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Registration required but the conference, including lunch, is free.

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Emphasis: TOOLS & TYPES OF EDUCATION

Kepler Education of Roman Roads Press, Scholé Groups of Classical Academic Press, and mentors from CiRCE Institute are uniting as a Consortium of Classical Educators for this one-day event on June 19, 2021 near Lafayette, LA to ignite a renaissance in education where families and teachers alike partake in classical education through the various types (or settings), receive expert teacher training, and embrace the tools which embody this lasting tradition in either online or community settings.

Discover the freedom of homeschooling while maintaining the expertise of a faculty.
Participate in genuine and frank discussions centered on customizing your child's education using online and community tools.
Learn to find and form your own tribe of like-minded families committed to scholé, or restful learning from home.
Learn how to craft a curriculum governed by the liberal arts tradition.
Receive support as a public, private, or home educator in ongoing teacher training.

Speakers

Dr. Scott Postma

President & CEO, Kepler Education

Scott is a veteran educator living in northern Idaho with his bride of more than 30 years where he leads Kepler Education and practices the ancient art of Tsundoku. He earned a PhD in Humane Letters at Faulkner University and blogs at scottpostma.net.

Renee Mathis

Educator, CiRCE Institute

Renee Mathis lives in central Louisiana and has been married to Steve since 1982. They have 5 children and 8 grandchildren. Renee began teaching in 1988 and is a graduate of the CiRCE Apprenticeship program. She homeschooled her own children, spent 19 years as an administrator and writing/literature teacher with PREP Classes, taught for the CiRCE Online Academy, and is entering her 7th year as the Head Mentor of the Gulf Coast Apprenticeship.

Lisa Mayeux

Educator, Scholé Groups

Lisa Mayeux is a graduate of University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the wife and mother of two children. She has spent more than a decade homeschooling her two children according to classical pedagogy. Lisa is the director of Sanctus Spiritus Scholé in Lafayette, Louisiana, has been teaching in a co-op setting since 2007, supported Classical Academic Press for over five years, and is the Marketing Coordinator for Scholé Groups.

Jessie Smith

Educator, Kepler and CiRCE

Jessie is a homeschooling mother of four, passionate about learning, teaching, and for the past seven years, pursuing a Classical Christian Education. Jessie teaches 'The Lost Tools of Writing' for both Kepler Education and The CiRCE Institute. She also attends The CiRCE Institute's Apprenticeship program with an expected completion of the master teaching program in the summer of 2022.

Joffre Swait

Student Life Coordinator, Kepler Education

Joffre is the academic advisor for students (and their parents) studying at Kepler. He is married to Kimberly, and they homeschool their five children in Moscow, ID. In his spare time, Joffre enjoys writing poetry, playing rugby, making YouTube videos, and video chatting with strangers from around the world.

Schedule

8:30-9:00 Registration (Fellowship Hall)
9:00-9:15 - Welcome and Introduction by Joffre Swait
9:15-10:00 - Recovering The Idea of a University, Scott Postma
10:00-10:45 - The Lost Tools of Thinking: Writing and Rhetoric as Tools for Life, Renee Mathis
10:45-11:15 - Break (Fellowship Hall/Sanctuary)
11:15-12:00 - Breakouts
- #1 Simone Weil on Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies, Lisa Mayeux
- #2 Lit with Littles, Jessie Smith
12:00-1:00 - Catered lunch
1:00-1:45 - What is Scholé?, Lisa Mayeux
1:45-2:00 – Dismiss to breakout
2:00-2:45 - Breakouts
- #3 The Nurturing Community, Renee Mathis
- #4 Building Online Education Communities, Joffre Swait
2:45-3:00 – Return to sanctuary for Q&A panel
3:00-3:30 Q & A panel

Talks

Talk #1: (Scott Postma) Recovering The Idea of the University

Description: By recovering the Idea of a University in education, Christian educators can transcend the coming dark age and recover a foundation for culture that will allow human beings to flourish as free men and women in the kingdom of Christ.

Talk #2: (Renee Mathis) The Lost Tools of Thinking: Writing and Rhetoric as Tools for Life

Description: When is a writing program more than a writing program? By teaching the tools of writing by teaching students how to think, we not only equip the next generation of writers, but also model loving, Christlike communication.

Talk #3: (Lisa Mayeux) What is Scholé?

Description: How do we create an atmosphere of scholé and practice it in our learning community and at home.

Breakouts

Breakout #1: (Lisa Mayeux) Colloquy- essay: Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies -Simone Weil. Simone Weil calls us to align study with prayer and attentiveness in this essay. We will read and discuss why she says this is the key to a Christian conception of studies!

Breakout #2: (Jessie Smith) Lit with Littles: 6 Ways to Discuss Stories and Poems with Elementary Students.

Breakout #3: (Renee Mathis) The Nurturing Community. What does it take to build, feed, and sustain a community of like-minded travelers and pilgrims? How can you be both a resource for others as well as a recipient of their wisdom? In this interactive session we will explore some practical ways to create the kinds of groups we need.

Breakout #4: (Joffre Swait) Building Online Education Communities.

DIRECTIONS

FROM ALEXANDRIA

Merge onto I-49 S toward Opelousas
Take exit 19 onto US-190 WEST/E Landry St.
Turn Right onto US-190/E Landry St. (one-way street)
Turn left onto S Main Street/LA 182 (one-way street)
Church is on the corner of S. Main Street & E. Cherry St.: 434 S. Main Street

FROM TEXAS

Merge onto I-10E toward Lake Charles
Take exit 103B to merge onto US-167/I-49 North toward Opelousas
Take exit 19B onto US-190 WEST (loops around onto one-way street)
Turn left onto S Main Street/LA 182 (one-way street) Church is on the corner of S. Main Street & E. Cherry St.: 434 S. Main Street

FROM LAFAYETTE

Merge onto I-49N toward Opelousas
Take exit 19B onto US-190 WEST (loops around onto one-way street)
Turn left onto S Main Street/LA 182 (one-way street)
Church is on the corner of S. Main Street & E. Cherry St.: 434 S. Main Street