Biology and Chemistry – Libertas Academy

Biology, chemistry, and physics, oh my! Do you ever feel like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” as you walk down the road of your homeschooling journey, wondering and even worrying about science classes and experiments and lab reports? You are not alone as you consider how you will incorporate a vigorous study of science into your homeschooling program. Other parents just like you are looking for a way to take on middle and high school level science courses in a way that serves their students now and in the future.

We will be offering biology and chemistry utilizing Apologia’s “Exploring Creation” books and support materials. Expect your students to delve into the intricacies of God’s creation while doing weekly experiments together with other students. The purpose of the hands-on lab experience will be to reinforce and deepen understanding of the concepts presented in the course. Students will be taught how to write a thorough lab report for each experiment.

So why go it alone when you can partner with a seasoned science teacher and your student can join with other students on their adventure in discovering more about God’s creation in a challenging yet encouraging environment!

For more information email libertasacademyorlando@gmail.com, or visit http://www.LibertasAcademyOrlando.com.

Julie received her B.A in Zoology from the University of Maine in 1981 and subsequently moved to Orlando, Florida, where she began her teaching career in Orange County Public Schools. After a short stint there, she taught middle and high school science classes in a local private Christian school for five years before becoming a stay-at-home mom and homeschooler.

Over the next 20 years, she and her husband David home educated their four children, during which she privately tutored students in math and science. In addition, she has taught homeschool classes in general science, physical science, biology, chemistry and anatomy.

Public Speaking – Libertas Academy

This year Libertas will be offering a public speaking class for upper elementary and middle school.  I am personally extremely excited for this new course!  For more information email libertasacademyorlando@gmail.com.

The Art of Argument + Speech Boot Camp

An Introduction to Logic & the Skill of Public Speaking

Argument?! Why would I want to teach my kids to argue? By “argument” we do not mean an emotional quarrel or petty squabble, which may be the first thing that comes to mind when many hear the word. By “argument” we mean a reasoned case for or against a point of view that includes reasons for or against it. There is a very important art to this particular practice of persuasion. And being able to see the fallacies in the arguments of another is of great benefit in life! The Art of Argument is an introduction to this art and to the twenty-eight fallacies of logic usually only taught to college-age students.

What is Speech Boot Camp? Long ago, the vital skill of speaking well, or “elocution,” was considered an essential part of every citizen’s basic education, enabling the average man or woman to not only reason soundly but to present ideas in an intelligent, persuasive way. Sadly the art of speaking well has faded as a required subject in most schools, but it should not be a missing element in our students’ formation.

Speech Boot Camp is a short but powerful public speaking intensive designed to give students confidence with public speaking – an essential skill, vital for those who would pursue a future in teaching, in leadership, in entrepreneurship, in nearly any profession. Assuming no previous experience, this course introduces the most important basic concepts for organizing and presenting a speech, giving ample opportunity for practice, and teaching students how to effectively critique and encourage each other.

 

World Religion – Libertas Academy

Here is another sneak peak at a 2015/2016 class coming to Libertas Academy.

For my own part, I have sometimes told my audience that the only two things really worth considering are Christianity and Hinduism.  (Islam is only the greatest of the Christian heresies, Buddhism only the greatest of the Hindu heresies.  Real Paganism is dead.  All that was best in Judaism and Platonism survives in Christianity.)  There isn’t really, for an adult mind, this infinite variety of religions to consider. CS Lewis “God in the Dock”

What exactly is Lewis talking about in the above quote? What exactly does Hinduism teach? Or even Islam, for that matter? And what is Paganism, or at least in our time, what is humanism? And what is a heresy? And how are we to think about these things?

These are only some of the things we will tackle in World Religions. The important things aren’t necessarily what these religions teach (although this is definitely something that must be understood!) but why they teach them and how we should think about them. In order to understand the what’s, why’s and how’s, the student must also delve into the historical context in which these religions sprung up, the actual writings and teachings of the religion’s leading theologians, and exactly why this all matters to the Christ follower.

The middle school and high school years are formative for understanding not just the biblical worldview, but the worldviews they will encounter when their educational pursuits lead them to secular universities and secular jobs. What will they say when a Muslim tells them that the Christian and Muslim God is one and the same? Or when the Buddhist claim that God is in all that is around us, and that the Christian scriptures even teaches this? Or when the secular humanists insist that to be altruistic is a sign of evolutionary weakness? Or when the postmodernists tells them that it’s ok to believe in Jesus, but it’s not ok to force others to do the same? Or when the atheists claim that the Christian God is egotistical and unjust?

We will be taking a deeper look at the leading religions and cults of the world, from Mormonism to Atheism, from Islam to Judaism. Each month will be spent digging deeply into the history of the religion, the writings of the religion, the specific beliefs of the religion, and the Christian response. By the end of this course, students will not only have a better understanding of what others believe, but what they themselves believe. To quote CS Lewis again, the response to learning about different world religions will always come back to this: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” The Christian response isn’t about simply disproving what other religions claim…it’s about demonstrating Christ to a world that desperately needs Him and wants to find happiness in anything else but Him. And by studying world religions, students can become convinced in their own minds of the supremacy of Christ above all things.

Janelle Garrett has 10 years tutoring and teaching experience, everything from writing to Anatomy and Physiology.  She has her nursing degree from Florida Hospital College of Health Science, and started tutoring her senior year of high school to start saving to get her college degree.  She now stays at home with her kids and continues to pursue her original passion of teaching.

For more information on this, or any other classes at Libertas Academy, email libertasacademyorlando@gmail.com or visit http://www.LibertasAcademyOrlando.com.