Colene Lewis

---

Colene Lewis is passionate about equipping and inspiring parents, teachers, and students to live cultivated

lives—lives of purpose, meaning, and learning.

Colene homeschooled her three daughters through high school in a

home where learning was a joy and a way of life. Each earned

academic scholarships to college where they excelled in diverse fields

of biology, engineering, English, political science, and law. More

importantly, all three women are walking with the Lord and raising

their own families now.

Alongside her husband, Tom, Colene served on the board of Arizona

Families for Home Education for over 13 years. During that time, she

became a sought-after speaker, and has presented at numerous

conferences, including the National English Teachers Convention, the

Arizona Librarians Convention, and the home educators’ conventions

in Arizona, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, and

Massachusetts.

After homeschooling her children, Colene worked for the Alliance

Defending Freedom for 13 years where she ministered to over 1500 Christian law students by helping them professionally and spiritually to be able to impact the nation and the world. Colene is now turning her energies to ministering to parents by working with her daughter Heather Haupt, speaking, and writing curriculum.

Home Schooling: Real Hard and Real Blessings  

This talk provides honest encouragement to those considering homeschooling. The real hard part of home education is the commitment of time, energy and resources. The real blessings of home education include stronger family bonds and a personalized education.  And these blessing will make the work worth it.

Motivating Children to Learn
We all want to motivate, not manipulate, our kids.  We want them to develop self-control; who has the energy to be always controlling them? We want them to be driven internally by grace, rather than externally by law. Come and learn some tried and true tips on motivating your kids from preschool to adulthood!

Simple Scheduling to Make Room for Spontaneity 

Lesson planning should be a simple tool that will help us be more effective. A good lesson plan does not take too much time and can be the spring board to the spontaneity which is the one of the strengths of the homeschooling approach to education. Come and hear principles that you can use whatever curriculum and lifestyle you have.

Foundations: Global Awareness

An understanding of the world – both the physical and cultural geography – will give your children a basis for future studies in history and science. Come and discover how to teach geography and world awareness across your homeschool day and curricula.

The Art of Finding Great Books 

We want our children to read broadly and well. But how do we find good books that will enhance whatever curricula we use? Come and learn how to find and discern the best nonfiction and fiction books quickly and easily. Learn to find and recognize living books. Whether you use the library or like to buy, whatever the age of your children, these are principles you can use!

Cultivating Self Control

Self-control is a central virtue of moral thought from the Ancient Hebrews to the Greeks and onward. This inward ability to say “no” to temptation, to say “yes” to controlling impulses and emotions, and to say “yes” to delaying gratification is key to success in life. Modern psychologists call it “executive function” and it is vital for children to thrive in academics, social interactions, careers, relationships, and even spiritual, emotional, and physical health. Come hear Colene share her insights in cultivating this foundational character trait.

Homeschool Hints from Calvin and Hobbes

Almost everything you need to know to homeschool, from educational philosophy to practical homeschool how-to’s, can be found in Calvin & Hobbes. Come laugh, learn, be encouraged as veteran homeschooler presents wisdom gleaned from the stories of a young boy and his stuffed tiger.

Developing Life-Long Readers

Come and discover how to prepare an environment that will cultivate life-long readers! Reading acquisition is so much more than merely reading mechanics. Whether you have a pre-reader, emergent reader, or fluent reader, this intensely practical workshop will give you tools to use (including developmentally-appropriate activities and tips on book selection) as well as pitfalls to avoid (including jumping the gun or taking a cookie cutter approach).

Launch and Let Go

Failure to launch is a national phenomenon. The final goal is to launch our child into their future is not an event; it is a long process that starts from the early years.  Come and learn principles and practical ideas that will help prepare you and your child for that transference into successful, independent adulthood. 

Transcripts: Simple and Effective  

Writing a transcript is like tying a beautiful bow on the gift of homeschooling high school. Learn how to simply and effectively construct a transcript that provides direction as you are planning and teaching high school, colleges appreciate and accept, and gives satisfying closure on your homeschool experience. Find out what colleges want, how to count community college, and how to assign credits and compute GPA. 

Homeschooling Teens – Tips that Work!

Most teens crave to be independent, express their opinions, and control their lives. Smart parents will channel these tendencies to propel homeschool forward. Learn how to start to communicate with your teen to work together on your teen’s homeschool strategy.   

Sharing Life, Love, and Learning: How Homeschooling Can Build Relationships

One of the perks of homeschooling is the opportunity for families to build relationships. Learning to live and learn together, 24-7, provides a wonderful environment where relationships flourish. Now relationships are messy, and home education is not always easy, but the benefits are well worth the effort!