Keynote Speakers
Steve & Jane
Lambert
Steve and Jane Lambert have been married more than 35 years and began Home schooling in 1981 at the very beginning of the modern home school movement. With 5 grandchildren now, Steve and Jane’s children have been through the home school experience, college, marriage and are now home schooling their own children as the cycle repeats itself in a satisfying, natural and Christ-honoring way. Raised in less-than-ideal home situations, Jane and Steve have experienced God’s grace in remarkable ways, having served in full-time ministry now for more than 20 years as pastors, administrators, authors and speakers.
Jane is the author and developer of the award-winning home school curriculum “Five in a Row” and together she and Steve speak to thousands of home schoolers across North America each year. Steve carries the lion’s share of public speaking and serves as publisher of “Five in a Row”. They are passionate about using their life experience to help encourage and strengthen young couples who are still engaged in the home school journey. With a mixture of passion, experience and humor they leave a mixture of laughter, tears, and hope behind them wherever they speak.
Keynote:
Friday 7:00pm-8:30pm
Finding Your Way Through the Home School Jungle
Saturday 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Home Schooling: The Journey of a Lifetime
Featured Speakers
Andrew
Pudewa
Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a home schooling father of 7. Presenting throughout North America, he addresses issues relating to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity and insight, practical experience and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.
Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan, and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his beautiful, heroic wife Robin currently teach their four youngest children at home in Atascadero, California.
Jay
Wile
Dr. Jay L. Wile, author of the Apologia curriculum, holds an earned Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in nuclear chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry from the same institution. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching and has presented numerous lectures on the topics of Nuclear Chemistry, Christian Apologetics, Home Schooling, and Creation vs. Evolution. In addition, he has published 35 articles on these subjects in nationally-recognized journals.
Workshop Leaders
Jeannie Bauer - Jeannie is just like many of you - trying to juggle all of the balls in her life at the same time. She and her husband have spent the last 20 years home schooling their 5 children and learning much about life in the process. Jeannie has learned to tailor her educational plans to each of her 5 very different children. As her children discovered their passions, she focused school lessons around their interests and still managed to cover the basics. With only 4 more years to go before her youngest child completes high school, Jeannie hopes to encourage other moms by honestly sharing her experiences and insight.
Roger W. Fitch, O.D. - Dr. Fitch has practiced optometry in Peoria for 31 years. He started offering visual therapy for children with developmental and academic problems in 2002. Dr. Fitch and his wife Beth home school their 15 year old daughter. They also have 3 sons who are currently in college. They reside in Peoria, IL.
Barry Hardy - Barry Hardy is the team leader of the Customer Care Center for the Dave Ramsey organization, also known as The Lampo Group. He has worked with Dave for more than 4 years, and before that, Barry taught elementary school and high school for 14 years. He is very active at church and has been on 6 mission trips to Novosibirsk, Siberia... during the winter! Ask him about what a Russian winter is like; he should be used to it! Barry was born and raised in Maine, then moved to Tennessee where he attended Lipscomb University and received a bachelor’s degree in education, theater, and psychology. He completed his master’s degree in education at Indiana University. He and his wife, Debbie, have coordinated Financial Peace University classes for more than 9 years and they live in LaVergne, Tennessee with 2 of their 3 sons. His speaking engagements include motivational and ministerial speaking throughout the United States at churches, conventions, schools, and business organizations, teaching individuals and families how to better prepare themselves and their children when it comes to money matters.
Brian Heller - Brian Heller is a graduate of ICC, Bradley University and University of Illinois - College of Law. He has a solo law practice in Washington, IL, concentrating in constitutional law, real estate, employment and not-for-profit law. He was the founder and president of the Illinois chapter of The Rutherford Institute. He resides in Washington, Il with wife Pati and son Joshua.
Kathie Morrissey - Kathie, the mother of 8 children, is a committed home schooling mom of 21 years. Kathie is the founder of The Courtship Connection, as well as a popular speaker at home school conventions, family seminars, and mother/daughter banquets. She is also a writer who has been published in Christian women’s magazines. Her heart’s desire is to help and encourage parents in raising Godly children with strong Christian character. Her three oldest children have graduated from their home school, and the oldest is now married. She continues to teach the 5 youngest.
Joy Nuesken - Joy, mother of 5, has been home schooling for 20 years. She has a laid back approach to schooling and doesn’t get ruffled very easily. She has graduated three children and has successfully navigated through driver’s education at the local public school. Joy is proficient at jumping through college hoops producing all the official documents that colleges have required. Two of her children are presently in college and 2 have graduated, with 1 working on his Masters. Joy lives in the country with her youngest child and is elated to be finishing 8th grade for the 6th and final time in her life!
Ray & Donna Reish - Ray and Donna have been home schooling 7 children (currently 9 through 24) in Indiana for over 30 years. Together they have written speech and debate materials and dozens of home school workshops. Donna has authored 20 language arts and composition books for two home school providers, including a character-based, all-in-one language arts/composition program entitled Character Quality Language Arts. They operate Training for Triumph, a writing, speaking, cottage class teaching, publishing business along with their oldest 5 children. They will graduate their 4th home school student this spring, with 3 more students still learning at home.
Joshua Reish - Joshua is the oldest child of Ray and Donna Reish and a home school graduate. He has a BA in history in which he tested out of the entire degree, except for 2 classes for which there were no tests available. Joshua has co-authored speech and debate materials with his family and is a typesetter/editor for Character Quality Language Arts, his family’s character-based, all-in-one language arts/composition program. He is married to a young lady who was also home schooled her entire life. Joshua enjoys teaching cottage classes for Training for Triumph (his family’s writing, speaking, publishing, teaching business) and speaking to home school audiences.
Teresa Weber - Teresa taught in public and private schools for 12 years. Through 6 years of teaching at Peoria Christian School, she designed many reading, math, and spelling games to enhance any curriculum being used. She has helped children who were failing reading and spelling to improve these skills greatly. She currently home schools her 3 children, tutors in the home, and teaches for various home school classes. She is a kinesthetic learner herself and therefore teaches in a hands-on manner.
