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Davis Carman is the President of Apologia Educational Ministries. Apologia started as a science curriculum provider for high schoolers. Under Davis’ leadership, Apologia has grown to provide award-winning K-12 homeschool curriculum for Bible, math, science, social studies, and worldview. In addition, Apologia also offers online learning through a self-paced digital curriculum, live online classes, and video on-demand.
Davis married his sweetheart, Rachael, in 1986, and God blessed them with seven children. They live in Waxhaw, North Carolina, where they enjoy a homeschooling adventure of a lifetime, complete with roller-coaster twists and turns and the occasional lazy river ride.
Davis has a degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is also the author of several illustrated children’s books designed to instill a biblical worldview, Good Morning, God; A Light for My Path, In the Beginning, and Psalms to Know Early
Davis is an international speaker and advocates for home education worldwide. He and Rachael host a podcast called, “Let’s Talk Homeschool” where they talk about all things homeschooling as they share their homeschooling adventures of a lifetime, as well as offering in-depth and captivating interviews with other homeschoolers to help promote their belief that homeschooling is really good.
Join Davis and Rachael Carman as they talk all about the homeschool journey the highs, the lows, the challenges, the victories, and everything in between.
By God’s grace, this adventure of a lifetime — called home education — has been very good for their family. They believe if there was ever a time to homeschool, it is now!
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Listen NowFor speaking inquiries, please email Michelle Vantrease.
Most parents place a high value on the education they can give to their children. It prepares them for life and gives them hope for a happy future. In the old days, the three R’s of schooling included reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithematic. Is homeschooling succeeding because it is reclaiming the tried and true educational philosophy or is something else going on? In this workshop, Davis presents a compelling case for you to believe in the power of homeschooling and seven new R’s to back it up.
Are parents really qualified to teach their children everything? What about socialization? These are just a couple of the concerns that make homeschooling seem impossible. But you know homeschooling is continuing to grow. More and more families are considering it and taking the plunge. What are the top reasons? In this session, Davis discusses the moral, academic, and practical reasons to homeschool, and helps dispel the myths we all tend to believe. When you finish this workshop, you will know that if there was ever a time to homeschool, it is now.
The first five years of parenting are crucial times of development for young children. Foundations are set that give them a perspective of God, themselves, and others. During these early years, children gain an understanding of love, obedience, and responsibility. Their worldview will be shaped by the books you read to them (including the Bible) and the freedom they are given to sing, dance, play, and explore the great outdoors of God’s wonderful Creation. Is this parenting, homeschooling, or both? In this workshop, you will discover ten lessons your young children should learn and experience that can make a big difference in the first five years of their life.
Truth exists, and it is knowable, even by preschoolers. They key is to present these important truths to your children at an early age. Since this is foundational to how your kids will view the world around them, wouldn’t it be great to have a list available of truths to teach first? Based on research from the Barna Group, Davis presents a portion of the key elements from his book Truth to Know Early so that you can be ready to teach your preschoolers with confidence.
You and your child may be familiar with a few phrases from the book of Psalms. Many have made their way into modern-day hymns and worship songs. For example: The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19), Delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires (Psalm 37), Teach us to number our days carefully (Psalm 90), This is the day the Lord has made (Psalm 118), and Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path (Psalm 119). This workshop, based on the book by the same title is intended to help illuminate and reinforce the inspired words of God in the hearts and minds of your children while they are young. I believe that if children will learn and embrace these scriptures at an early age, they will grow to love God and His Word.
Parents love their kids more than anyone on the planet. They want the best for their children, especially when it comes to education, character development, and relationships. Then why do so many parents take the lazy-man’s approach and “wing it” in many important areas of child training? It could be that parenting is hard work—really hard work. You could even say, it’s just not for wimps. The issues facing parents are many, critical, and looming. What direction will you take your family when it comes to discipline, sports, sleepovers, cell phones, video games, movies, dating, and more? Young kids need courageous leadership from their mom and dad, and you will choose to be passive or proactive, spontaneous or intentional. Davis has three decades worth of parenting experience with seven kids. In this presentation, he shares some of the best and worst decisions a parent can make.
Have you ever seen those rocks in front of public school buildings with a spray-painted message announcing the news of a kid’s birthday? Davis believes that the biggest news going on in America right now is the homeschooling movement. IOW “Homeschooling Rocks.” And when you think of rocks, do priorities also comes to mind? You know, the important things in life. In this presentation, Davis reminds you that homeschooling provides the best answers for the big rocks of life, especially when it comes to the well-being of your children.
In the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finds herself longing to be back in Kansas with her family. She taps her heels and repeats the well-known phrase, “There’s no place like home.” Instantly, she is transported to the one location where she is safe and sound and loved. When you think about your children, where is the ideal place for them to learn, mature, and develop healthy life habits? Where is the safest place to have some discussions about difficult life issues? And where on earth can they find good examples of what it means to love God with all their heart? Academic instruction? A love for learning? I bet you know the answer. In this workshop, Davis will present four reasons why there really is “No Place Like Home.”
A homeschool teacher is often her own worst critic. Yet I see them as super heroes. If you think about it, a mom, and certainly a homeschooling mom, is rather amazing. They take on all sorts of roles and wear all kinds of hats. Actually they are more like capes. You know, super hero capes. In this workshop, Davis lists seven of the capes that homeschool moms wear proving that they are truly amazing. The homeschool mom will leave believing in herself and ready to take on the world — at least the education of her own kids.
Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It can be scary to start and just as daunting to continue. Statistics show that roughly 20% of parents who start this journey quit after the first year. Then another 20% stop after year two with 10% walking away by year three. The trend levels off by year four with a little less than half of those who started remaining. What separates those who stick with it from those who give up? Is it just a matter of persevering? Davis believes that every child is a homeschool child, but not every parent is a homeschool parent. Are you a homeschool parent? Come and find out. And if you are, Davis will give you five promises that should inspire you to never ever give up and four fundamentals to help you persevere and succeed.
Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. There are bad days, bad weeks, and bad months. Let’s be honest. Sometimes there are bad years. So how in the world can you get this ship sailing on smoother waters so that you can make some progress toward your destination? In this presentation, Davis proclaims that it is possible to have a fruitful family homeschool by making sure you are sailing on four very important ships. If you need to chart a new course in your homeschooling journey, come and see how God can make the rough places smooth.
Tests and exams are a typical part of school, even home schools. In this session, Davis helps homeschooling dads take an exam — a spiritual exam of the heart. He uses the word H.E.A.R.T. as an acronym to display truths found in the book of Malachi, which deals with very real heart issues. The topics covered by “Dr. Malachi” include relationships with both God and family. The goal is to discover the practical and faithful steps a father can take in the journey towards turning one’s heart to his children.
The gift of a fresh, shiny apple still represents respect and gratitude towards one’s teacher. Why should it be any different for the homeschooling mom? They typically carry the lion’s share of the homeschooling workload. To help them avoid burnout, husbands need to help their wife avoid feeling 100% of the homeschooling responsibility. Your wife needs to hear “thank you” in many different ways and know for sure that you are engaged. In this session, Davis gives six real and practical ideas for supporting your wife in the homeschooling journey.
Deuteronomy 6 is a classic scripture admonishing parents to teach their children diligently when sitting at home, when walking along the way, when lying down, and when getting up. There are many more places in God’s Word that speak to home education and family discipleship. Whether you are at the crossroads considering home education, a few years into it deciding whether to stay the course, or a veteran in need of affirmation, the truth found in God’s Word will set you free. Davis shares many of these inspired verses in a way that brings God’s wisdom all the way home.
Castles of old were built to last for thousands of years. Many are still standing today for visitors to admire. What are we building in our family home schools today? Is there a manual or blueprint to follow? Why are we doing this? Will the sacrifice be worth it? In this session, Davis looks at similarities between a castle and a home school, then he develops a vision for your family, children, and the children yet to be born — one that can bring glory to God and help you prepare for the challenges that will come in the future. All the reasons why God is moving in the homeschooling community may be hard to understand in the context of present history, so it will take faith. We may not see all the fruit in our lifetime, so it will call for hope. Better start building now; your great-grand children will thank you.
Most school systems think the answer to their problems is a more money, certified teachers, and more standardized testing. They debate about these and other issues trying to find the magic bullet to get the average student scores to move ever so slightly up the charts. Without all the “benefits” afforded by publish and private schools, how in the world can homeschools ever have a chance to succeed? Just like David seemed like no match for Goliath, what appear to be disadvantages for homeschooling families can prove to be in our favor and therefore quite desirable. What are they? Come and hear about six of them.
Apologia is a Greek word meaning “defend the faith.” In a society saturated with an anti-God and relative-Truth perspectives, students need to be taught from a biblical worldview. The statistics show that a very small percentage of born again believers have a worldview consistent with basic Christian doctrines. The Internet, movies, music, books and other media heavily influence the thoughts, beliefs, and corresponding actions of young people. How can homeschooling parents help their children stand firm and not be as vulnerable to the modern-day lies? Certainly one solution can be the use of good books and curricula including creation-based science curricula. The best way is by committing to three ideals. Davis will explain how raising children in a family setting where Christ is worshipped and where the Word of God is the primary text can fulfill the great commission and result in generational faithfulness. Family is truly our best defense of the Christian faith.
Apologia publishes creation-based science curriculum. What are the other options, and what makes the creation model different and supposedly better? The answer lies in one’s worldview. Naturalism is the view that the cosmos (and all matter) is all there ever was, is, and will be. Science is the only thing we can trust. Many people in the West think this way. And of course, Darwin was a major influence in this arena. Yet the world is a big place. And many people from the East are more aligned with Transcendentalism. This belief system says that the physical world (i.e. matter) is a dream, an illusion, and not real. In other words, we can’t trust our senses. Then you have the option of Postmodernism, which states that truth can’t actually be known because it’s relative. All four options will be compared and contrasted to help you come to a reasonable and thoughtful conclusion on your own.
For way too many kids these days, their only outlet is…well…an outlet. Are your kids bored and grouchy unless they are plugged in to the Internet or a video game? What ever happened to catching frogs, picking dandelions, climbing trees, and lying in the grass to see the shapes formed by clouds in the sky? There is a world outdoors just waiting to be discovered. In this session, Davis states that every child should explore the wonders of God’s creation because of three truths that can be found in one of the most exciting classrooms that exists — the one outside.
With statistics showing that seventy-five percent or more teens leave the Christian faith within a few years after they leave home, it is critical that parents give a solid biblical worldview education to their children when they are young. How is this to be accomplished? In this session, Davis addresses some of the most important questions a person will ever ask including “Who is God?” and “Who am I?” Once a person has a biblical worldview of God, Truth, and Self-Image, then they can tackle the questions of “Who is my neighbor?” and “What on earth can I do?” You may already know why it is important to teach your children what you believe. Now come find out what to teach them and how it can be done. Their eternal future may be at stake.
Have you had times in your life when everything seems to go wrong, even though you are seeking God with all your heart? Davis Carman can relate. In this session, Davis gives his personal testimony leading up to the purchase of Apologia. He describes the trials he encountered while trying to acquire the creation-based science curriculum publisher — a fight worth fighting even though the cost was high. His story is a roller coaster ride involving extended unemployment, perseverance, and the fight for a dream. He recounts how God provided for his family’s every need through the body of Christ. In this session, we will discover how God works powerfully in our lives — especially in the midst of the storms we often encounter.
Navigating the whole dating issue is a biggie. For one, what is the difference between dating and courting? When should a parent allow their teen or young adult to begin traveling down this path? Before we get ahead of ourselves, when should parents start these conversations with their kids? Prepared or not, all of this dating and courting will likely result in a wedding. I know you want your kids to enjoy the blessings of a healthy marriage, but it doesn’t just happen. As a matter of fact, the statistics are not good when it comes to how the “hook-up” generation views marriage or practices dating. Will your young adult make a wise decision? Will they seek godly counsel? Will they navigate these deep waters well and enjoy a marriage that is a life-long blessing or will bad decisions lead to a lifetime of relational difficulties? Davis will share many practical tips and two main principles that have proved helpful in their own journey.
After graduation, what is a homeschooled student to do? What should be their aim, their goal? With all the voices shouting for their attention (work, college, family, and friends), how in the world can a teen choose a wise, virtuous, and responsible path? In this talk, Davis gives three easy-to-remember points that can steer a new graduate in the right direction. Learn, know, and be set free by the truth found in God’s Word. Live the abundant life found only in Christ by loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself. In the conclusion, Davis challenges the graduate to take the path less traveled by following God’s original design for family. In doing so, the Christian faith will be defended better than ever.
Being in a leadership position is tough work. Your heart desires to see great things happen for homeschooling families in your area, but the enemy throws so many flaming arrows your way. Often these come in the form of conflict with people. How can you as a leader build trust among your team members and constituents, maintain healthy relationships when facing conflict, and confront difficult issues effectively? In this workshop, Davis gives four leadership lessons he has learned first-hand from the field (aka trenches), and you will learn how to be more effective in your leadership role.
