The Word Within
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Author. Teacher. Speaker
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Author I am a logophile from birth. I love words. I love The Word.
So, I read until I knew I had something to teach. I loved teaching the great works of the great voices of the past, some of the books I love to read. And then, finally, I had something of my own to say and I began to write. Check out the "Books" tab to find what is already in print, and find news on what is in the pipeline! TeacherDiscovering the call and response of the Great Conversation of literature has been one of the joys of my life. After leading one-day homeschool academy courses for home-educated high school students and public homeschool students for over twenty-five years, I had a truly revelatory experience in the classroom one day. We were studying Tale of Two Cities, discussing the retribution against the Marquis by the villagers. Suddenly, we were talking character, values, morals, and students were revealing their own hurts and hearts, were quoting Scripture, were asking ME what was right.
I realized at that moment that homeschooling parents should not want me to be teaching these great classic works and themes. No, parents need me to empower THEM to have these discussions. So, I put my courses online and created teacher guides to enable them to do just that. In my online/anytime courses at The Red Couch Reading Room, I attempt to engage students in that same joy. Created especially for home-educated high school students, the teacher's guide empowers parents to guide and discover the meaningful discussions that literature is intended to inspire. Each course includes grammar refreshers, vocabulary units, writing prompts & helps, and socratic seminar experiences. The courses are wonderful for parents guiding their own students and also for those who wish to lead a small co-op. SpeakerI love to speak at homeschool conventions, on topics ranging from "Literature as a Life Coach" to "Creative family devotions" to "How to Teach Writing from a Literature Foundation." In addition, I speak occasionally at ministry training events, generally on creating family resource centers and encouraging families in discipleship, or women's events. I'm retired "officially" - but if there are engagements coming up, I'll make sure to post them on the tab here!
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