homeschool convention, 2023.

Can you believe I’m about to complete my tenth year of homeschooling? I sure can’t.

I don’t often attend homeschool conferences and hadn’t planned on it this year, but our friends, the Franklins, decided to drive down from Pennsylvania to attend one in Greenville, and so David and I made a sort of last-minute decision that Judah, Amie, and I would join them.

When I calculated how often I’ve attended a homeschool convention I realized that I’m on an every-five-year schedule. I went to one at the very beginning, one five years ago — both of those with my cousin Liz — and one this spring. So three total across ten years.

The decision to bring along my teenagers this time was so that they could be with their friends. We weren’t sure how it would work out exactly (i.e. whether they’d be bored), with packed-days of sessions about different aspects of homeschooling, but what’s homeschooling if not a celebration of families (and very often big families)!? So I thought for sure they’d be welcome.

 

 

Turns out I was right. There were tons of kids and young people present, including our friends’ seven children. Judah and Amie fit right in and even enjoyed themselves. And it certainly didn’t hurt their enthusiasm when I told them the three days counted as school days.

Amie got to meet our long-time hero, Sarah McKenzie. I’ve followed Sarah’s blog and podcast for many years, and consider her very much a homeschool mentor. Amie and the boys have recently “gotten to know her” better since we began subscribing to the Read-Aloud revival premium membership for school.

 

 

I figured I’d go ahead and tell you briefly how I navigate a homeschool convention, because it’s huge and quite overwhelming. Showing up unprepared is much like walking into Ikea without a shopping list. You’ll wander the showroom for a couple hours, fill your cart with way too many knickknacks, then eventually end up wanting to curl in the fetal position in an empty warehouse aisle.

I did two things to prepare before I ever drove to Greenville. First, I sat with the speaker schedule, and created my own chart of times and who I wanted to hear speak (in a couple of instances I gave myself more than one option).

Second, I did a curriculum run-through for the coming school year. This is not necessary, of course — it’s only April! — but I knew I’d have the opportunity to buy some textbooks at a discount and wanted to know what I need.

 

 

So you need to have an idea of what you want to attend, but also keep an open mind. Looking back on my schedule, I see that I swapped out four of those sessions for something else. I don’t regret it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s best to arrive with a plan, then hold that plan loosely. I ended up buying recordings of three of the sessions I missed so I can get the information later.

As you can see from the picture, there was plenty that Judah was also interested in, which made me happy. Amie alternated between attending sessions with Asher and Judah, and joining me or Kristin. She told me, “Mom, I should go listen to Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers with Miss Kristin since I want to have a bunch of kids and homeschool them.” And so she did!

 

 

The convention is over-stimulating to the max, so we crashed at our hotel room each night, Judah and I wanted to bury our introverted selves into a book or music; Amie wanting to rehash all the events of the day with us (oh extroverts … you gotta love them).

 

 

The three of us had so much more fun together than I even imagined.

I chose a hotel that served breakfast, which was just a couple miles from the convention center. Both mornings, Amie and I dropped Judah off for an 8:30 session he wanted to attend with Asher, then drove to Starbucks with my co-op teacher gift cards for a treat for the three of us, before heading back for the day.

I think the kids were really inspired.

Judah said, “It feels so strange to not be different from everyone else. I’m always having to explain to people about homeschooling or what a co-op is. It’s weird that everyone here is homeschooled.”

He loved the sessions about creativity and writing. And even some of the ones he attended about history.

 

 

I loved making my rounds, hearing speakers I’ve long admired (from their books and podcasts), discovering a couple new speakers I really enjoyed, and asking lots and lots of questions.

In the above photo I’m with Steve Demme, who created the math curriculum I use with Noah and Amie, Math-U-See. Incidentally, he knows my in-laws from PA, so he’s giving them a greeting here.

Here’s what I personally love about the homeschool convention: everyone is so encouraging.

Maybe it’s similar to what Judah said — I’m used to being a sort of anomaly because I’m not just a stay-at-home mom, I also homeschool. Those two things invite all sorts of comments, the most common being “I could never do that.” I understand why people say it, but I also find it exhausting. It’s exhausting to fight the tide of pressure to “do something with my life,” with my college degree. To just be normal and to have my kids be normal kids who go to normal school.

Now having said all that, I’m immensely grateful that the people close to me are very supportive of our family’s decision to homeschool. But sometimes I just get tired of being different.

So it’s incredible to find myself in a place where I’m not just normal, but what I do is affirmed.

Of course you expect the women to be nice, but the men are so kind too, affirming us homeschool moms in their talks, sharing wisdom, answering questions, urging us to persevere on the hard days.

So when Steve Demme invited me to pull up a chair at his booth and ask all my math questions for my kid with learning disabilities — talking to me almost like a peer (like I’m a real teacher!) — I felt deeply encouraged.

 

 

Last but not least: the Exhibit Hall.

I love, loved going to my different booths of the curriculum I use, asking all my questions. I also got to meet and chat with the fine ladies at our homeschool third-option group about all things homeschooling high school and felt vastly relieved that I’m not ruining my kids’ chances at life by homeschooling them through high school.

Beyond that, the Exhibit Hall is a labyrinth of things you never knew you needed for homeschooling. Essential oils? Check. History fact card games? Check. Medieval maps? Yes please.

 

 

It will come as no surprise that my very favorite booth was the used-book stall. The kids and I made a couple trips there over the weekend and I stocked up on literature we need for next year, as well as a few goodies for our home.

Is it strange that I’m already planning ahead to the library I want for when my grand-kids come over?

 

 

So yes. You should definitely enter the Exhibit Hall at your own risk. I was happily able to get Judah’s Chemistry book, Spanish 2, and Ancient History textbooks all for next year at 20% off with free shipping.

It’s not a good idea to go without a firm idea of what you need. Five years ago I was talked into purchasing a writing curriculum that I ended up not liking. If you’re considering a new curriculum, I think it’s much better to at least go with a recommendation from someone you know who’s tried it.

 

 

Judah commented, “I had no idea homeschooling was such a business!” Oh yes, Judah.

I’m very happy that we went this year. I loved being with my big kids, making a new memory and processing everything we saw and heard together. I loved all the encouragement and inspiration I received for next year of homeschooling — especially as I’m adding another high-schooler to the mix.

I do wish that the homeschooling convention (and the homeschool world in general) was more missional. The point of all that we do is not to “protect our kids from the culture” or “prepare to fight culture wars.” Okay, I’m making an over-generalization here. Not every speaker had this bent or would want to be grouped into a statement like this. However, it is definitely the main flavor in an event like this. I simply don’t like living with a mindset like this. I feel that it leads to negativity and even bitterness.

We homeschool our kids to disciple them in the ways of Jesus, and always for the purpose of sharing His hope with the world with kindness and joy. We do this through relationship, and you can’t build relationships with people if you think you’re better than them, or if you think you’re in a battle with them. That was not the way Jesus lived. If there was anyone He “battled” it was the Christian establishment. And so we homeschooling families — myself as much as anyone — must take great care that we are not like the Christian establishment.

So I come away from an event like this with great appreciation for so much kindness and encouragement on my education journey, and also with gratitude for our normal life, where we rub shoulders with all kinds of different people (most of whom do not homeschool), and learn this way of love and unity and serving God together.