This year, 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.

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.

Debbie Strayer has a gift for speaking and brings each topic to life with humor, honesty, and years of homeschooling experience. This, along with her educational expertise, will undoubtedly be a bright and guiding light for homeschool moms who need one.  Her journey as an educator and homeschooling parent translates into inspiration and encouragement for homeschool parents.

Debbie received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Florida State University and is an experienced public school teacher and mentor of younger teachers. She is the former editor and co-founder of Homeschooling Today™ magazine, the author of Gaining Confidence to Teach, one of the co-authors of the Learning Language Arts Through Literature series, and editor of The Homeschool Answer Book by Dr. Ruth Beechick.

Visit Debbie’s website for more information.

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.

Valerie Bendt and her husband, Bruce, have homeschooled their six children all of their school lives. Valerie has written the following books of interest to homeschoolers:

• Unit Studies Made Easy
• Creating Books with Children
• The Frances Study Guide
• Successful Puppet Making
• Easy-to-Make Bible Story Puppets
• Reading Made Easy
• Making the Most of the Preschool Years

Valerie and Bruce’s five oldest children have graduated from homeschooling, and the Bendts continue to homeschool their youngest child. The family resides in Tampa, Florida.

Visit Valerie’s website for more information.

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.

Some of Randi’s seminar/conference topics include:

• Beginning Homeschooling
• Homeschooling the High Schooler
• Early Learners, Parenting: Fun or Frenzy
• Parent Perspectives: Special Needs

Randi and her husband have homeschooled their seven children for the past 23 years; all of whom have gone on to college.

Dana Moseley is your host and guide through the mysteries of  mathematics on Chalkdust videotape programs.  While attending Louisiana State University, Mr. Mosley earned two degrees in mathematics – a bachelor of science degree in 1968 and Master of Arts in 1972. Dana has over 15 years of classroom teaching experience and twelve years of video teaching experience.  Grade levels range from junior high school through junior college. Professor Mosley has been the primary video instructor for the college division of publisher D.C. Health and Company (now Houghton Mifflin) since 1989.

Credentials are one thing, but fundamental teaching ability is the essential element that makes math come alive. Dana’s teaching style is relaxed and easy to understand. He has a knack for explaining difficult math topics using living room conversation, and in so doing he takes the anxiety out of the most intimidating topics.

Visit ChalkDust.com for more information.

Kelly Ling is a homeschooling mom of five children and has been very active in the Georgia homeschooling community for over 15 years. She started and continues to run one of the largest email lists for Georgia Christian Homeschoolers with over 800 members across the state.

Her common sense approach to child raising has made her a popular homeschool support group speaker. She also encourages and mentors moms who both homeschool and work at home.

Kelly has worked from home for over 20 years while homeschooling her children. Currently, she is a web site designer specializing in WordPress designs and also the family’s disc jockey business with her husband. Some of her most popular homeschool websites include Homeschool-Articles.com and HomeschoolTopSites.com.

Eden Vaning, awarded Private Studio String Teacher of the Year for the State of Florida 2006 by the American String Teachers Association. Ms. Vaning has published over 25 highly acclaimed texts on music education. She was Performer’s Certificate Winner at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in New York and served on the faculties of Northern Arizona University, University of Southern California, and University of Wisconsin. Her students have been winners in top major violin competitions including the Coleman National Chamber Music Competition in Los Angeles and the Seventeen Magazine Young Artist Competition. Ms. Vaning has performed as Concertmaster (lead violinist) of orchestras across the United States and has shared the concert stage with top luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, and Ray Charles amongst others. (Eden’s Homeschool Music curriculum is heartily recommended by THE WELL-TRAINED MIND and by THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE MAGAZINE.)