Training For Triumph :: Speaking and Bios

Speaking Topics
From Training for Triumph Family Ministries
Spring 2007

The Reishes are available to speak on dozens of topics at workshops, conventions, retreats, conferences, support groups, and more. We are also available to introduce our materials through workshops and vendor booths.

Our speaking topics and speakers include the following. (For an exhaustive list and detailed descriptions, please contact us by telephone. We can adapt our workshops to meet your needs.) Speakers’ information and credentials available upon request.

Opening Exercises, Entertainment, and Encouragement
Fathering and Marriage
Parenting and Family Living
Child Training
Helps for Homeschool Moms
General Home Schooling
Language Arts Areas
Developing a Love for Learning in Your Home School
Speech and Debate
History for Parents or Teens
What My Parents Taught Me About….Series by the Reish young adults (for parents)
Other Topics From Reish Young Adults
Topics for children and young adults
Vendor Workshops
Language Arts Workshops

Opening Exercises, Entertainment, and Encouragement
Donna Reish provides short poetry and prose of three to ten minutes for entertainment, encouragement, introductions, and transitions, including:

Scripture Memory Saga - a prose - Donna Reish
hilarious peek into memory work time at the Reishes

Donna Takes a New Look at I Corinthians 13 - Donna Reish
funny and motivating poem about what it means to love

Into the Eyes of My Children - Donna Reish
poignant look at expectations of our children

Dandelions for Mother - Donna Reish
sweet poem about wonders of childhood

Too Much to Ask - Donna Reish
motivating poem about important things in raising children

Fathering and Marriage
Ray Reish presents several fathering and marriage workshops and can alter the sessions done with Donna for his own workshops as well.

Meeting the Needs of Your Wife and Children - Ray Reish
Ray Reish looks at the primary needs of a home school wife and children and explains how to meet these needs by focusing on them over less important things. Ray will explain practical ways to meet needs at various stages and ages—and how to continue to be one with your wife in a busy homeschool family. Very motivating and enlightening.

Teaching the Bible to Your Children Without Pressure - Ray Reish
Ray Reish gives home school dads the courage to dig into the Bible with their families - without a Bible degree or the pressure that they aren’t doing it right! Ray shares dozens and dozens of fun and non-pressured ways the Bible has been brought into his homeschool over the past twenty years - and how to make God’s Word and its teachings the center of your school and life.

The Successful Home Schooling Father - Ray Reish
Ray Reish shares several components that have, in the eyes of his wife and children, made him a successful home schooling father. Fathers everywhere can be successful in their home schooling efforts when they learn to die to themselves and serve their families as opposed to ruling them.

Family Worship, Family Altar, Family Devotions - Ray Reish
How Can I Do It All? Ray Reish gives dads the encouragement they need to “do the next right thing” - and not be overwhelmed by the “advice overload” that makes sharing Christ with our children more complicated and out of reach than it really is. In this workshop, Ray discusses family devotions, family read alouds, family worship, family prayer time, teaching our children about God constantly, teaching our children to love the Lord, and training children to have an others-first mindset. Dads can go home and begin immediately doing “the next right thing” - without being perfect or following an elaborate system.

Marriage by the Book - Ray Reish
In this marriage workshop, Ray Reish (or Ray and Donna) describes how he has applied Scriptures about marriage, selflessness, and deference to their marriage to develop marital oneness. More than another “rule and reign” and “respect and obey” workshop, this one focuses on truly loving and giving—from both the husband and the wife. This approach to marriage makes the “ruling” and “respecting” come much more naturally!

Parenting and Family Living
Ray and Donna Reish present the workshops listed below together; however, any may be adapted for Ray or Donna to give alone.

Family Unity - Ray and Donna Reish
Ray and Donna Reish share how they have developed family unity in their family of seven children through family togetherness, family worship, family times, family work, family protection, and more. Lots of practical applications to make your children each others’ best friends - and to make them crazy about their parents!

Reaching the Heart of Your Teen - Ray and Donna Reish
Ray and Donna Reish share what they have found to work in reaching and keeping the hearts of their teens. With six children ages thirteen through twenty-five right now (and one elementary boy), the Reishes have found some very specific keys to discipling and mentoring their teens and young adults.

Child Training of Younger Children - Ray and Donna Reish
Laying the foundation for a successful homeschool and successful family relationships, Ray and Donna Reish teach parents how to train young children in obedience, diligence, kindness, responsibility, and much more.

Discipling and Mentoring Your Children - Ray or Donna Reish
More about discipling and mentoring children—beginning with elementary age and moving into young adults. This workshop, which can be presented by Ray or Donna Reish (or the two), is for those with all ages of children, describing how to begin reaching the heart of your younger children while still maintaining discipline, then how to move into a mentoring role with your older teens and young adults.

Building Strong Family Relationships - Joshua Reish
Can your children's siblings really be their best friends? What can you do to build strong relationships with your children? In this workshop twenty-five year old home school graduate, Joshua Reish, will answer these questions and many more. With stories and examples from his life as well as practical advice, Joshua will explain what his parents did to make his siblings his best friends and to build a strong relationship between him and his parents.(Also available by Kayla (May-August) or Cami.)

The Well-Trained Heart - Ray and Donna Reish
This very newest workshop(s) presented by Ray and Donna Reish and based on their upcoming book, The Well-Trained Heart, may be one to a dozen sessions in length! The basic, beginning session is that of “The Whys and How’s of Heart Training”—what the Bible says about heart training, general principles in heart training, the importance of heart training, the trend towards neglecting heart training in favor of academic training and activities, and much more. The remaining sessions may be any chapters from The Well-Trained Heart.

Character Training in the Homeschool Family
Ray and Donna Reish present the workshops listed below together; however, any may be adapted for Ray or Donna to give alone. These workshops are based on dozens of character qualities and may be done as a series of several or as one general character training workshop. When done as a series, they begin with an overview of character training, then go chronologically beginning with early character qualities of submission and contentment through “upper level qualities” of responsibility and empathy.

Child Training
Donna Reish shares insights into parenting that have worked for her family.

Child Training in the Christian Homeschool - Donna Reish
Donna Reish delivers this child training workshop in which she touches on the main aspects of child training that affect a family’s home school success in the daily ins and outs. She exposes the child-run home and explains how to counter it. Especially suited for parents of children twelve and under.

Training Children to Be Diligent Workers - Donna Reish
Donna Reish goes beyond a daily chore chart (though that is certainly a part of it) to explain the basics of raising diligent workers in the home. She has found several keys that have made her children not just “chore doers” but responsible, diligent children at early ages. (Much of this information is also included in part three of the character series.)

Babies and Toddlers - Donna Reish
Donna Reish examines two extremes of parenting babies in home school circles: child run and authoritarian (extreme parent-controlled). Donna gives a gentle balance between the two for the newborn baby---and how to keep babies and toddlers from becoming self-centered children, self-absorbed teens, and selfish adults. She explains how she and her husband gently incorporated babies and toddlers into their home school lifestyle--while still meeting the needs of the other children—without falling into the trap of either extreme.

Home Schooling Preschoolers and Kindergarteners - Donna Reish
Donna Reish continues the parent-led advice for young parents and tells them how to train preschoolers and kindergarteners in character, obedience, love of learning, diligence, and more---before beginning “academics.”

Day in the Life of a Preschooler or Kindergartener - Donna Reish
Donna Reish uses her upcoming children’s book, Jonathan’s Journal, to show parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners what boundaries, structure, attention, love, and learning look like in the day of her young son—and how homeschooling parents can duplicate this balanced approach in their families.

Helps for Homeschool Moms
Donna Reish presents these sessions, very popular and helpful ones, to home school groups every year; Ray and Donna may also do these together, if desired, for moms and dads; these sessions may be done individually as well; however, if all three are done, they should be done in the order listed here.

Prioritizing Your Life, School, and Home - Donna Reish
The first session in this three part series "prioritizing" is a needful topic for home school moms and dads. In this life-changing and popular session, Donna Reish teaches parents how to prioritize their lives, schools, and homes---the difference between a priority and a desire, how to find God’s best for your family, how and when to say no, and more. This session is especially appropriate for fathers and mothers to attend together.

Organizing Your Life, School, and Home - Donna Reish
The next session, organizing - takes prioritizing a step further and shows how to live your priorities out by organizing your home school day, housework, school work, and more. This session also includes tips for helping children become organized, diligent workers, including information about chore charts and daily checklists.

Scheduling Your Life, School, and Home - Donna Reish
Finally, Donna Reish focuses on scheduling your school day in many scenarios - putting character first. She also teaches how to face various scheduling challenges, such as scheduling with babies; multi level scheduling; and various curriculum-focused scheduling. This session also includes tips for helping children become organized, diligent workers, including information about chore charts and daily checklists.

General Home Schooling
Ray, Donna, and Joshua Reish have many homeschool topics that they speak about; if you don’t see what you’re looking for, contact them and they’ll see what they can come up with!

Schooling the Preschooler and Kindergartener - Donna Reish
Donna Reish gives some surprising news about preschoolers and kindergarteners - the first skill they should be taught is obedience! She explains how to follow an order in teaching this age that focuses on the truly important things, how to enjoy these years, and more.

Multi-Level Teaching - Donna Reish
This workshop focuses on unit study approaches with many levels of children. Especially geared towards moms with children of ages birth through age fourteen, Donna Reish trains parents in scheduling, room time for younger children, the bus stop approach for adding in and deleting various ages of children at certain points of study, keeping little ones busy, older children helping younger ones, and much more.

Teaching Using Unit Studies - Donna Reish
The how’s and why’s of unit studies, as well as some of the downfalls and how to overcome those downfalls. Donna Reish, who has taught various unit studies for twenty years, describes different unit studies, such as chronological, literature-based, topic-based, and character-based. She describes how to implement the unit study approach with various ages of children, evaluating middle school students’ “unit study” work when tests and worksheets are not widely used, developing oral comprehension to aid in unit study effectiveness, the bus stop approach for teaching older children with younger children, and how to know when a child needs more independent study instead of the unit study.

How to Teach Without Using a Book - Joshua Reish
Does learning stop when the math, science, and English textbooks are set down? From learning how to tie shoes to being able to change the oil in a car to how to get along with your sister, most learning is done away from the textbooks. In this workshop, twenty-four year old home school graduate, Joshua Reish, will show you how you can make the most of all the teaching opportunities God brings along every day. This session includes many antecdotes and examples of “delight directed,” teachable moments,” and “disciplinary” learning that occurred in Joshua’s life as a homeschool student, including basketball statistics, critical thinking, and much more.

So You’re Gonna Home School - Donna Reish
Donna Reish (or Ray or both) encourages beginning home schoolers, giving them the information they need to begin to home school successfully - and enjoy their children at home. In this helpful session, she explains using statistics and studies why homeschooling is superior. Then she explains the top ten things new homeschoolers need to know and/or do, such as setting up a homeschooling schedule, choosing activities wisely, teaching like Jesus, keeping records, and much more.

Home Schooling Your High Schooler - Donna Reish
After graduating three students from her family’s homeschool, Donna Reish (or Ray or the two) explains many aspects of home schooling high schoolers that they has found to be successful, including mentoring, training towards a student’s bent, helping young teens be successful, training teens to serve, and more. Donna will touch on transcript writing as well.

Teaching Like Jesus - Donna Reish
Jesus was the Master Teacher; Donna Reish (or Ray or the two) explains how home school moms (and dads!) can teach like Jesus. In this session, the Reishes pull out various examples in Scriptures of how Jesus teaches and how the Bible says we should teach and apply them to help homeschooling parents become “master” teachers. We can’t go wrong in our homeschools when we teach and act like Jesus!

The Socialized Home School Student - Joshua Reish
Is your child socialized? When asked this question, most parents begin to list the many activities their child is involved in. But does running the tires off of your van guarantee a "socialized" child? In this workshop, home school graduate Joshua Reish will tell what a truly “well socialized” homeschooler should look like and how to give your children the ability to interact in all social settings with confidence.

Top Twenty From Twenty - Ray and Donna Reish
Our Top Twenty Pieces of Advice From Twenty Years of Home Schooling---Our new and very popular workshop; Ray and Donna Reish (or either one alone) share the Reishes’ top twenty pieces of advice---from teaching children to read to teaching children to get along with each other---from twenty years of home school. This can be done in one hour (with tidbits of advice from all twenty areas) - or several (going into detail about many of the twenty pieces of advice) or somewhere in between (i.e a Part I and Part II workshop, etc.).

Character vs. Academics - Joshua Reish
A top-talent college quarterback goes undrafted by the NFL. A young employee with six weeks experience is given a promotion over people with ten and twenty years experience. A young black man is admitted to college with no money and little education. Character is the foundation for every area of life from work to marriage. In this workshop, Joshua Reish, twenty-four year old homeschool graduate, will explain how to make character the first priority in your home school and to train your children to be ready to succeed.

Language Arts Areas
Presentations by Donna, Joshua, or Kayla (as indicated below)

Teaching Reading - Donna Reish
Donna’s master’s work is in reading specialist, but she learned how to teach reading by “doing the stuff.” Donna Reish helps build confidence in the home schooling mom to teach her children to read, including developing pre-reading skills naturally in the preschoolers, what readiness to learn to read is and what it is not; the basics of reading instruction; phonics vs. whole language; how to build comprehension skills; choosing readers; and more.

Teaching Language Arts - Donna Reish
Donna Reish shares what she has found to be the ideal order for language arts instruction in the home school, In this workshop, Donna takes language arts instruction year by year from preschool through twelfth grades—area by area (listening, comprehension, reading, grammar, speech, writing, literature, and more). She details the important connection between grammar and composition; the value of a directed writing approach; and many, many practical teaching tips for language arts based on her six years of experience of writing twenty language arts and composition books for two home school suppliers - and her twenty-two years of homeschooling (beginning with her younger sister).

Teaching Writing - Donna Reish
Donna Reish explains how to teach composition, including applying grammar to composition; the importance and how to’s of outlining; various composition types; writing meaningful reports and essays; using age-appropriate source material; various outlining techniques; teaching writing with a directed writing approach, and more, based on her six years of experience of writing over twenty language arts and composition books for two home school suppliers.

The Timed Essay/the Five Paragraph Essay (for SAT and other quick writing preparation) - Donna Reish
Donna Reish teaches parents (or teens) how to write a strong SAT or other timed essay including how to practice at home; what the graders are looking for; the importance of organization; time management techniques; building a background of knowledge; and more.

Writing the Research Paper - Kala Reish
Kayla Reish (or Donna) teaches parents how to teach the MLA format of research papers, from research to outlining to gathering information on note cards and then on to final product. This session (including its detailed handout) takes the guesswork out of research paper writing for junior high and high school students.

How to Teach Study Skills and Comprehension - Donna or Joshua Reish
Donna or Joshua Reish explains how to teach your students to learn including how to encourage and build comprehension; how to teach mnemonics and other retention techniques; choosing books; the importance of questions and verbal interchange in building comprehension; teaching children to think via discussions; building a background of experience; thinking to write and writing to think; and more. (Kayla also available for this workshop May through August.)

Teaching Students Critical Thinking Skills - Joshua Reish
Do you want your students to have strong critical thinking skills but wonder how to teach them? In this workshop, Joshua Reish (homeschool graduate who tested out of nearly all of his college degree) (or Kayla May through August; or Ray) will show you how to help children from preschool to college expand their reasoning skills, think critically, discern teaching, and more.

Teaching Students to Develop a Biblical Worldview - Kayla Reish
Kayla Reish (from May through August ) (or Joshua or Ray) explains the importance of teaching children and young adults to stand up for their faith; how to teach children and teens to not accept everything they hear (even in church, home school meetings, Christian books, etc.) but to evaluate everything through biblical “glasses”; training students to examine what the Bible says about current issues; and more.

Dyslexia - Kayla Reish
Kayla Reish, home school graduate who spent years learning to compensate for the dyslexia that kept her from being able to write legibly or spell correctly, explains the truth about dyslexia to parents and students, including signs of dyslexia; compensation techniques for dyslexics; the importance of not allowing this condition to spoil God’s plan for young people; and how she, in spite of still suffering from dyslexia’s effects today, has written several language arts curricula, children’s books, and debate book; learned to drive safely while not knowing her left from her right; and achieved a perfect score on the verbal ACT twice (without the ability to spell the days of the week correctly!). Very motivating for the overwhelmed parent and frustrated student. (Available by Kayla May through August; Donna year round.)

Editing and Grammar Essentials - Donna Reish
Donna Reish teaches home school moms how to edit their students’ writings and help their students learn to edit and revise themselves including content editing and usage editing, as well as using checklists to revise and improve writing. The handout and checklist provided in this workshop are great helps to homeschool moms.

Teaching Literature - Joshua Reish
Do names like Shakespeare, Milton, and Longfellow intimidate you as a teacher? Is it really necessary for your students to study literature? In this workshop, Joshua Reish will explain why the study of literature is important for all students, and more importantly, how you can teach it with confidence.

How to teach Shakespeare Even if You Don't Understand It - Joshua Reish
In this workshop Joshua Reish, a home school graduate with a BA in history, will explain why Shakespeare is considered the best writer in world history and why a study of his works is one of the most important subjects for high school students. He will also show you creative and fun ways you can teach Shakespeare even if you don't understand it yourself, as well as the impact Shakespeare’s writings have had on his life in other areas, besides literature.

Developing a Love for Learning in Your Home School

This topic may be one session in length - or several sessions (preferred) - Donna Reish
Donna Reish draws on her twenty plus years of home schooling—and developing a love for learning in her seven children---to help home school parents see how they can have children who love learning and enjoy home schooling. She includes information on the importance of beginning early in developing a love for learning (as opposed to a disdain for multiple workbooks at a young age); the influence of free time and frivolities on love for learning; the value of reading aloud; building comprehension to build enjoyment of learning; how hands on learning encourages a love for learning; modeling love for learning; creating learning memories; the fun and value of family learning times; how to develop a home school lifestyle; the effects of peers on love for learning; developing study skills; spiritual training at various times; teaching multiple children and multiple learning styles; and much more.

Speech and Debate
Ray, Donna, Joshua, Kayla, Cami, and Kara together, in part, or individually

How to Start Speech and Debate Clubs and Classes - Ray, Donna or Kayla Reish
Ray, Donna, or Kayla Reish each can present this workshop explaining how to teach speech and debate in your home, in a class, or with a newly-found club. This is the place to start if you want to introduce your attendees to speech and debate.

Teaching Beginning Debate - Ray Joshua, or Kayla Reish
Ray, Joshua, or Kayla Reish teaches the basics of policy debate for those interested in learning what debate is all about. Good overview of the basics of homeschool debate.

Speech and Debate Demonstrations - Joshua, Kayla, Cami, and Kara
The Reish young adults combine their talents to present a fun, shortened mock debate, several types of speeches, and inspiration to learn both skills for teens and/or home schooling parents.

History for Parents or Teens

Loving the Real America - Joshua Reish
What does it mean to be patriotic? Of course, it is more than putting your hand over your heart during the National Anthem and waving a flag on the fourth of July, but what? In this presentation Joshua Reish, a home school graduate with a BA in history, will take you on a whirlwind journey through American history. Along the way you will learn about true patriots, some famous and other unknown and the legacies they left for us. Get ready to learn and take your place in this journey that is America—and be equipped to help your students love the real America as well.

Dull or Dynamic? How Are You Teaching History? - Joshur Reish
Does your history curriculum consist of giving your child a textbook and hoping he reads it? In this workshop Joshua Reish, a home school graduate with a BA in history, will show how you can make history not only exciting but meaningful and life changing. From practical advice on planning to showing how history should be taught, this workshop could change the way you and your students view history.

The Great Deception - Joshua Reish
Any idea, philosophy, or suggestion that is not consistent with what God’s Word tells us about science, the past, government, and even life, will fail. Joshua Reish, a homeschool graduate with a history degree, will share how the history of communism, from its early foundation prior to Marx through its collapse in the Soviet Union, influenced societies with disastrous consequences. Millions were deceived into thinking that communism would bring about peace and equality because they did not measure its teachings against the Bible. Listeners will learn how to discern truth by looking at suggested ideas ---both simple and vast - and comparing them with God’s Word.

What My Parents Taught Me About….Series by the Reish young adults (for parents)
This series of workshops is designed to let homeschooling parents see how what they teach their children about character, faith, and relationships is lasting—and crucial-- and to give practical ideas and tips for how to teach these areas. The Reish young adults share individually or together about what their parents taught them in many areas.

What My Parents Taught Me About… Being Ministry Minded - Kayla, Cami, and Kara Reish
Kayla, Cami, and Kara Reish have spent all of their junior high and high school years in various ministries to home schoolers, young girls, and others; now they are training for vocational ministries. Find out from the girls what their parents did to build a ministry mindset and other-focus in their lives, and how their parents taught them to first of all be faithful at home and nearby in order to later have ministries outside of the home (as young adults). And…find out how it all began with Kayla’s pronouncement at age thirteen that “My ministry will be Mom.” (Kayla available May through August.)

What My Parents Taught Me About… Sibling Relationships - Kayla, Cami, and/or Kara Reish
Kayla, Cami, and/or Kara Reish present insights on the sibling relationship that have helped the three of them share a small bedroom for years and years without too much strain - and have encouraged them to invest in their younger brothers’ lives rather than push them away or ignore them—from learning deference and selflessness from their father, to receiving gentle explanations of heart matters from their mother, to memorizing the mantra “my siblings are the most important people” to much more. (Kayla available May through August.)

What My Parents Taught Me About… Marriage - Joshua Reish
If you could give your children one gift, what would it be? A strong and happy marriage would have to be near the top of any parent’s list. But when your child's wedding day comes, will he be ready? In this presentation, Joshua Reish, a married home school graduate, will tell what his parents did to prepare him for marriage. From teaching him as a toddler to not tell girls they look fat to advice on the night before his wedding, this humorous and moving speech will show you what you can do now to prepare your child for the most important relationship of his or her life.

What My Parents Taught Me About…Faith - Joshua, Kayla, or Cami Reish
In this workshop, Joshua, Kayla, or Cami Reish, homeschool graduate shares about his faith training, including how his parents brought the Lord and faith into all areas of his life, how he was challenged as a child to grow in the Lord, how daily interactions with his parents impacted his faith, and much more. (Kayla available May through August.)

What My Parents Taught Me About…Protection - Cami Reish
In this workshop, Cami Reish, homeschool graduate and sophomore in college explains how her parents protected her from negative influences without causing her to rebel against them or resent the protection they imposed.

What My Parents Taught Me About…Learning - Kayla or Joshua Reish
In this workshop, Kayla Reish (or Joshua) describes how her parents imparted a love for learning in spite of her learning difficulties; how they built a love for homeschooling in her; how they taught her constantly; and how they taught her how to teach. (Kayla available May through August.)

What My Parents Taught Me About…Selflessness - Kayla Reish
In this workshop, Kayla Reish (or Joshua, Cami, and Kara) describes how her parents imparted an other-focus in her life, taught her to defer to others, and gave her a passion for giving up her own life, desires, and wishes for the Lord and others. Practical applications to all phases of parenting will be given, beginning with the “terrible two”—which can be a sweet, giving two year old, through preteen years, and then into teens. (Kayla available May through August.)