Southwest TJEd Forum 2010 - Part 1

Marly, Chris, and I attended the 2010 Southwest TJEd Forum. All I can say is "WOW! Fantastic!" Chris was not very thrilled about going. This is the first year that I registered him to go to the Youth Forum, but when the day was done he said he was very glad he went. I was on the committee this year and felt like the entire thing was such a great experience that I might be up for doing it again. Maybe I'll have to look into that when we get settled in our new place.

My overall feelings are that this was well worth the money and effort to attend. The speakers were fabulous and I hung on every word for many of them. My pen could not write fast enough to record my thoughts and feelings. Here are some very basic personal perspectives that I am sharing. There is really no way to record it all, and it so individualized that what I learned will not be the same as the person next to me.

Carol Shippy - Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) - "Update on Laws in Arizona"

Now, some of you may know that I have not always had the best relations with some of the board members at AFHE. I will say here that I do greatly appreciate ALL that they have done to keep the freedom to homeschool in Arizona (even though they are a bit anti-Mormon at times). Her speech on educational freedom and all the work they are doing was wonderful. I am very thankful for their organization and all that they do.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Andrew Groft - President of George Wythe University - "The Renaissance of Kings"

This speech really resonated within me. I had several epiphanies during his charismatic presentation.

1. There are many dangers awaiting to keep us from getting a liberal arts education - distractions, sin, addictions, and apathy. 
2. The masses (general population) have always had the heart, strength, and might to overpower tyrannical governments, they just have not had the MIND. Thus we need to become truly educated so that we have ALL the powers. 
3. Virtue means to become what your creator intended for you to become. 
4. Education today = job training. The original meaning of the word education in Latin (ex ducare) is "to draw out that which is already there" or "to cause to be expressed" or "to draw out meaning".
5. I can make a difference in ANY career.

Powerful stuff to me.

He also spoke about that the right kind of education is:

• Biological - the quest to understand life within the mind.
• Biopathical - the quest to understand life within the heart.

Part 2 - Julie Early
Part 3 - Coming Soon!