Speaker Biography
Barbara Tifft Blakey is a published writer and the developer of Total Language Plus, a literature-inspired language arts program. She and her husband Terry have been married for over fifty years and have four children, three of whom were homeschooled through high school. Barbara is a nationally-known speaker, having conducted workshops and seminars on a variety of topics for public and private schools, Christian women’s groups, homeschooling conventions and support groups. She makes her home outside of Olympia, Washington where she conducts writing workshops and teaches literature-inspired classes to homeschool groups.
Presentation Topics
The Star Inside
A 30- to 45-minute presentation for classrooms, grades 4 through 8, designed to motivate children to want to write as well as practical applications for the writing process.
Writing: How Can I Teach What I Cannot Do?
A two-hour, hands-on workshop designed to help the non-writing mom confidently evaluate her child’s writing.
Writing Strategies
Ideas to infuse fun into writing assignments and help students understand the writing process.
Family Bible Class
How our church celebrates families in its once-a-year, all inclusive Sunday school program where the oldest and youngest learn together.
A Woman for All Seasons
The special concerns and needs of a homeschooling wife and mother are addressed providing emotional encouragement and practical strategies to live a victorious life.
What If It’s Not About. . .
A fresh look at setting priorities and simplifying our hectic lives.
The View From My Deck
Five life-altering lessons gleaned from outdoor encounters with God: forgiveness, perseverance, patience, hope, and loneliness.
Married and Homeschooling OR Married to Homeschooling
Important needs for husbands and wives are discussed within the context of the home-schooling family.
Help! I’ve Fallen and I Don’t Want to Get Up. (Dealing with Burn-out)
Not a glib pep talk, this seminar deals with the reality, cause, effect, and cure for different stages of burnout.
Homeschooling through Jr. and Sr. High
Ten important benefits of homeschooling the upper grades, potential dangers, and practical suggestions.
Literature Based Studies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The benefits and pitfalls of literature-based studies, how to choose good literature, and how to develop your own studies.
Charlotte Mason for Today
A child-training approach as effective today as it was in the 1800s.