Leigh! at Lunch 2012-2013 Season

Thomas E. Woods, Jr., is the New York Times bestselling author of 11 books. A senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Woods holds a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard and his master's, M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Columbia University. Woods has appeared on CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg Television, among other outlets. Woods lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and four daughters.

Before coming to Patrick Henry College, Dr. Cox was an Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA. He has served as Chairman and Associate Dean of a School of Christian Ministries and as a faculty liaison for new academic programs with SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). He teaches core and upper level courses in Biblical Studies and writes curriculum for online classes. Dr. Cox lives near Winchester, Virginia, with his wife and seven children.

Angela "Bay" Buchanan began her political career as the national Treasurer of Ronald Reagan's presidential campaigns in 1980 and 1984. This position catapulted her into a distinguished career beginning in 1981 when President Reagan appointed her to be Treasurer of the United States. At the age of 32, she was the youngest person to hold that position since it was established in 1775. Currently Buchanan is a political analyst often seen on CBS's Morning Show, as well as on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. She writes a regular column for Human Events Online; is the president of The American Cause, an educational foundation dedicated to advancing traditional conservative issues; and co-chairman of Team America, a PAC dedicated to opposing amnesty for illegal aliens. Her first book, The Extreme Makeover of Hillary Rodham Clinton was published in 2007. A native of Washington, DC, Buchanan has a Masters degree in mathematics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and has further studies at several universities, including the University of New South Wales in Australia. In 1981, she received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from Samford University. She lives in Virginia and has three sons and two grandchildren.

Nancy R. Pearcey, editor-at-large of The Pearcey Report, is joining the faculty at Riven- dell Sanctuary and will begin leading classes in the Fall of 2011. She is also a columnist at Human Events and a fellow at the Discovery Institute. Previously she was the Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar at the World Journalism Institute, where she taught a worldview course based on her book Total Truth, winner of the 2005 ECPA Gold Medallion Award for best book on Christianity and Society. She has also served as professor of worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University, during which time she wrote her most recent book, Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning. Nancy has addressed staffers on Capitol Hill and at the White House; actors and screenwriters in Hollywood; scientists at labs such as Sandia and Los Alamos; students and faculty at Stanford, Dartmouth, Princeton, USC, Ohio State, and the University of Georgia; as well as educational and activist groups, including the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. She has appeared on NPR and C-SPAN. In addition to Saving Leonardo and Total Truth, Nancy is author of The Soul of Science and co-author of How Now Shall We Live? (with novelist Harold Fickett and former White House operative Charles W. Colson). She contributed the Foreword to The Right Questions, and chapters to Of Pandas and People, Mere Creation, Pro-Life Feminism, Genetic Ethics, Signs of Intelligence, Reading God's World, Uncommon Dissent, and the Phillip Johnson Festschrift titled Darwin's Nemesis. Nancy and Rick are homeschooling the second of their two sons.

Jonathan Bartlett is the director of The Blyth Institute (blythinstitute.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education in new paradigms of biology. He also wrote the book Programming from the Ground Up, which was required reading at Princeton for a few years. Jonathan’s interest in biology and genetics came from his family’s battles with genetic illnesses, which required him to stay on top of the current medical and biological literature. Last year Jonathan graduated with a Master of Theological Studies degree from Phillips Theological Seminary. Jonathan is married to his wife Christa, and they have had five children together - Daniel, Andrew, Nathan, David, and Isaac. Christa teaches in the Challenge program in Classical Conversations in Tulsa.

Join Classical Conversations MultiMedia team members Heather Shirley, Denise Moore, and Courtney Sanford as they discuss the upcoming Essentials of the English Language 4th edition. Heather and Denise will discuss the revisions and the updated and friendly format parents and tutors are sure to enjoy. Heather and Denise will also hit some FAQs that will help directors and parents in their decision to purchase the revised guide or to simply keep and mark up the old guide. Heather and Courtney will then discuss Classical Conversations newest resources, the first two in our Trivium Tables Series: English Grammar and Quid et Quo. These easy to use, quick reference and dialectic desktops will serve Essentials families and Challenge families in their family’s language education.

Lawrence W. Reed became president of FEE in 2008. He was a founder and president for twenty years of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. A champion for liberty, Reed has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles, 200 radio commentaries, dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the U. S. and abroad, as well as five books. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. His interests in political and economic affairs have taken him as a freelance journalist to 69 countries on six continents. Lawrence W. Reed holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. degree in History from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. In his spare-time interests include reading, travel, fly-fishing, hiking, skydiving, and animals of just about any kind.

Join the Classical Conversations MultiMedia Team while they discuss new and revised products for 2011 along with our 2011 Parent Practicum - "Improving Your Vision". Sit in and listen to Heather Shirley, Matt Bianco, and Tobin Duby share their excitement for all that's going on in 2011. New products like Trivium Tables, Classical Christian Education Made Approachable, and the new Compass of Classical Conversations double CD audio set, along with revised products like Essentials of the English Language and our Words Aptly Spoken series. Finally, the team will share a little about Classical Conversations signature training events, Parent Practicums. Designed for parents and educators our parent practicums are offered for free across the united states. Click here to find a parent practicum near you.

Please join Leigh this week as she interviews Bob and Geri Boyd this Wednesday, March 2nd, as they discuss the roles of government and freedom within education. We are very excited about having Bob and Geri Boyd on our show this week. Bob and Geri host a radio program called Issues in Education that focuses on Christian education and homeschooling in order to encourage families to see the importance of Christian education. Please feel free to call in and ask your questions to Leigh, Bob, and Geri!

Please join Leigh and Shannon Brown as they discuss the ins and outs of year end testing. Is your child ready? What are the legal requirements for YOUR state? What do you do if your child has struggled all year? These questions, and more, will be answered in this session of 1 Smart Mama on BTR. Please feel free to call in and ask your questions of Leigh and Shannon.

Join Leigh and some of her past students as they discuss their thoughts and feelings on their education. Where are these students today? In college? Married? Are they carrying on the tradition with their families and homeschooling through a Classical Christian curriculum? How well did they accept and do in college? Join in at 12:00 noon EST and CALL IN and ask questions of Leigh's past students. This should be a very lively show!!

Please join Leigh as she chats with John Bornschein, Executive Director of the National Day of Prayer Task Force and an Executive Member of the National Prayer Committee. He and his team have been charged by Mrs. Shirley Dobson to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.

Adam Andrews is the director of the Center for Literary Education and a home schooling father of six. Since 2003, he has traveled throughout the United States and Canada presenting an innovative method for teaching the crucial skills of literary analysis and interpretation. Adam’s dynamic presentations have enabled many students to enjoy great literature as never before, while his fresh insights have inspired parents and teachers with new vision for their task as educators. Adam earned his B.A. from Hillsdale College in southern Michigan and his M.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle, where he is currently a candidate for the Ph.D. He is a Henry Salvatori Fellow of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and a founding board member of Westover Academy in Colville Washington. He and his wife Missy, a Hillsdale graduate and accomplished educator in her own right, currently teach all six of their children at home in Rice, Washington.

This show is for all homeschool parents who want their questions answered by Leigh Bortins herself! Leigh started 13 years ago in her home - teaching her boys and their friends by the method that educated Thomas Jefferson and other great men and women: the classical, Christian method. Leigh believes that true education will prepare children to love learning and to see the world from God's side of the sky. Whether you are just beginning your homeschool journey or are at any point along the path, Leigh sincerely hopes you'll join her in the journey!!

Colonel James P. Dutton, Jr, NASA Astronaut, is a homeschooling father of four boys who are enrolled in Classical Conversations. He was the top graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (1991), and received Distinguished Graduate from Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (1992), and top graduate from F-15C student training (1995) and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (2000). TIME magazine College Achievement Award recipient (1990). Bobby Bond award for top Air Force test pilot in 2003. Military decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, and 10 Aerial Achievement Medals. Col. Dutton's next NASA launch is scheduled for April 5, 2010. Please join Leigh on Blog Talk Radio as she talks with Col. Dutton before his next launch! They will discuss how a busy Dad can be active in his children's lives and help school them. Dutton has more than 3,300 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft. Prior to joining NASA, he tested the F-22 Raptor with the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. He logged more than 350 F-22 flight hours between August 2002 and June 2004 performing avionics testing and high-risk envelope expansion testing. His NASA experience includes being selected in May 2004 as one of 14 members of the 19th NASA astronaut class. In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Dutton was initially assigned to the Exploration Branch working on the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) cockpit and to the Capcom Branch as a shuttle capsule communicator. He was the Ascent/Entry Capcom for STS-122 in February 2008 and STS-123 in March 2008. Dutton is assigned as pilot on the crew of STS-131, targeted for launch in April 2010.