I Love A Good Homeschool Convention

Homeschool Convention time came April 19-21 this year.  I attended my very first huge convention in Atlanta when Archie was three and I was ‘looking into’ this whole homeschooling idea.  I stayed at my brother-in-law’s house in Atlanta.  My first glimpse of the vendor hall was very similar to this one.  This is what the vendor hall in Cincinnati looks like.  I took this photo on one of the upstairs walkways where there was a window looking out over the hall.  There are no mirrors.  It goes on and on and on, like it appears in the picture.  There are even more booths all the way to the left under those eaves and to the right.  The one in Atlanta was almost identical to this one. 

When I was in Atlanta that first year, I almost turned around and drove home!  Yikes!  Over-overwhelming was what went through my mind.  I had no idea that this was what to expect and I had come with no ‘plan’ whatsoever.  I stayed at my brother-in-law’s home in Atlanta and I remember being absolutely wiped-out-exhausted every night. 

I went again the following year (in Atlanta) and got lots more out of it, since I had an idea of what to expect.  I had some idea which seminars I would get more information out of and which ones were merely selling their product and/or preaching and nothing more.  

Fast forward to this, the year of 2012.  This huge convention comes to Cincinnati every year.  We’ve lived here for five years now.  This is the very first year I have been able to participate in the whole convention.   And I still had to negotiate and side-step Phillip’s out of town work, despite my putting in my reservation of this weekend months in advance!  I managed to get in three hours at the convention last year with which to peruse the entire vendor’s hall and attended zero seminars.  I had a baby hanging from my shoulder... um, I mean I had a baby in the sling.  From the picture above, you can imagine how much I got to see in three hours, with a baby hanging on me.  Not much.  The year previous, I attended for two hours, because I didn’t realize that that the vendor hall closed when it did.  Also with a baby hanging on my shoulder and Archie with me too.  We were continually at odds on what booths we wanted to stop at and chat up the vendor, so nothing much got seen that year either.  Before that, I didn’t get to attend at all due to sickness of husband and/or kids, out-of-town working, etc. 

This was to be the year I get to attend the convention.  All of it.  Every single day, the whole day, and without kids.  The entire vendor hall, all the seminars, everything!  Of course, Phillip was out of town during the two weeks before and up until the afternoon of the first day of the convention.  I had to be rather crafty and creative to get the kids covered during the first afternoon, but I was able to get to the seminar I wanted to attend. 

My only issue with this particular brand of homeschool convention is that it is religious in nature.  I don’t have any problem with the religion part, I am a take-what-you-like-and-leave-the-rest kind of girl.  But I have a problem with the exclusion of speakers who are of different theology.  The conference powers-that-be are strictly Young Earth, Creationist people and if you mention anything to the contrary, they ban you from speaking at the conference.  Absolutely zero topics on pro-evolution or Old Earth theorists.  I mean, come on…it’s a theory!  Why do Young Earth Creationists brand of Christians fear a theory?  

As for me, I am a mixed bag person.  I believe the world was created by God. (Could He take the form of a Big Bang?  Perhaps.  I don’t know.)  I believe in an Old Earth.  I believe that God created it.  I believe that the six day creation took place not as literal days, but as ages or periods of indeterminate time.  I feel like God’s time is not necessarily dictated by how many rotations the Earth makes.  I don’t think He can be limited in that fashion; He is more vast and mysterious than my comprehension allows.  In the end, I don’t know how it happened.  I wasn’t there.  It doesn’t matter in my day-to-day life, it is merely something fun on which to ponder every once in a while.  

Determining which seminars have minimal religious spouting (and product-selling) is difficult.  I feel like I already have a good handle on who can help me with moral or faith questions and it is usually someone who is present in my every-day life with whom I feel it is appropriate to ask. Not strangers with an obvious agenda (to sell a product). 

Sometimes the seminars are a crapshoot.  I lucked out and thoroughly enjoyed all but two that I had chosen.  Two more I left early because they weren’t what I thought they would be, so I slipped into my 'second choices' seminars that should have been first choices as it turned out.  There were a few seminars that really helped to inspire me and make me feel renewed in this crazy way of life called homeschooling.  

I have noticed my writing has been sub-par lo these past three or so years.  I went to a few seminars on writing purely for myself, under the guise of “yeah, my student needs help writing!” Who can say whether it will help, but I learned a few things I didn't already know, so that's something.  Hopefully I will improve, but it will be gradual.  I went to a few seminars on literary analysis, as I would love to be able to read something more in depth than the CNN and Smithsonian articles which are my usual fare since being a mom of three kids.  I purchased cd’s of seminars I didn't get to see and am in the process of listening to those during work-out times at the Y. 

The was particularly fun this year, because I ran into my friend Susie and her family, who let me tag along with them to lunch during both of the full days.  It was great eating Indian food again, because I so rarely get to eat it (I don’t know that Phillip particularly enjoys Indian food) and with friends to boot!  I was happy to be there with no responsibilities, except to enjoy myself and learn or relearn some concepts and get ideas.  I had no children hanging around my neck or attached to my breast this year.  It was so wonderful to move about freely, not worrying about the comfort of anyone but me. 

I got some neat ideas from the seminars and the vendors.  For instance, I would love to have a wall timeline.             Like all around our whole playroom or maybe on the diningroom wall.  A timeline which combines Biblical and Secular history in order to have a complete visual of history and when it took place.  Some visual reference, for example, that shows which Pharaoh of Egypt was the same one who wouldn’t let the Isrealites go during Moses’ time.  Bringing together the two kinds of school and making them one:  Sunday and Regular.  

I 'take notes' with my camera, so this is my note on the timeline concept for future reference. 

I also thought this was a neat timeline book, but it only used Biblical history and had no secular history in it.  Again, that’s the problem with this convention.  But I took a picture to see if I could find something similar (which includes secular history as well as Biblical history) online or something. 

Surely there are other people who think similarly and would enjoy products like that!  I can’t be the only one! 

I called home as I was leaving the convention on the last evening to check in.  Archie answered the phone and asked me if I brought anything for him.  I told him that I brought him something gross and that's all I would say about it.  He could think about it until I got home.  "Wa-HOO!!!" was what me and the others who were within the vicinity could hear over my phone.   I took that exclamation for excitement.  More on that soon.  He was not disappointed!