My First Homeschool Conference!

Last weekend I was blessed to be able to attend the Midwest Parent Educators homeschool conference in Kansas City with one of my dearest friends. It was the first time for both of us and we had so much fun. My only regret is not being able to spend more time (or get a picture of us)!

We only had time to make it to one workshop, and it was a good one. It was called Homeschooling Without Fear. Fear hasn't been much of an issue for me but I do find little doubts creeping in every now and then, so I was very blessed by what was said. My friend was able to get a ton of questions answered and concerns eased which was great.

One thing that really stuck out to me was the topic of high school. I have always been really great about breaking down barriers and trying not to be pressured by grade level and public school standards in the younger grades, but I realized on Saturday that I haven't done the same thing with high school. I imagine my children getting to the age and feel panicky because they have to learn all this hard stuff and we have to get done when they are 18! But the speaker at the workshop was like..."Says who!?". Why is 18 some magic number that kids have to suddenly be done learning and an adult? Why can't high school kids be late bloomers? What is so wrong with a student taking an extra year to finish? Nothing, of course! I just love that and even though we are years away from it, I already feel some fear and burden being lifted off my shoulders. There is something so freeing about shaking off those public school standards. Learning should be organic and life-long, not something you do between the ages of 5 and 18, 5 days a week, during such and such time. I don't want their to be a separation between life and learning for my children. I don't want "school" to be something they dread, but something they do continually without even realizing it.

 

 

 

The workshop speaker also spoke on this for the younger years and allowing children the time to bloom at their own pace. Even if they struggle with something now, it doesn't mean it will always be that way. Patience and diligence may pay off some day and your child may thrive in the areas they struggled with most. It was a breath of fresh air for before we get started to remember to go at their pace, not mine, and certainly not public school's! Of course their will be times where our children need a little push, but it is good to be reminded to be their mama first and foremost.

 

I wish I had been able to go to more workshops, but I'm so thankful for what I got out of the one I went to. Next year I plan to have a lot more time. Especially in the vendor hall! It was so much fun seeing everything I look at online in person. I could have spent hours and hours at the booths! I think my favorite ones were Rainbow Resource and My Father's World. Both had really great set ups and tons of material to look at. I can't wait for the next one!