2019 Speaker List Coming Soon!
2018 Speaker Topics
2018 Speakers
Keynote – Dana Wilson
Dana Wilson is mom to five hilarious children, two of them with disabilities, and has nearly two decades of homeschooling behind her, with over a decade to look forward to. She has started and revived homeschool support groups, and enjoys speaking to individuals and groups across Oklahoma and in other states about the joys and challenges of homeschooling, parenting children with special needs, classical education, and biblical leadership. Dana and Dan Wilson are honored to serve on the board of Oklahoma Christian Home Educators’ Consociation (OCHEC).
JoAnne Bennett
Jo Anne has been offering her experience to the home educators of the Tulsa area since 1996. As a consultant, she advises new home educators on how to choose curriculum, keep records, make schedules, comply with laws, etc. She has assisted experienced parents in specific areas of concern such as developing unit studies, teaching deeper reasoning skills, and preparing for college entrance.
Dennis Gundersen
Dennis Gundersen is President of Grace & Truth Books, a Christian publisher of over 70 books. He has served as Senior Pastor at three Tulsa churches since 1984, and is currently devoted to writing, publishing and conference speaking. He is author of “Your Child’s Profession of Faith” and “Courtship or Dating: So What’s the Difference?” and is a frequent speaker at home school conventions around the nation. He is a visiting professor of theology at Tlapaneco Bible Institute, Guerrero, Mexico. He and his wife Naomi have been married since 1976 and have four adult sons. www.graceandtruthbooks.com
Christa Bartlett
Christa Bartlett is a writer and blogger dealing with issues in Christian Classical education with a Charlotte Mason style. Her blog, Educating Oaks, focuses on making a lifestyle of education and discipleship. She looks at the habits, mindsets, and practicalities of raising children to be faithful followers of Christ for the next generation. For her, education is not just about facts and information, but about learning to seek and find the beautiful in every situation, to train not only our children’s minds but also their hearts.
Renee Vasher
Renee Vasher is passionate about encouraging families who have chosen to home educate their children. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Renee has been married to her best friend and supporter, Jim, for 29 years. Jim and Renee have four children and have been on their amazing and crazy homeschooling journey for 16 years. Their two oldest children have graduated from high school and have gone on to be successful in their college pursuits. In 2006 Renee helped start the non-profit organization Extraordinary Education. Extraordinary Education exists to partner with parents in developing extraordinary, Christ-honoring, college-worthy, culture-changing leaders for the next generation. Currently, Renee works with Classical Conversation and helps homeschool families in the Tulsa area navigate the high school years with their children. Jim and Renee own Genesis One Consulting Solutions which works to mentor businesses and homeschool families meet their goals and be successful.
Jonathan Bartlett
Jonathan Bartlett is the director of the Blyth Institute, an independent nonprofit biology research and education organization. Jonathan is also active in the homeschool community, teaching co-op classes in science, math, computer programming, and electronics. Jonathan writes a science-oriented homeschooling column for Classical Conversations, is the author of several books, and speaks regularly on issues relating to science, faith, and education.
Pam Guenther
Pam is a homeschool mom of six children, who, years ago, came across the “Charlotte Mason” school of thought and followed several speakers and bloggers who promoted her ideas. Two or three years back, she decided that if it was worth following her followers, it was probably worth reading her original works. Since then, she has judiciously studied Charlotte Mason’s works and other 19th century educators. She found her writing on the subject of habits particularly fascinating. After receiving a Masters of Biology in Physical Therapy, she went on to work as a pediatric physical therapist for the next 15 years (and counting). During that time, she had to learn to understand children and how they work. And now, raising and educating her own children, she has become an expert in her field. She has learned much from studying 19th century educators and feels they are not getting a voice in our 21st century American culture. She addresses one of the things that they deemed important but we seem to have forgotten in raising and educating children: habits.
Gina Conroy
They say those who can’t, teach. Gina Conroy says those who have a passion, inspire others to greatness. Along with having several fiction and nonfiction published books, Gina has hosted a weekly podcast called Teen Writers Publish and teaches writing for adults. She’s also homeschooled her four children and mentored writers for years. Currently, she’s an Epic approved vendor teaching writing and enrichment summer camps at Holland Hall as well as tutoring children in reading and writing. This fall she is excited to be teaching at several homeschool co-ops including Aspire, Cornerstone Tutorial, and Little Oaks Christian Academy. She is also working on turning her popular classes into curriculum so more families can take advantage of her creative approach to writing and education. She hopes to publish the homeschool edition of “Release the Novel in You” novel writing workbook this fall to inspire writers everywhere.
Melissa Hendrickson
Melissa Hendrickson is a wife, mom, and family discipleship pastor. She and her husband have served families and children for over 20 years at Church 3434 in Tulsa, OK. Melissa also directs Challenge A with Classical Conversations and has home educated her two sons for over a decade. In 2015 she and her family discovered their youngest son had Dyslexia. They began seeking help and hope during this new season of their journey. Along the way God has developed in them a greater appreciation for the uniqueness of the gifts given to each of us from the Father.
Ahava Lilburn
Ahava Lilburn is a homeschooling mother of four children. She has been
married for 30 years, and she and her husband have been on this homeschooling journey for over 25 of those years. As her two older
children graduated and the two younger ones entered the Lilburn Academy
High School, Ahava found more time to create the books and products she
desired when her children were younger. Ahava’s website is Minister2others.com.
Holly Peevyhouse
I fell in love with photography at the age of 13 years, became a professional at the age of 17, went to college to study photography, and then opened my own studio at 19 years old. I began teaching photography classes 18 years ago and became passionate about instructing others how to photograph family, stories, and lives using their very own cameras! I am a homeschooling mom of four children, and I thoroughly enjoy teaching high school students (and adults) true photography skills for anything from fine art credits to nourishing passions in photography. I have developed a photography curriculum specifically designed for online students who want to learn how to do photography well.
“I help people capture the beautiful moments of their lives and tell their stories through photography by giving them simple step-by-step instructions that the novice or advanced photographer can replicate. I share my passion for life and the story of love and JOY with everyone I meet!”
Justine Anderson
Justine Anderson knew that she would homeschool, and homeschool “differently,” even before her first child was born. That was eighteen years ago and Justine is still doing things differently. A former high school math teacher, Justine’s formal education includes a degree in Math Education from Oral Roberts University. Her more important education includes much research about educational methods and philosophies plus fourteen years of experience teaching her own children. Justine’s current interests include integrating classes across the curriculum and using project-based learning. Her newest challenge is the paradigm shift involved in bringing her eight-year-old with Down syndrome home to homeschool after four years in private and public schools. Firmly believing that you don’t have to do things the way they have always been done, Justine enjoys the opportunity of teaching in her coop as part of a team that teaches integrated language arts using good books and a variety of projects.
Staci Woodruff
Staci Woodruff has been married to her husband, Steve for 28 years. They had their first child while serving on the mission field. She has been homeschooling for 18 years, has graduated 2 of their six children and has 10 years to go. She teaches mainly high school classes in co-op and loves to use technology in her homeschool both at home and in the co-op setting. She has been a member of a homeschool co-op for about 15 years and currently serves as President on the board of Compass Homeschool Initiative in Jenks, OK. When she is not homeschooling, Staci likes to explore their fourteen acres and fix up her home in Colcord, OK.
Paul & Valerie Rose
Paul & Valerie have homeschooled four of their children through high school and are currently completing high school with their two youngest. Over the years, they have used a variety of techniques, curriculums and co-ops for a rich and rewarding experience and have met many wonderful friends in the home-school community along the way. They both have been big supporters of the Tulsa OCHEC Convention and want to see the home-school community grow and strengthen in their corner of the state. The Roses are known for large family-oriented gatherings at their midtown home with a warm fire to gather around, good food, fun games, and interesting conversations into the late hours. “Our home-school adventure has blessed us with children who have a wide variety of interests, gifts, and passions and kept us all close as a family.”