Kansas City Conference for Catholic Homeschoolers 2008

  Talk 1: Reasoning: the 4th 'R' by Vicki Servi
Hands-on Workshop. Work through puzzles and activities that develop cognitive abilities and higher-level thinking. Presentation details importance of critical thinking and reasoning with discussion of Socratic learning and Bloom’s taxonomy. The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills and abilities. Six major categories, from simplest to most complex, are Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Categories can be thought of as degrees of difficulties - the first must be mastered before the next can take place.

  Talk 2: Good Literature in the Home by Jim and Alice Bascom

  Talk 3: The Priesthood of the Laity within the Domestic Church by Leon Suprenant. Best-selling Catholic author and columnist Leon Suprenant will examine how homeschooling fits into the larger framework of our vocation as lay Catholics. Drawing upon Church teaching and a wealth of personal anecdotes, Leon will provide practical guidance for homeschooling parents who desire to raise a new generation of saints.

  Talk 4: Growing Vocations in the Home: What's Your Soil Like?  by Kelly and Bob Roper
In this talk we will discuss ways to cultivate the soil of our homes to be fertile gardens for holy priests and religious, mothers and fathers, and/or single adults. We'll draw wisdom from Scripture, the Saints, and local and national surveys to reach conclusions and identify action steps that will help us to prepare our children for whatever God has planned for them.

  Talk 5: Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from JPII’s Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility byDr. Edward Sri. The modern world offers a picture of relationships, love and marriage that has caused much uncertainty, confusion and heartache in our relationships with the opposite sex. John Paul II spent much of his life reminding us of what true Christian love is and offering a vision for relationships between men and women that is life-transforming. It’s also immediately practical from all walks of life: single people, newly married couples or couples married for over 30 years. Discover John Paul II’s practical wisdom on the real relationship issues we face every day and learn how it can help us strengthen marriages, build greater trust and intimacy with our spouse, and live Christ’s self-giving love right in our own homes. In this talk, Dr. Edward Sri will speak on his new book, Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II’s ‘Love and Responsibility’ (Servant Books).

  Talk 6: Winning the Hearts of Our Children by Keeping a Mother's Heart by Rosey Lebold . How do we nurture and keep a loving relationship with our children, especially our teens? Imposing our will upon them while they are young can be effective, but may drive them away as they grow older. By exploring the wisdom of the saints and the beauty of our faith, we can discover some of the ways to effectively win the hearts of our children for the Lord.

  Talk 7: Vocations and Teens by Father Mitchel Zimmerman . Fr. Mitchel will explore with teens how to pray to receive a vocation from God and how to distinguish between our desires and God’s will. He will also talk about why some young people refuse to listen to God’s call and will give practical advice on how to respond to the Church’s need for male priests and religious.

  Talk 8: Home Educating Children when there are Challenges by Gail Mies . There is nothing more heartbreaking than having a bright, wonderful child who is struggling academically, emotionally, behaviorally, or socially. All too often friends and family are quick to point out deficiencies; however, the answers for addressing the problems often fall short. During this workshop we will look at the time-proven techniques for helping families overcome the challenging obstacles blocking their children’s true potential.

  Talk 9: Mary and the Women of the 20 Mysteries by Dr. Edward Sri. Practical points about what we can learn from Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, Mary Magdalene, and others who appear in the 20 mysteries.

  Talk 10: The Importance of the Beautiful in the Catholic Religion by Fr. Denis Bucholz. That is beautiful the apprehension of which pleases (St. Thomas of Aquinas). Already the classic philosophers have shown us that the beautiful, the good and the true belong together. These are the three ways spiritual substances relate to reality. The object of knowledge is truth, while the object of desire is the good. There is, however, a third way of relating to reality in which knowledge and desire are united in breathtaking vision. Beauty, therefore, is essentially a gift, a radiant vision presented to our eyes or ears, a seeing or hearing of being clearly, that is, in the radiance of its inner splendor. It is evident that this beauty we are able to experience has its origin in the Divine Order of Creation; and even more we can find it in the Order of Redemption. God is beautiful and everything He creates is not only good but also beautiful. God’s beauty is reflected in every creature. Thus, if we do something we should not only do it in goodness but also in a beautiful way.

  Talk 11: The Priesthood of the Laity within the Domestic Church by Leon Suprenant. Best-selling Catholic author and columnist Leon Suprenant will examine how homeschooling fits into the larger framework of our vocation as lay Catholics. Drawing upon Church teaching and a wealth of personal anecdotes, Leon will provide practical guidance for homeschooling parents who desire to raise a new generation of saints.

  Talk 12: Charlotte Mason's Methods: A Living Education by Maria Rioux.

  Talk 13: Do Whatever He Tells You by Fr. Mitchel Zimmerman . In this talk, Fr. Mitchel will explore how we must receive a vocation from God before we can choose a vocation. He will discuss Marian spirituality and the need to become like children in order to receive and/or renew our vocation from God. This session will help explore how and why people lose or doubt their vocation and how to rediscover it through prayer and attentive reading of the Gospel.

  Talk 14: Homeschooling Through High School by a panel of parents . Bring your questions for the panel. Jane and Tony Bernardel and other parents with high school students and/or graduates will answer questions and facilitate a discussion on homeschooling high school.

  Talk 15: Great Minds for Small Minds by Maria Rioux. This is a talk for new and wannabe homeschoolers. How to get started, avoid burnout, and even have some fun. It is my sincere belief that any parent committed to homeschooling can do it.