2024 Conference Schedule
2024 Conference Speakers
Colleen Carroll Campbell
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Colleen Carroll Campbell is an award-winning author, print and broadcast journalist and former presidential speechwriter. Her books include her critically acclaimed journalistic study, The New Faithful; her spiritual memoir, My Sisters the Saints, which won two national awards and has been published in five languages; and her award-winning new release, The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s, which has also been published abroad. Colleen has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Christianity Today, America, and National Review, and appeared on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and EWTN, where she hosted her own television and radio shows for eight years. A former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and editorial writer and op-ed columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Colleen is the recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous other awards and fellowships. She speaks to audiences worldwide and lives on the central coast of California with her husband and their four children, whom she homeschools. Her website is http://www.colleen-campbell.com./
KEYNOTE TALK:
Too busy for the beatific vision?
How hunger for heaven can—and should—revolutionize our family schedules
Homeschooling’s explosive, post-COVID popularity has given us more options than ever for curriculum, community, and activities. It’s also made it tougher than ever to resist the status seeking and extracurricular arms race that consumes our frantically busy culture. How do we educate for eternity while preparing children for success in the here and now? How can we discern distractions from essentials in our schedules; avoid compulsive comparison and overcommitment while still aiming for excellence; and leave enough margin in our days to respond to God’s surprises despite fears that our kids will be left behind? Drawing on Scripture, the saints, and her own experience as a homeschooling mom of four, award-winning author Colleen Carroll Campbell will sketch a way forward that keeps our hearts and homeschools fixed on the only hope that does not disappoint—the eternal homeland where we’ll know God’s love poured out in full.
Celeste Cruz
Celeste Cruz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their eleven children. She converted to Catholicism in college and fell in love with the Traditional Latin Mass in graduate school. She educates her children using Charlotte Mason's vigorous and delightful educational philosophy. Besides helping run a local nature club and co-op, she writes at her blog Joyous Lessons, shares on Instagram @celeste_cruz, and serves as a director at the Charlotte Mason Educational Center (thecmec.org).
Talks(2):
“The Infinite in the Finite”: Simple Steps Toward Beauty in the Homeschool
The Church has always held that God speaks to us through beauty in the world--we can find "the Infinite in the finite," in the words of Pope Benedict. How can we allow this truth to shape the way we homeschool? In this talk, we will consider two small ways to bring beauty into lessons for children of all ages, and how these practices can help guide our students toward virtue and inspire them toward God.
"End-of-Term Reflection: A Mother's Key to Hope and Growth"
One of the greatest tasks we have as mother-teachers is to help each of our children thrive--spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. Yet with the demands we have on our time and energy, it can be a challenge to meet this high calling. With the help of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and many concrete examples from family life, we will discuss how an end-of-term reflection routine can bring order, deepen our love for our children, and offer a path forward.
Jill Stowell
Jill Stowell is the founder and executive director of Stowell Learning Centers where she and her team have helped thousands of children and adults permanently eliminate difficulties associated with learning disabilities, dyslexia, auditory processing, and attention challenges.
Jill is the host of the LD Expert Podcast and a three-time best-selling author and speaker who is passionate about helping parents and educators understand their struggling students and the possibilities for real change. She has trained hundreds of public and private educators in specialized learning programs and provides consultation to a worldwide network of learning centers working to eliminate learning challenges.
Talk:
"Successfully Homeschool your Child with Learning Differences"
“My child is struggling. Is it attitude? Is it a learning disability? Is it me?”
Kids do well when they can. Difficulty in school, poor attention, and even difficult behaviors are almost always an indication of lagging underlying skills. Find out:
- What’s at the root of learning and attention challenges
- How slight changes in perspective and language can make a huge difference
- Strategies to support reading, comprehension, and attention
Christy Wall
Christy Wall is a 30-year veteran of homeschooling. She has nine children and each of them have gone to college and gone on to live happy, faith-filled lives. She has worked with multiple curriculums and taken advantage of both public and private school options. She is the author of two books, The Greatest Battle (Luminare Press 2022) and The Echoes of Silence (Luminare Press 2024).
Talks(1):
"Homeschooling When Life Doesn't Cooperate"
When life gets complicated, or you are going through hard times, you can be still be an amazing teacher to your children. You can teach them not only how to persevere through adversity, but the actual studies themselves. I will bring suggestions on how to keep yourself strong, and what lessons to focus on and what can hold off for a year. Homeschooling is not just about math and science, its about teaching your children virtue, strength, courage and joy. And there is no better teacher than you! This is true, even if you are burdened with sorrow or difficulties."
Laurie Shepardson
Laurie Shepardson is a homeschooling, rosary praying, grace seeking, wanna be saint. She loves to share about her faith, family, and failures in between. She is passionate about trying, and sometimes succeeding, to do small things with great love. Laurie is a wife to Ken and mom to 11, ages 27 down to 5. She has homeschooled for the past 23 years. She loves to share and help new people along on their journey.
Talk:
"Introduction to Homeschooling"
“Is it legal?” “How do you do it?” “What about socialization?” Laurie will navigate through the ins and outs of homeschooling in the state of California. They will discuss the importance of knowing your own reasons for educating your children at home.
Laura Loroña-Kays
Laura and family recently completed their twenty-third year of homeschooling, having successfully graduated the third and last of their children. Their eldest is pursuing his Masters at the University of Dallas, the middle son is pursuing a life in the arts, and the youngest is now pursuing a degree in Marine Biology. Since 2013 she has led Mantellum Matris Academy (formerly Regina Caeli Academy), which is joyfully celebrating thirty years as a private school satellite program supporting Catholic home educators in California and now throughout the country. Laura’s wide-ranging experience uniquely positions her to guide parents from and in every facet of education. She was a successful director of admissions for Magdalen College, was on the launch team for the Classic Learning Test, created several educational outreach programs during her tenures as a museum and performing arts executive, and began her professional life as a pianist and accompanist. In 2018, Laura coordinated the Catholic contingent that joined with hundreds of homeschoolers in Sacramento to defeat AB 2756 and last spoke at SCCHE about that historic success. Having moved to Kansas five years ago, Laura is blessed to continue supporting independent Catholic home educators throughout the country and has attended SCCHE as a vendor since 2014, having also invited several new vendors over the years.
Talk:
"Homeschooling High School? Everything you need to know!"
As a successful three-time high school homeschooler herself, Laura will take parents through the process of homeschooling high school from beginning to end, hitting all points in between. If you’re undecided whether to homeschool these years or are in your final year of doing so, you will likely find benefit and answers to many of your questions and concerns. Just some topics to be addressed include: Can I homeschool through high school? How do I decide on a course of study? Will my child learn enough? How do I prepare my child to discern their life after high school? What coursework is necessary? Do I need to follow state requirements? Do I need an accredited transcript? How do I keep adequate records? Can I create a transcript that colleges, religious orders, or businesses will accept? Can I really do this? Laura will happily address all!
Fr. John Kodet, FSSP
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter was established in 1988 by Pope St. John Paul II. It has apostolates around the world, including over 50 in North America. On June 25, 2018, Archbishop José Gomez dedicated St. Vitus Catholic Church as a personal parish of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Fr Kodet is a priest of FSSP who was homeschooled during his educational years on a Minnesota farm with his large family. He is a great supporter of homeschooling families at his parish and in Southern California.
Talk:
How to Truly Love Your Children and Grow Their Faith
In a tough world and culture, homeschooling seems to be the only answer. Father will share how his experience being homeschooled fostered faith in his life. Using stories, memories and practical examples from his life growing up in a large Catholic family, he will encourage you to stick to the path that leads to the greatest good, heaven and holiness.
John De Gree
John De Gree is a history teacher and the co-founder of Classical Historian, where he writes classical history curriculum. Born and raised in Southern California, he studied in Central Europe and married his wife Zdenka in Czechoslovakia. They moved to California together in 1996 and homeschooled their seven children together. In addition to writing curriculum, John speaks at conventions, creates history games, and blogs about current events.
Counter-Revolutionary Education
Our schools, universities, and media have been captured by a cult. We need a counter-revolution that replaces the revolutionary dogmas of DEI with what has always been at the core of a good education:
- The Good
- The True
- The Beautiful
This talk will lay out history of ideological capture and share best practices for counter-revolutionary educators.