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Archers for the Lord

Speaker’s Bureau

Mary Hood

Member since 01/2011

Mary Hood, and her husband, Roy, homeschooled their chilldren since the early 1980s. All five of their children were homeschooled for the entire time from K-12, and have made successful transitions to college and adult life. Mary has a Ph.D. in education, and is the director of ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc., (The Association of Relaxed Christian Home Educators, Psalm 127), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that serves homeschooling families. She ran a homeschooling resource center for nine years in the Atlanta area, and is the author of such books as "The Relaxed Home School", "The Joyful Home Schooler", and "The Enthusiastic Home Schooler". Nationally known as "The Relaxed Home Schooler (R)", she continues to write and speak about the relaxed homeschooling lifestyle. The ARCHERS organization is attempting to create a national homeschooling conference center in the Georgia mountains, which has always been Mary's ultimate dream! Their website is www.archersforthelord.org.

My Mission Statement

I want to help convince as many people as possible to try homeschooling as a lifestyle, and then support and encourage them by helping them take control of their children's education and learn how to establish a joyful, relaxed atmosphere in their homes.

Honorarium

Negotiable

Past Engagements/Seminars

"Trust in Learning Conference" Austin, TX - 2/2011

"Featured Speaker, SEARCH of Pennsylvania" Philadelphia, PA - 6/2009

"Featured Speaker, MTHEA" Nashville, TN - 5/2009

"Featured Speaker, Midwest Home School Convention" Cincinnati, OH - 4/2009

"Keynote speaker, Montana Home Educator's Convention" Billings, MT - 5/2008

"Featured speaker, LINK Conference" Los Angeles, CA - 4/2008

"Keynote speaker, Relaxed Home Schooling Conference" Seoul, South Korea - 10/2007

"Keynote speaker, East Africa Homeschooling Conference" Nairobi, Kenya - 1/2007

Presentations

Beat the Middle School Blahs

This workshop discusses the developmental needs of the middle school student in such areas as cognitive development, social developmoent, and physical and emotional development. She includes specific suggestions on how to best work with this age group and prepare them for high school.

How to Look More Like a Family, Less Like a School

Mary compares and contrasts the school model of education and the relaxed family model, and discusses parental roles, and differences in the learning and discplinary atmospheres.

How to Loosen up Without Losing Control

Mary discusses the importance of establishing a basic structure for discipline and learning together in a relaxed family atmosphere.

Reading & Writing the Natural Way

Mary discusses how to help children develop literacy and learn to love to read and write in the process. Includes discussions of learning styles, readiness, and motivational issues.

Tailoring High School to the Individual

Mary talks about the importance of recognizing individual goals, strengths and weaknesses, and personality traits when developing a high school curriculum, and gives concrete suggestions on how to balance these issues with the demands of college entrance officials and others.

Taking the Frustration out of Math

Mary discusses the development of math skills in the context of child development, and helps parents learn to identify and correct the difficulties they are having connecting with their young children in the area of math.

Publications

The Relaxed Home Schooling Workshop Series (Set of 8 cds)

Eight cds worth of talks on many topics related to homeschooling

Ambleside Educational Press 2007

The Enthusiastic Home Schooler

This book is partly autobiographical in nature, and emphasizes how to keep on homeschooling during difficult times, whether due to personal factors or economic issues.

Ambleside Educational Press 2002

The Joyful Home Schooler

In this book, Mary goes into more detail on establishing a relaxed home schooling atmosphere that is based on a solid Christian faith and guided by the goals of parents and students, acting as partners.

Ambleside Educational Press 1997

The Relaxed Home School

This is Mary's first book, talking about how she and her husband worked with their children when they were young in a relaxed, family-oriented atmosphere.

Ambleside Educational Press 1994