| Want Us to Speak? www.davidandlaurie.com
Dear Event Coordinators: We love speaking to homeschoolers. Our only desire when we speak to homeschool groups of any size is to encourage homeschooling parents and students. As veteran homeschool parents (24+ years), and with the input of our five homeschool-graduate children, we share practical ideas and real-life encouragement as we share from our experiences. We know that homeschool parents and students often just need some practical guidance, some spiritual encouragement, or simply the knowledge that others like them have succeeded! It is our goal to provide that guidance, encouragement, and knowledge. Our goal is to be available to any group from small groups in homes to large conventions. (We have extensive experience in both venues.) We will work with your group individually to determine how we can make our visit to your area a reality. Please take a look at our “Top 7 Reasons to Schedule Us” below, as well as our list of session titles. Be sure to notice our newest offerings – indicated by a **. In the past five years we have enjoyed being a part of homeschooling conventions in Washington, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, Colorado, North Dakota, North Carolina, Iowa, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, D.C., Colorado, Oregon, Montreal, Saskatchewan, and the Mexico National Convention. We have also spoken for local support groups in Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and Florida. We have spoken to audiences as large as 3000, to just three or four parents; all have benefited from our ministry. In addition, over the past few years we have been offering to help homeschool students prepare to take a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test. This new endeavor began when we taught Biology (2002) and Natural Science (2003) at Verity College in Michigan. Since then we have taught a variety of subjects, including Biology, Natural Science, English Composition, Algebra, Psychology, Sociology, and History across the U.S. We often combine our 3-day CLEP Prep classes with evening meetings for parents. In fact, these classes could be a fabulous addition to your convention – by offering classes for students 10 and up. You can add extra value to your family’s convention experience. To learn more, go to www.clepclasses.com, or just send David a quick note at david@davidandlaurie.com. Top 7 Reasons to schedule us to come speak to your group: 1. We are committed to “parent-directed education.” - Having made a decision to home school before it was popular, you can be confident that our workshops reflect a life-long commitment to the homeschooling lifestyle. We will encourage parents in ways to keep control of their homes and their children against external influences that attempt to undermine parental authority. We are not exclusively homeschooling biased. We understand that many parents are unable to make the commitment to homeschooling for reasons that are based upon their own conscience before God. We believe it is our ministry to assist these parents as much as the ones who make the serious commitment to homeschool their children. Parent-directed education is independent of the type of education chosen. It has to do with the ultimate authority over our children. Parents who embrace this concept can benefit from our ministry. 2. We speak as a couple. - This is unique! There are many excellent presenters of material at homeschool conventions, curriculum fairs, and workshops. However, there are less than a handful of these speakers who do so together. Most of the current presenters available are of one gender or the other; very few provide both perspectives at once. Our rare ability to share together from the platform gives a unique perspective for the homeschooling community. The combination of viewpoints of both a caring father and devoted mother in developing relevant themes will bring unique insights from both parents’ perspectives. It also gets rather humorous at times as you see us come at things from our own unique ways of thinking-quite similar to the ways that husbands and wives interact in daily life. It’s good to hear both a man’s and woman’s opinion on the issues that we address in a simultaneous dialogue. 3. We are unashamed of a Christian worldview - We are committed to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, we don’t believe that it is imperative that everyone agrees with our perspective in order to be good parent-directed educators. God designed the home for education. We have an uncanny ability to cut across the things that divide to bring an educational philosophy that is useful to any homeschooling family. But at the same time, we make it clear that the Bible and faith are relevant, smart, and worthwhile today. 4. We are extremely practical. -If you have ever sat in one of our workshops, then you know that we don’t leave you wondering if there is anything to take home. You will go away with more ideas than you probably will be able to use for quite some time. From the earliest years of learning, to after the children are out the door, you will find our subjects give exceptional insights into ideas that you can take away and use. This is not theory; the things we present work because we have tried and failed, gotten back up and tried again until we made it work . . . with the Lord's help. 5. We are entertaining. - At least people laugh and seem to enjoy what we say and how we present it. However, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t serious about what we believe and why we believe it. However if the material is relevant, but the speaker is dull, it is quite likely that a great deal of the presentation will be missed. There is very little possibility of this happening with us. Our stories and our style work together to keep you listening up to the very end. 6. We are relevant. - When you have 5 children in 6 years, you have something to say. When you have 5 teenagers at the same time, as we did in 2001, you have something to say. When your first three children completed their high school work at the ages of 14, 15 and 17, you probably have something to say. When you keep on homeschooling through losses of jobs, financial struggles, physical difficulties, family sickness, moving over 30 times in 25 years, you just might have something to say. When you have three weddings within three months in the summer of 2003, you might have something to say. When you are looking forward to helping homeschool a new generation with grandchildren, you know we have something to say about that! And when you have ministered to hundreds of local families over a decade, so that you can then write a book that gets nationwide interest, you might just have something to say. Then, there’s the home-based college. But you can be the judge. So, specifically, what do we speak about? The following can be adapted for keynote or workshop venues, and can be combined for an effective series that will speak to the needs of your audience: 1) A Christian Philosophy of Education for Christian Parents - Over the past few years we have been hearing stories far and wide of the incredible successes of homeschoolers! National Spelling and Geography Bee Winners, exceptionally high test scores on SATs or ACTs, acceptance at schools like Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, and others. It seems that our children are doing just fine, and many times parents don't even think about why it is doing so well. In this thought-provoking message, David and Laurie will share insights into why homeschooling works, and works very well! Learn how Spiral Learning is out and Organic Learning is in! Parents will walk away with confidence in knowing not only that homeschooling is superior, but why it is. Then just stand back and watch what happens! Our children are about to take off! 2) You CAN Do This! - Homeschooling through to high school and college has been a scary thought to many parents. But frankly, it's not that hard to do, if you know just a few secrets. But don't think that this Keynote Session is just for parents with high schoolers. On the contrary, the ones who will finish well are the ones who get it right from the start. So no matter whether your children are newborns, pre-school, elementary, secondary, or college age, this is one message you will all find worth hearing. And your life will never be the same! 3) Everything They Need - Passing on Wisdom to Children - This session considers how parents can lead their children from knowledge, to understanding, and finally wisdom in the home school. The book of Proverbs includes many exhortations to parents and children regarding these three kinds of learning. We will discuss how you, as parents, can practically help your children grow into wise young adults. 4) Parenting Your Teenage Son (with Jeremiah or Wesley Callihan when available) - Many mothers are shocked when their wonderful little boys begin their young teen years and are suddenly not so nice! Laurie shares insights from the Lord on how to deal with this common situation, and offers practical ideas about how to keep your relationship with your sons open and Godly during the sometimes trying pre-adult years. Jeremiah and Wesley (when available) provide unique insight “from the other side of the issue.” If desired, David can contribute with insight on dad’s point-of-view. The ending of this workshop always brings tears to the eyes, and validates the value of the session. This session is often booked as a “Mom’s only” venue, but is equally useful to both parents. 5) Parenting Your Teenage Daughter (w/ Rebekah (Callihan) Warner or Katie (Callihan) Romano when available) - Every dad's nightmare is the knock on the door when some kid comes to take out his daughter! David and Laurie share insights from the Lord on how to prepare for the inevitable. The key is in the planning and understanding the relationship between a young lady and her parents (especially dad) is critical. This workshop will provide real clues to raising a little girl through to womanhood and preserving her innocence for that special young man who will eventually enter her life. The question of motherhood versus career will be addressed in frank terms, with reference to Biblical wisdom. Every dad with a daughter should hear this message. 6) Setting Up Your Homeschool Painlessly - This is a very practical workshop that outlines how new homeschoolers can go about setting up their home environment to be conducive to learning. We will share the basic things you need to get going including - What about curriculum?, What do we need in our library? How do we schedule schooltime? We will also consider the differences between starting our homeschooling at the beginning and starting to home school after children have been in a traditional school setting. 7) Parenting Through Teen Issues - We get asked so often about our perspectives regarding things such as youth group and dating that we thought we would put together a workshop on our experiences and beliefs regarding these types of issues. Keep in mind as you consider this workshop that we are notorious for thinking through issues ourselves (with the guidance of the Scriptures and God's wisdom) so a lot of our views are unique. Since the issues of this workshop can be many and varied, we can also present it in a modified question and answer format. 8) The Guidance Office is Open - a Q & A session with the Callihan family (including any children of ours that join us at the convention) about issues during the secondary school years such as college admission, socialization, military opportunities, designing a Grand Plan for high school, record keeping, etc. 9) Learning . . . Family Style - How to teach any subject to children any age together as a family - really! David and Laurie share methods and practical ideas on how to study subjects (including writing, history, and especially science) together as a family, rather than splintering the family up “Dewey Style” into ages and grades. For parents with children in multiple grades, this workshop is critical! 10) Parent-Directed Education - Does God have a "Biblical Mandate" for parents and education? What is it? What are the Christian parents’ options in educating their children? How do we know what is best for a particular family? When is public school right? When does private school make the most sense? Is home schooling always best? David & Laurie Callihan ask some hard questions and provide some provocative answers in this relevant presentation. They address such subjects as "The Options and the Reasons" for different educational choices; followed by "Be sure your reasons are right," as a follow up discussion. They address, "What is the Biblical Mandate?" regarding parents and education. Other topics include "Our children are not creatures of the state (or the church for that matter)," "Is A Public Education O.K?" and "Things to avoid and do in making proper educational decisions." This is subject matter that every Christian parent, not just homeschooler, needs to think about. It is offered to home school convention coordinators as a way to invite all Christian parents (and non-Christian for that matter) to reason through their obligations to determine a proper level of oversight in educating their children; perhaps offering it as an up-front workshop or presentation is a viable alternative. 11) Homeschooling Your Teens - Many parents who home school their children in the elementary ages become panicked and apprehensive when they reach seventh grade! Something about the combination of puberty, secondary school, teaching advanced math and science, and diplomas combines to instill a lack of confidence that is in reality unwarranted. The Callihans will give you back your confidence and prepare you for the path of successfully getting your children through high school to college, career and adulthood. The material they cover is gleaned from their new book, "The Guidance Manual for the Christian Home School: A Parent's Guide for Preparing Home School Students for College or Career." Home schooling a teenager has never been easier than today! Find out the how's, why's, what's and when's in this informative workshop. Those who have attended this workshop have gone away with more than they expected. One idea alone may save a homeschooling family thousands of dollars in college costs! This one workshop more than pays for attending the conference, even after purchasing our book! We also encourage you to consider making this topic a two-part series (Homeschooling Your Teens I and II). Allowing this extra time ensures that we can cover the many academic, spiritual, and practical issues relating to this issue. 12) Inspiring Your Children to Love Learning - Once a parent makes the commitment to home school, many questions arise about how to take on the task at hand. What are the most important things to do? Where do you start? What are the most important goals? What type of instruction should take place in the secondary school years as opposed to early childhood? The Callihans believe that academically, the most important thing to do is to plan and prepare around "inspiring a love for learning" in your children. How is this accomplished? What practical things can be done to inspire and assure that the love of learning occurs? If these are areas of concern in your home school, don’t miss hearing what David & Laurie share in this very practical workshop. A well-attended one wherever we give it. 13) Guiding Toward A Christian Worldview - Many home school parents feel inadequate when it comes to teaching about worldviews. Where can we find good material that will help parents provide what the world won’t? What is the difference between a Christian and non-Christian worldview? What difference does it make? What is the difference between a Christian and an agnostic, atheist, or humanist, or something else for that matter? What material is appropriate to teach at what age? What is available academically to help our children prepare to think about the major issues in life: creation and evolution, abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, racial prejudice, violence, proper appearance, family values, politics and citizenship, church and state, war, civil disobedience, and so on? What roles do parents play in teaching these subjects? What are some practical tools we can use to teach this material in our homes, and among other home school families too? It provides parents with ammo to address the creation/evolution controversy head-on in the home. A must for every parent! 14) High School and Beyond - A clear goal of a home school education is to prepare your students for college or career. What options does your child have for post-secondary education? What if your child doesn’t have college plans? What other options are there? What about the military? Can home schooled students qualify for sports scholarships? Other scholarships? How do we find the information we need? What about careers in missions or Christian service? Are there any tools to help you along the way? What about apprenticing or special training in non-traditional career options? David & Laurie have put together a practical workshop that will answer these questions & much more. If your child is just about ready to "spread wings and fly away" this workshop will more than help. 15) Focusing On The Heart Of Your Child - When all is said and done, the most important part of home education is not academic or social, but spiritual. This workshop helps give parents some very practical suggestions on ways to build proper spiritual concepts in your curriculum. The Callihans share numerous concepts including clear definitions of terms, goals parents can establish for spiritual success, and strategies to help assure that the spiritual dimension of education is covered in the home school. If this subject is neglected, even with excellent academics, you miss everything! Find out how to build the proper spiritual foundations in your children in this practical seminar. This workshop is a foundational requirement for every Christian home school family. The ideas shared here will affect everything else done in the home school. If you miss these concepts, you miss everything. If the ideas learned here are put into practice, the rest of the home school experience will fall in place. This material will provide sanity to any home school situation. It’s a "got to" workshop. 16) But I'm Not Creative! - This workshop will dispel the myth that some people are creative and others aren't. We will discuss how any parent can learn to be creative in their home school. (See the article on this title in our Crosswalk.com homeschool page archive.) 17) Encouraging Homeschool Dads – This session is meant to be a “Dads only” venue where David shares from his heart about the joys and struggles of the homeschool Dad. David has a unique understanding of the triumphs and turmoil of the unique role of the Dad in the homeschool. This is a very personal workshop where dads interact and share their struggles and solutions that they have found to the real problems dads face. We all go away from the session encouraged and ready to move on! 18) **Homeschooling Right, Right Through College! There is an education revolution that is taking place today. Parents are realizing that homeschooling through high school isn’t the end of the story. With the advances in the Internet, as well as innovative learning opportunities, home educators can now keep on going right through the college level. Learn what opportunities exist in this area. In addition, we discuss the benefits academically, morally, spiritually, emotionally, “socially,” and financially by considering home-based, parent-directed, biblical worldview-focused college for homeschoolers. 19) **Homeschooling Through the Hard Times – Just when you think you have things on an even-keel in your homeschool – kaboom – life happens. What does and what should happen in the homeschool household when trying times occur? The Callihans have very specific experience with many types of “hard times” that can come upon the homeschooling family. They homeschooled through extreme financial hardships, layoffs, forced moves, family illness, taking care of aging parents, and more. The Callihans offer practical ideas, and faith-giving encouragement for taking on difficulties while homeschooling. 20) **The Not-So-Nice Truth About Public Schools – With the experiences of home schooling our five children and now, teaching in public schools for the past two years, we have gained a very unique perspective on the current state of public education in America. It is not pretty. This workshop will encourage home schoolers, Christian educators, and those who are convinced that alternative education options to that provided by the state are better alternatives. Practical concepts such as Christian Community Learning Centers will be discussed, in order to provide a vision for what Christians can do who want to change the look of education in America. Once you hear what is going on in public schools, you will know the truth and it will set you free! ** Brand new topics for 2006. REQUIREMENTS: Our requirements for speakng are quite simple: 1. We are very flexible. When we are asked to speak as keynotes or main speakers we ask for 3 tables in the vendor area with electric hookup, hotel accommodations* (including the night before and at the end of the session), meals, and travel expenses to and from the location. For smaller groups, regional events, or family get-togethers at someone's home, we are totally open to how to make it work. Please don't think there is no way we could come. Let's trust the Lord together! Contact us and see what we can do. *We know that sometimes accommodations are available at private homes in your area, however, we respectfully ask that whenever possible we book a hotel room instead. This is not because we are “anti-social” – in fact, quite the opposite. We find that when staying in private homes we aren’t able to prepare as well to meet the needs of your audience. So please don’t take it personally, we love getting to know individual families, but when we are speaking, we want to give you our very best! Don’t let this expense keep you from asking us to come, however, we will do everything we can to work things out for your group. 2. Honorarium is left to your discretion. Some groups do a free-will offering, others give us a set amount. We will leave that between you and the Lord. 3. If we need to pay for vendor space because you already have your regular conference set up, talk to us about trading some of your booth space for as many sessions as you would like. Again, we want to find ways to minister and make it a win-win for everyone. If you need references, here are a few: Paul and Lorraine Matte-Former LEAH president: 585-346-5212 Here's what Kevin Swanson, Executive Director of CHEC said about our ministry: "David and Laurie Callihan have been a huge blessing to Colorado home educators. They spoke to our Leadership Symposium last month (Dec. 2002). Their message is powerful, while their graceful and humorous delivery brings the message home. They bring out a biblical method of home education that maintains Christ-centered quality in the content. Their message, "You CAN do it!" is resoundingly positive, something every home educator needs to hear." (Thank you, Kevin, for those kind words.) Many blessings as you plan for 2006 and beyond. David and Laurie Callihan
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