The Teaching Parents Association, Inc., TPA, is a Christian organization networking new, current, and former homeschool families within the state of Kansas. TPA provides education, edification and encouragement through multiple channels such as support groups, programs, and events.
* We believe that parents are responsible for the education of their children.
* We believe that the U.S. Constitution protects the divine right of parents to educate their children at home.
* We operate from a Christian perspective and make decisions from the ethical and moral standards established in the Bible.
* We believe families should remain informed of homeschool laws at both the state and federal levels.
TPA Board Objectives:
* To educate families, educators, elected officials, the Church and the general public on the laws and merits of parent-directed, home-based education.
* To monitor state and national legislation affecting home educating.
* To publish monthly the south central Kansas newsletter, “The Homeschooler”.
* To promote and assist independent homeschool support groups.
* To sponsor an annual regional convention, graduation ceremony and various other events beneficial to the homeschool community.
We Believe:
The Bible is the authoritative, inspired and infallible Word of God.
God has existed for all eternity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Jesus Christ is God incarnate, wholly God and wholly man, in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension and His bodily return in power and glory.
All Men have sinned, and it is only Jesus Christ who is able, and has paid the penalty for Man’s sin through His substitutionary death on the cross. He then triumphed over death by His visible, bodily resurrection.
Salvation is offered as a free gift to the sinner. This gift must be accepted by faith, not trusting in any personal work but in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
~ Acts 16:31-33 ~
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.