Homeschooling parents and advocates looking for advice and support should find plenty of it March 30-April 1 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
It is the fifth year for the Teach Them Diligently Homeschool Convention at the Gaylord, an event packed with opportunities to listen to numerous speakers and shop at a busy exhibit hall. Similar conventions are being held this year in Georgia, Arkansas and Ohio. Organizers say Teach Them Diligently conventions typically draw around 7,000 people.
The keynote speaker at the Gaylord this year will be evangelical pastor and radio broadcaster Tony Evans. Hymn-writers Keith and Kristyn Getty will also appear.
There will be sessions for those just getting started with homeschooling as well as for those well under way and facing various challenges. Other sessions will focus on helping children with learning difficulties and setting up science labs in the home. In addition, there will insight on the history of Christian education and ways to incorporate biblical instruction in homeschooling.
Exhibitors will include Alpha Omega Publications, Classical Conversations, Veritas Press, Inc., DK Publishing, Scholastic, Focus on the Family and World News Group, among many others.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, there were about 1.8 million homeschooled students in 2012, an increase from 850,000 in 1999, the first year estimates were reported. The percentage of the school-age population being homeschooled increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 3.4 percent in 2012. The results of a survey showed that the top reasons parents gave for homeschooling were to provide religious and moral instruction and because of concerns about the environment and academics at traditional schools.
For more information about the homeschool convention at the Gaylord and to register, visit their website.
