christians often misunderstand the basic principles of worldview analysis. This misunderstanding often prevents Christian students from thinking clearly about contemporary culture. In this enthusiastic and engaging discussion of a literary classic, learn to avoid a serious (though common) teaching mistake and get three steps for understanding a story-teller on his own terms. Discover how to uncover, identify and evaluate an artist’s worldview – and to teach your students to do the same.

As a parent homeschooling a teen (or thinking about homeschooling a teen), you may have doubts about your ability... and your sanity. Are you weighed down by the seriousness of high school? Do you question your competence to teach your teen? Be encouraged as you discover a new long range perspective that is filled with much hope, faith, help and joy!

Does literature seem like a mystery? Are you at a loss about how to understand it yourself, much less teach it? This inspiring lecture demonstrates that everything you need to know about understanding and teaching literature is present in your second grader’s bedtime story. Adam reads a classic children’s story and leads a discussion of eternal literary themes. Learn how you can do the same at home by following five simple steps. Your literature curriculum – to say nothing of family story time – will come alive. You’ll never put the kids to bed the same way again!

Education is not an object we can posses; it’s a state of the heart, mind, and soul. All great leaders share certain attributes in these areas, and Job was one of the greatest! Adam’s unique perspective on Job’s career inspires parents to prepare their students for leadership. Get a renewed vision for the liberal arts and practical suggestions to applying this vision at home.

If you had only one hour in which to give your student a complete education, could you do it? If you accepted the challenge, what lesson would you teach? Adam Andrews argues that a complete and profound education can be acquired in one lesson – and then sets out to prove this audacious claim in an eye-opening, inspiring presentation. Adam first demonstrates the lesson using an example from his own subject, Literature. He then shows you how to teach it in your own area of interest. Adam gives examples of the lesson from every subject in the curriculum and invites the audience to contribute their own ideas. The power of this lesson may revolutionize the way you teach on a daily basis – and it only takes an hour!

As a pilot for American Airlines, Steve was very close to the events of 9/11. Steve was originally scheduled to be the co-pilot on AA Flight 11, the first flight to be hijacked on Sept. 11th, 2001. Through a extraordinary set of divine circumstances Steve was bumped from that flight the night before by a more senior pilot. Now, he tells his deeply moving story of God’s providence on that terrible day in our history. Come discover why God gave Steve a second chance and now uses him to teach parents all around the world to parent with purpose and urgency as he introduces you to The Nine Practices of The Proactive Parent.

Recognizing that a healthy marriage is the basis of a healthy home, Steve and Megan will teach from their book The Eight Rules Of Communication For Successful Marriages. They will finish the session with a fun, loving look at marriage and F-R-I-E-N-D-S-H-I-P.

Parenting and marriage have a great deal in common. Both are loaded with challenges and pitfalls. Ephesians 4:22-24 gives us insight into parenting and marriage success by introducing us to the principle of Put-off and Put-on. This joint seminar will give you the practical tools to raise the standard in your marriage and in your parenting.

Want to transition your young adults from simple obedience to mature responsibility? Steve shares the important phases that teens need to learn in order to take responsibility for their lives. Watch your kids move from childish irresponsibility to becoming young adults who embrace ownership and initiative as they move up the “Responsibility Tree."

Second mile leaders are those counter-intuitive servants of God who earn the right to be heard by developing a consistent love of virtue, a disciplined approach to gratification, and a submissive love for the authority of God’s Word. Male leadership is essential to the success of marriages, families, the church, and society. Teach men to Earn The Right To Be Heard, Prefer Proactivity, Reject Reactivity, Learn To Elevate Virtues Above Feelings, Build Moral Muscle, Seek Forgiveness, and Develop A Finisher’s Attitude.

Is behaving like a gentleman an outdated and antiquated idea? Join Dr. Steve in a discussion of how to teach our young men to be masculine in a society that seeks to squeeze them into a feminine mold. Becoming a gentleman starts at home. Come discover ways to cultivate a culture of masculinity without raising men who are brutes!

Women thrive on relationships! But are our relationships glorifying to God or do they draw our hearts away from faithful obedience to the Lord and His Word? Megan will encourage women to use their relationships to encourage, edify, and exhort one another while also challenging women to examine their friendships and to structure Christ-centered, God honoring, faith deepening relationships.

All learning is founded on one key—the ability to take in information and then remember it. Each school year, students spend countless hours studying, only to have the information seemingly disappear when they need it most. Whether a parent or student, in this interactive and practical session, you will learn how to use study tools such as speed reading and memory techniques.

Learn how to teach and train your children in hearing the voice of God and gaining a heart to worship Him. Find out how to establish your own unique Family Identity and gain the treasure of holding your children’s hearts.

"I’m not strong enough."
"My kids are going to have gaps in their education."
"Everything depends on me."
"I’ve failed too many times."
"I can’t do this right."
"I’m screwing up my kids."
"Everyone else’s kids are doing better than mine."

Have you heard the lies, too? Join Heidi as she talks about her own experience of homeschooling out of fear and into faith. You’ll want to bring a friend to this one!

Does the quality of your marriage matter? Do the endless days of child rearing and homeschooling matter? Does your family have a larger purpose in this world? God says, "Yes!" Will you live for His plan and purpose?

A serious but entertaining look at HSLDA’s recent cases and why they are important to you and your homeschool. You’ll want to hear about the Case of the Miscreated Court, the Case of the Rotten Big Apple, and the Case of the Caseworker’s Monumental Miscalculation. With over 15 years’ experience representing homeschooling families around the country, Jim has a unique, up-close perspective on trends, emerging issues, and what the future holds for homeschool freedom.

In today’s culture, parenting requires an uncommon courage. Being a Christian parent in a culture that has rejected Christ requires a steadfast commitment to imparting truth to our children in a world that has rejected Truth. This is not our grandparents’ generation. We are parenting in a generation where fear is a driving force. But when faith finds its feet in this generation of parents, Heidi believes we will begin to see amazing things.

The very thought of homeschooling can be overwhelming—whether you're a newbie or a veteran homeschooling parent. It's a big job and there's no way of getting around it. But after 18 years of teaching, I've found these steps that actually work. And these aren't merely academic solutions, but answers that have helped our family relationships—and my sanity—as well. It's a surprisingly simple plan that will prepare your student—and the teacher—for real success.

This talk provides honest encouragement to those considering homeschooling. The real hard part of home education is the commitment of time, energy and resources. The real blessings of home education include stronger family bonds and a personalized education. And these blessings will make the work worth it.

Volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations. Without volunteers, visions crumble. How do you recruit qualified volunteers? How can a leader strengthen a volunteer to go the distance? How do you inspire your volunteers to serve with passion? Forrest and Beth Mora will share ten key principles to help you form a team that will thrive and create a lasting impact.

We homeschooling parents invest a lot of ourselves in our children. When one of them strays, it is a painful, prayerful time. As one who has wandered himself, and one who has shepherded seven children through sometimes challenging times, Jim has a word of encouragement, reconciliation, and hope for walking through troubled times.

Arguably the most profound change in America in the past 50 years has been the deconstruction of the family unit. The foundational building block of 4000 years of world culture and 250 years of American society has been undermined, underappreciated, and under attack since the 1960’s. Learn how to put down the kind of strong roots that will help you become an “intentional arborist” as you nurture the strong family that you desire-and that your children need. Learn how you can nurture what’s important and learn to ignore the flurry of cultural foolishness that we all-too-often mistake for what’s really important.

Heather Haupt is joined by her mother, Colene Lewis for this 2-generation workshop.

One of the perks of homeschooling is the opportunity families have to build relationships. Learning to live and learn together 24-7 provides a wonderful environment where relationships are cultivated. It isn't always easy, but the benefits are well worth the effort!

Parenting. It’s exhausting and exhilarating. Frustrating and fascinating. Like all things that are God-breathed, it’s a Kingdom building exercise. It’s a masterful strategy, this idea of using all night feedings and miscarriage and labor and teenagers (see how teens and labor go hand in hand?) and even homeschooling to teach us to trust the heart of the Father. But that’s exactly what God wants you to learn to do. Join Heidi St. John for an hour of encouragement and inspiration that will lift you up and remind you of the WHY of homeschooling.

Are you providing a marriage example you would encourage others to follow? What steps are you taking to deepen your love and build a lasting friendship with your husband/wife?

Come discover how we can reach the heart of our boys and inspire them to embrace this training phase of their lives as they pursue living a life of purpose that, like the knights of old, courageously puts the needs of others before their own. What is holding modern day boys back and how can we move forward by giving boys a vision for their future and honoring their innate love for adventure? The world needs more kind, courageous, and bold men who will lead their families well and make an impact in their world both now and for the rest of their lives. It starts with igniting the imagination, honoring their love for adventure, and casting a vision for the training process.

Question: What is the end goal of Christian home education? Answer: To love God more and serve more. Parents, your elementary-aged child needs an education in dreaming big. “But wait!” the parent says, “He can’t even complete his regular assignments!” Dreaming big can turn your ho-hum learner into an active one. We all need purpose behind even the simplest of tasks. We, as home educating families can get buried in a pile of book learning and forget what education is really for, to serve others. Please bring your wiggly child with you to this inspiring talk that just might change your city, state, country, or even the world. Disclaimer: There may be no stopping your child!

Almost everything you need to know to homeschool, from educational philosophy to practical homeschool how-to’s, can be found in Calvin & Hobbes. Come laugh, learn, be encouraged as a veteran homeschooler presents wisdom gleaned from the stories of a young boy and his stuffed tiger.

Are you a homeschooling dad like I am? Do you need an occasional booster shot like I do? Come let us reason together, encourage one another, bear each other’s burdens, and leave refreshed to carry out our vital role.

Are you worn out from everyone needing another piece of you? Do you feel pushed and pulled in all directions? Are there places in your heart you don’t have time to visit? Women of all ages and stages will discover the joy of blooming! Join Beth Mora, author and blogger, as she shares from God’s Word the power of open transparency and the sweet life that blooms in Christ.

Learning to embrace a natural, holistic way of education can make homeschooling doable and successful academically, spiritually, and socially for both the students and the parents. It’s important to let go of our pre-conceived notions of what “school” should look like and instead major on the strengths of homeschooling – flexibility, real life learning, real books (living books), dialogue rather than formal tests, etc. Discover how to emphasize the benefits of homeschooling and avoid the burn out that happens when parents try to replicate a traditional school in their homes.

Do you struggle to keep your heart tuned into God’s voice through all the other “noise” of this life? In this Pinterest-Perfect world where everyone Pins their Perfect Life, it’s all too easy to hold the Lord at arms length until we do the “important” things. Learn the secret of developing an intimate spiritual life and why it makes all the difference in your family and marriage.

Homeschooling is a grand adventure, but sometimes there are moments or even seasons where we just feel stuck. Or maybe we’ve veered off course. It’s easy to think that changing curriculum for the umpteenth time, making a new schedule, or even throwing in the towel will solve the problem. It usually never does because the problem runs deeper… But there is hope, glorious hope, for us. Let’s rediscover together the secret to enjoying this journey and finishing strong!

Why do you homeschool? When your children are grown, what will define success for you? What is a Biblical philosophy of education? This workshop will help you to focus on what is really important. Israel will share with you what has helped his family avoid burnout and frustration in the many years of homeschooling.

When you are trying to inspire and motivate children, there are two forces that are often exerted: Positive and Negative Reinforcement. In this session, Israel explains the importance of affirmation as a way to inspire and motivate your reluctant child. Drawing from practical and Biblical examples, this session will help you to keep those important relational connections as you are attempting to impart knowledge.

“I Quit,” you’ve decided. You can’t quite discern whether God wants you to homeschool or not. Maybe you’re burned out, fed up, feeling inadequate, or just plain tired of it all. But, whatever the reason for quitting, deep in your heart, you’re still wondering, “Maybe I should stick with it.” In this workshop Susan Kemmerer, a homeschool mom of 25+ years, looks at numerous reasons why moms quit homeschooling, as well as some solutions to those things that rob you of your joy and motivation to homeschool. If you’re looking for reasons to continue when you’ve got nothing left to give, then this workshop is for you.

How do we get a witnessing conversation started? What if someone asks a question we can’t answer? What if we feel scared? How can we articulate the truth of the gospel with boldness, confidence, clarity and accuracy? In this session, Sarah and Grace Mally, together with their father Harold, share practical tips, ideas, and stories about how to effectively communicate the gospel to those around us. We only have one life to live, and it goes by quickly! Today’s Christian home school youth are in a position like Esther. God has raised them up “for such a time as this.” We need to work together and encourage each other. The question is, “Will our generation speak?”

Music, composer study, artist study, handcrafts, folk songs, hymns, foreign language, free reading, and poetry. Do these sound like the always-just-out-of-reach, icing-on-the-cake courses? Do you feel you have too much else to do, and you just can’t fit in all these “fun studies”? Are these just special treats reserved for the super-organized mom sitting next to you at home school group? Well, Sue Pruett would like to encourage you that you CAN do these, and give your children the excellent education you desire for them! These subjects are just as vital as history, math, and science to your curriculum! Come, learn how you can have that icing on the cake – and give it to your children, as well – even first thing in the morning!

Feel overwhelmed with your child’s unique needs? Think you cannot possibly homeschool with these challenges? This presentation is all about offering encouragement to parents who homeschool (or desire to homeschool) their special-needs children. We will discuss the why’s and how’s of homeschooling our special-needs child, record keeping, resources and planning for the future.

Are you new to homeschooling or new to Pennsylvania? Are you thinking about homeschooling at some point in the future? Do you have questions about what homeschooling might look like and how to get started? This session is designed to encourage and equip you to homeschool your children. Topics include: Why homeschool?, how to get started in PA, a typical day, curriculum, record keeping, testing, portfolios, and evaluations. There will also be time for questions.

We believe in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. So why do so many of our homeschools not reflect that gospel? Why having started in the Spirit, are we now homeschooling in the flesh? Come be reminded of the gospel truths we forget. You will leave encouraged!

How is your homeschool year going? Are you feeling overwhelmed right now, lacking strength and faith to continue? Perhaps you are just fed up with the constant battle, tired of being so tired. Would it surprise you to discover that these are normal thoughts and feelings for many (or even most) homeschool moms? There are answers – though you won’t find your answers in that new curriculum or in that clever chore chart. God has a much greater plan in store for you. Whether you’ve experienced a season of blessing as you homeschooled or you feel mired in self-doubt, this workshop will encourage your soul.

Come and laugh with author, speaker, and homeschool mom Linda Crosby as she takes us on an entertaining journey through her many years of homeschooling. You will be refreshed, rejuvenated, and revived. With four children, four different learning styles, a late reader, an international adoption (read: English as a second language!), and a child with special needs, Linda gives hope to a variety of homeschooling parents. You will be encouraged to enjoy each day with your children, to never lose sight of why you do what you do, and most importantly to never forget that it is God who fills in the gaps.