Teaching Parents Association - Meeting the Needs of Home Schooling Families
Teaching Parents Association
Our History:
TPA began in May, 1983 as the Home Teachers Association; later that year the name was changed to Teacher-Parent Association. It began with a constituency of only 88 families and focused primarily on the Sedgwick County area. Some of the initial issues facing the early organization had to do with questions surrounding the legal legitimacy of home educating in the state of Kansas.
Since that time TPA has been a part of shaping both the legislative and public perceptions of home educating through many of its sponsored activities, such as:
Annual home school convention
The first TPA home school convention was held in 1986 at Central Christian Church and was attended by 500 people. Quickly growing, since 1996 the convention has been held at Century II convention center and has an average attendance of over 1500 adults, as well as a large children’s ministry each year, called Adventures in Character. Guest speakers over the years have included Gregg Harris; HSLDA’s Chris Klicka, Mike Farris, and J. Michael Smith; Diana Waring; Dr. William J. Bennett; Jim Ryun; and Sen. Sam Brownback.
High School Graduation
TPA’s graduation ceremony has grown from only 10 graduates at the first ceremony to 56 graduates in 2009, and included live music, video presentations, large reception and had Sen. Sam Brownback as keynote speaker.
Home Educating Training Classes
Throughout the years, TPA has acclimated and trained nearly 1000 families from across the state in the basics of home educating. Various classes have been offered introducing families to the methods, values, materials and resources available for home educating.
That is only the beginning…
TPA has established an ever-growing library to offer helpful materials and resources directed toward home school families. We are working to add more family field trips and events for home school families, such as a Sedgwick County Zoo day, where around 900 people attended in the fall of 2009. TPA is currently working to increase its cooperation and support of individual home educating family groups, its resources available for new and experienced home educating families, and expanding its reach to help get home educating resources and support to a larger area around the state of Kansas.