Featured Speakers | Chicago Homeschool Expo

2010 Featured Speakers

We’re excited to have some of the best homeschool speakers in the country. Their expertise and experiences cover a wide range of topics, from beginning homeschooling and curriculum choices to information on how to teach specific subjects to encouragement for understanding why we homeschool and how to not only educate our children, but to impact their hearts and lives as well.

Susan Wise Bauer was born in 1968, grew up in Virginia, and was educated at home by pioneering parents, back when home education was still unheard of. She learned Latin at age ten, worked as a professional musician while still in high school, and wrote three (unpublished!) novels before she turned sixteen.

Since then, Susan has toured with a traveling drama group; galloped racehorses at a Virginia racetrack for spending money; taught horseback riding; worked in ghostwriting and newspaper ad sales; learned enough Korean to teach a Korean four-year-old Sunday school; and served as librarian and reading tutor for the Rita Welsh Adult Literacy Center in Williamsburg. Currently she runs Peace Hill Press, writes in a restored chicken shed, lectures on writing and history, helps run the farm, and cooks huge meals on a regular basis.

Susan and her husband now live in rural Virginia, where Peter serves as the minister of a nondenominational church. They have three sons and a daughter; five dogs; three horses; two cats; and a variable number of chickens.

Susan’s most recent book for Norton, The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome (2007) is the first in a four-volume series providing a narrative world history. Her previous book, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (2003), is a guide to reading the classic works of fiction, poetry, history, autobiography, and drama. Norton also published The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (with co-author Jessie Wise); originally published in 1999, this bestselling guide to education in the classical tradition was revised and updated in 2004. Susan has written a four-volume world history series for children, The Story of the World, for Peace Hill Press. Volume 1, Ancient Times, was published in 2002 (revised edition 2006); Volume 2, The Middle Ages, in 2003 (revised edition 2007); and Volume 3, Early Modern Times, in 2004. The final volume, The Modern Age, was published in 2006. Susan is also a contributing editor to Books & Culture and a frequent contributor to Christianity Today.

Todd Wilson, author of Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe, Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom, and The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, is a dad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and gut-honest realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family.

As founder of Familyman Ministries, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through The Familyman Weekly (a weekly e-mail sent to thousands of dads), seminars, and books that encourage parents.

Todd, and his wife Debbie, homeschool their eight children in northern Indiana.

Israel Wayne is a homeschooled graduate who is leading his generation in defending the Christian faith and developing a Biblical worldview. He is the author of the book Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview. Israel is a regular columnist for Home School Digest and Brush Arbor Quarterly, published by Wisdom’s Gate, where he currently serves as the Marketing Director. He is also the site editor for ChristianWorldView.net.

Israel is a popular conference speaker, and a frequent guest on national radio programs discussing home education and cultural issues from a Biblical perspective. Israel’s family began home educating in 1978 and has been featured in national and international publications including TIME Magazine, The Arizona Republic, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal. Israel has been featured as the keynote speaker at various state homeschool conferences, with up to 5,000 in attendance.

Israel and his wife Brook were joined in marriage without dating and share their testimony of God’s faithfulness on an audiobook titled, What God Has Joined Together. Israel and Brook, also a homeschool graduate, are home educating their five young children, and Brook is a regular columnist for An Encouraging Word magazine.

Jim Weiss has been a storyteller for over 25 years. In June, 1989, Jim decided to do something more with the craft that he had formerly practiced solely for pleasure. He and his wife, Randy, formed a production company, Greathall Productions, and have thus far produced forty three (43) storytelling recordings with enticing titles from classical literature, such as Greek Myths, King Arthur and Sherlock Holmes. Jim’s Greathall line is the recipient of more than 80 major national awards from:

The American Library Association
Parents’ Choice Foundation
NAPPA
Parents’ Council
The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
The Film Advisory Board
Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media Award
and more!

Weiss’ newest releases are “Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome” and “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.”

Jim is a favorite speaker at the Southeast Homeschool Expo. Visit the Greathall website for more information about his recordings.

Randi St. Denis, Director of Home Educators Encouragement Alliance (HEEA), is an educator, popular homeschool speaker, and a seasoned homeschooling mom. Using her degree in Educational Psychology, Randi works as a consultant to public, private, and homeschool families; providing teaching expertise and assistance for all types of children. She is recognized as an expert in the technical aspects of learning that allow every type of child, from special needs to gifted, the opportunity to learn well.

Randi and her husband have homeschooled their seven children for the past 22 years; six of whom have gone on to college. The youngest is currently homeschooling.

Marlene Byrne, An award-winning children’s author, advertising agency owner, and mother of two from Chicago, Marlene Byrne is passionate about the healthy development of children. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, she contributes her success to education (she received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), great mentors and the creativity of her youth. In 2008, driven by her belief that it is as equally important to be creative as it is to be smart, Byrne founded Project Play (www.ProjectPlayBooks.com)—a movement that inspires kids to get back outdoors for imaginative backyard games. Since that time, Byrne has written and published five children’s books, led countless treasure hunts and storytelling events, been featured in national print and broadcast media, and developed classroom curricula—all designed to encourage writing, reading and creative playtime in children. In 2009, Project Play was named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services by Mom’s Choice Awards.

Lisa Brown, and her husband, Tony, have homeschooled their 4 kids for the past 16 1/2 years. Having graduated all 4 from homeschool high school, each one has gone on to become a well rounded, very capable adult ~ no “transitioning” required! Tony & Lisa are Board members of HEIR of Georgia [Home Education Information Resource], where they work to protect freedom in education, and Directors of C.L.U.R.T. Ministries ["... come ... let us reason together ..." ~ Is. 1:18], where they minister to families regarding all family matters ~ from educational consulting to marriage counseling. Believing that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” Lisa addresses topics everyone needs, but most avoid, while sharing a healthy dose of humor to “make the medicine go down” smoothly. A popular speaker, Lisa brings fun humor, genuine encouragement and practical solutions to real, everyday challenges we all face.

Kelly Ling

Amy B

urnham and her husband, Mike, have been home educating their two children for..ever. They are 13 and 11 and have always been home. Amy is a graduate of Trinity International University with a degree in Psychology and Communications – both of which come in handy in raising a family. She is a leader of the Beacon homeschool group, which provides support and resources to families in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. She has also been a member of Toastmaster’s International for over 20 years and belongs to a couple’s club with her husband. Raised in the Chicagoland suburbs and always feeling the desire to be a teacher, she is now realizing that dream….at home. She has also taught classes in several homeschool co-ops. She brings humor, experience and common sense to her discussions and is passionate about the need to be responsible for the raising of your own children in all areas of life, no matter what it takes.