CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
Parents are their children's primary educators, whether they homeschool or not. For that reason, we wish we could leave an apple on the desk of every parent, because we know how much work goes into educating children, especially at the high school level.
If you're not doing the tutoring yourself, you're finding the tutor. If you're not deciding on curriculum, you're choosing the school. Whether you sit down every day and teach your child at the kitchen table, supervise "school at home" from a loving distance, or want to supplement your child's traditional education with enriching experiences, we have something for you.
Think of this conference as your "teachers lounge". We've spent decades combined teaching in classrooms, advising in schools, and becoming entrepreneurs, and we are so excited to meet you and share what we know, to make your lives easier and your role as teacher even more fruitful and fulfilling!
Sponsored by Teach to the Text.
CONFERENCE DETAILS
Date: January 3, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: Online AdobeConnect classroom (Register to get the link!)
Program: See a list of 8 speakers below. Talks will be pre-recorded and 20-30 minutes long. Some speakers will be present in the classroom afterwards for live Q&A.
Pop in or out as your schedule allows. Conference will be moderated live by Ellen Finnigan of Teach to the Text. Recordings will be available until Dec. 31, 2025.
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Shalom in the Home:
Art for Education and Sanctification
Derek Brooks
Derek Brooks is a spiritual director and the founder of Benedictus Art. Benedictus Art seeks to be what a business should be and “serve the common good by striving to increase the goods of this world and to make them more accessible to all.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 203). Derek partners with schools and churches, providing not only museum-quality art but also helping to choose works and design displays meant to facilitate the realization of each partner's particular mission. In a world that yearns for the beautiful, his aim is to enable encounters with God through the contemplation of works of true beauty.
How Classical Music Creates Vital Contemplative Spaces in an Age of Consumption
Sadie Hoyt
Sadie Hoyt is the creator of the Classical Encounters curriculum. She holds a MM in Chamber Music from the Catholic University of America where she is currently a DMA candidate in Vocal Accompanying. Sadie has participated in chamber music festivals in the United States, Canada and Austria, including Frost School of Music in Salzburg, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Seminar, Cleveland Institute of Music Summer Chamber Music Program, the Vancouver International Art Song Institute and the Wintergreen Music festival, where she was awarded the piano fellowship in 2019. Sadie currently maintains a full piano studio, is on the faculty at the International School of Music, and performs regularly as a collaborative pianist with singers and instrumentalists.
3 Steps to Teaching Your Teen to Homeschool Independently Without Micromanaging or Nagging
Jill Baumann
Present for live Q&A on Jan. 3!
Jill is the visionary behind Self-Directed Success: Empowering Teen Learners and creator of Scholar's Quest for Independent Success, an innovative, gamified course that guides teens toward independence through an engaging, RPG-inspired journey. With six years of homeschooling her own two children and seven years guiding over 50 teens at Inspired Learning Academy, a "school for homeschoolers," Jill has developed a unique approach that channels teens' natural enthusiasm for video game challenges into real-world learning. She's passionate about fostering self-efficacy, using student agency and skillful coaching to help teens build lifelong skills with confidence.
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/@SELF-DIRECTEDSUCCES
WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/SELFDIRECTEDSUCCESS
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/GUIDING TEENS TO HOMESCHOOL THEMSELVES
Touring High School Mathematics with Descartes
Tim Ricchuiti
Present for live Q&A on Jan. 3!
After teaching at a national test-prep company for more than a decade, Tim shifted into private school education and tutoring. During COVID he started creating teaching resources online, and they've already helped millions build confidence and do their best. Tim's dynamic and approachable teaching style empowers learners of all ages to embrace the beauty of math, breaking down barriers and making complex ideas understandable.
WWW.POLYMATHEMATIC.NET
@polymathematic on TikTok
Trusting God's Gifts: Teaching to Your Child's Talents and Personality
Celeste Cuellar
Present for live Q&A on Jan. 3!
Celeste Cuellar (QUAY-yar) has been working in the fields of education and counseling for over 30 years in faith-based institutions. She was a preschool teacher and administrator, a mental health therapist, a school counselor, an adjunct college instructor, a K-12 classroom teacher, and for over a decade, a homeschool academic advisor for Kolbe Academy. As part of her duties in providing academic advisement to families and students, Celeste was heavily involved with many families who had students with special needs because they were gifted, neurodiverse, or medically fragile. She has a master’s degree in counseling and has treasured the opportunity to come alongside Catholic families and support them in their educational journeys, including her nine homeschooled grandchildren. A convert to Catholicism, Celeste and her husband, Mark, met when she was employed in Lutheran campus ministry and he was a volunteer with the Newman Center at the University of New Mexico.
Goodbye to 3-Letter Programs: Teaching Writing in High School
Ellen Finnigan
Present for live Q&A on Jan. 3!
Ellen Finnigan has been teaching writing online to homeschooled students in one form or another since 2008. She taught at St. John Bosco, a hybrid school in Atlanta, (2012-13) before teaching in the high school English and Literature department for nine years at Kolbe Academy, a classical school for homeschoolers. In 2022, she founded Teach to the Text to promote contemplative learning. She holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. Her writing has been published in a variety of venues, both online and in print.
Record-Keeping for High School: How to Do a Transcript
Laura Lorona-Kays
Present for live Q&A on Jan. 3!
Laura is the director of Mantellum Matris Academy, a 30-year-old private school satellite program founded in California to administratively support independent Catholic home educators. The program now enrolls families from across the country and internationally. Since 2013, Laura has counseled parents on choosing curricula, creating transcripts, and assisting students in applying to colleges, the military, and religious orders. Laura and her husband exclusively educated their family’s three sons at home from birth through high school, with each successfully attending college. She previously held executive-level positions with non-profit arts organizations; served on the launch team for the Classic Learning Test; and served as a college director of admissions. Laura also speaks at homeschool conferences on Catholic home education and legislative matters concerning religious and educational rights.
The Beginnings of a Hybrid School: From Concept to Launch
Sharon Masinelli
Sharon Masinelli is the founder and Head of School at St. John the Baptist Hybrid in Kennesaw, GA, an educational model blending traditional classroom instruction with homeschool elements. Since its founding in 2019, Dr. Masinelli has built an academic environment where students can engage in a hybrid approach to traditional and classical education, with some courses designed entirely around classical principles. Dr. Masinelli holds a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Valdosta State University and brings extensive experience in both educational and clinical fields. In addition to her role as an educator, she has a background as a Physician Associate in Cardiology, working at Piedmont Heart Institute. Her experience in education spans various instructional roles in subjects including Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy, where she has taught at institutions like Kennesaw State University and Georgia State University. Dr. Masinelli has also spoken widely on topics related to hybrid schooling, including at the National Hybrid Schools Conference and the Cato Institute. She will be discussing her journey in starting her hybrid school from an entrepreneurial perspective.
PROGRAM
9:00 MST
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Shalom in the Home: Art for Education and Sanctification
by Derek Brooks
Beauty and art can have a great impact on the formation of heart, mind, and soul. Derek Brooks will cover the theology of the home as outlined by thinkers such as Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Carrie Gress as well as the concept of shalom and its relevance to transforming the home into a sanctifying space. Finally, he will offer practical ways to create such a space with a particular emphasis on artwork in the home.
10:00 MST
How Classical Music Creates Vital Contemplative Spaces in an Age of Consumption
by Sadie Hoyt
Description coming soon!
11:00 MST
3 Steps to Teaching Your Teen to Homeschool Independently Without Micromanaging or Nagging
followed by live Q&A with speaker Jill Baumann
In this talk, you will learn: 1) The single most effective way to get your teen to take ownership of their education—without constant reminders. 2) How to give your teen the skills they need to stay on track independently, so you can stop micromanaging their every move. 3) A simple but powerful system for keeping your teen accountable and productive, without having to nag!
12:00-1:00 BREAK
1:00 MST
Touring High School Mathematics with Descartes
followed by live Q&A with speaker Tim Ricchuiti
Description coming soon!
2:00 MST
Trusting God's Gifts: Teaching to Your Child's Talents and Personality
followed by live Q&A with speaker Celeste Cuellar
Oftentimes parents become frustrated when they're hardwired to teach in a certain way, and it doesn't work for the child who's made to learn in a very different manner. Gaining understanding of what matters to both of you and why and discovering how to find common ground can help you become a more efficient teacher and your child a more efficient learner. God made each of you "that way" and as challenging as it can be to embrace the differences, we can trust in God's goodness all the time!
3:00 MST
Goodbye to 3-Letter Programs: Teaching Writing in High School
followed by live Q&A with speaker Ellen Finnigan
What’s the difference between a curriculum provider and a literature teacher? The curriculum provider wants to teach your child how to write year after year…after year. The literature teacher wants to get the writing taught. Come learn why you should consider ditching the writing curriculum in high school. Walk away with practical tips that will help you build more writing into your child's education, curriculum-free.
4:00 MST
Record-Keeping for High School: How to Do a Transcript
followed by live Q&A with speaker Laura Lorona-Kays
What do parents need to keep and track during high school? What goes on a transcript versus a CV? Laura will show you what you need, why you need it, and what to do with it!
5:00 MST
The Beginnings of a Hybrid School: From Concept to Launch
by Sharon Masinelli
Sharon Masinelli will share her journey in founding St. John the Baptist Hybrid School, a hybrid homeschool model with a blend of traditional and classical education. She will cover key steps in building a hybrid program, from creation of the business as a nonprofit to curriculum selection to creating a supportive community, and will explore how classical methods can be implemented successfully, even in a traditional setting.
An Apple for the Teacher
An apple for the teacher is
a custom tried and true,
a way of saying “thanks” for all
the good things teachers do.
This symbol is significant,
for apples grow from seeds––
like those our teachers plant in
children’s minds, to meet their needs.
These precious seeds, sowed kindly by
a teacher’s loving hand,
spring forth in trees of knowledge that
spread out across the land.
The vital fruit of these great trees
is picked and freely shared,
each taste a promise to the world
of rich, new ground prepared.
And so the cycle goes, from seed
to sprout, to bearing tree.
We’re grateful for the hands that sow
our children’s destiny.
Interested in speaking at the next Independent Educators Conference?
We're looking for amazing, experienced, entrepreneurial educators with wisdom to share, services to offer, or both. We'd love to hear from you!
Click here.
