My Continuing Education, Part 1

Whaddaya know! You can teach an old dog new tricks! Since I'm that old dog I feel that I can say this with a sense of certainty.

I am talking about my attendance yesterday at the Midwest Homeschool Convention which is taking place in downtown Cincinnati. It ends in a few hours so it is a bit late for you to hop plane, train, or automobile to get there. But don't despair because there's always next year. Mark your calendars for April 8-10, 2010 and make plans to attend. I think you will be glad you did.

So what did I learn at the convention? Lots! This will require several posts. I'll start with the things learned outside of the actual workshops:

• Six degrees of separation exists. An out-of-town blogger asked me if I would be attending the conference. My initial answer of "iffy" became "affirmative." She didn't know my real name. One solution would be to take my blog picture to the event coordinator and ask, "Do you know 'Karabeth'?" to which the reply would be, "Karabeth? Her name isn't 'Karabeth!" It's ---- and that's her son, ---- who is friends with my son." I found that this revelation would be a total shocker to both parties involved, hence yesterday's name disclaimer. I'm not normally a name-dropper - my own or others - so this six degree stuff is not something that I usually acknowledge. I'm the kind of person who operates along the lines of "Hey, Karabeth, so-and-so would like to bring her friend Miley Cyrus to lunch on Sunday. Is that okay?" to which my reply would be "Does she like roast? Because that's what we're having." You get the picture. I know people, some who are more influential than the aforementioned*. I just don't intentionally use people. I'm not much of a groupie.
• We received some pats on the back and verbal "atta-girls" because Karen and I are mother-daughter homeschooling moms. After 23 years of homeschooling I guess I am one of the pioneers. The fact that Karen was home-educated the whole way through seems to be a rarity. That she chooses to do the same for her own children? Even more so. I was a bit surprised to be the recipient of any admiration from my own friends and acquaintances but was humbled that the Lord allowed us to offer visual and vocal encouragement to them. Wow! Thank you, Lord!
• Homeschooled, teenaged boys enjoy attending the convention. The Bear is proof positive of this. Accordingly, plan to attend next year and bring your teenagers!
• I crave - no, I require - socialization myself. Did I ever tell you how alone I felt when we first started homeschooling in 1986? And also how far from our family we were at the time? No cell phones, computers, or free long distance? Yes, I think I've told you that before. Let's just say that even little introverted me felt a wonderful sense of belonging yesterday.
• I love looking at curriculum! I used to get all my ideas from providing written narratives for parents who use that option to satisfy the Ohio code. Talking to parents and finding out what they liked or didn't often provided me with marvelous ideas for teaching my own students. I gave up my clientele several years ago so I am not usually familiar with new products and services. But since I am one of those people who feels it absolutely necessary to fit the curriculum to the learning style of the child we have changed or adapted for each of our children. Very little has survived from Karen through to the Bear. Each had a tailor-made course of study based upon their needs, what was "out there" at the time, and my own ability to implement the program. Yesterday, I felt like a kid in a candy store. And I bought lots of candy. :)
• I found that I need this burst of encouragement to get me through the current school year and to ignite the fire of excitement for the next one. I never thought I'd be saying, "I can't wait for next year!" when we haven't even finished this year yet.

So that is my list of a few things that I learned outside of the workshops. It is far from exhaustive, but it is a great representative sample of my continuing education.

*Update and clarification: the "aforementioned" meaning the event coordinators, not Miley Cyrus. I don't want a bunch of teeny-boppers, Hollywood zanies, or paparazzi showing up for Sunday dinner in the hopes of catching glimpses of superstars. But if you are planning to be here for Sunday dinner, please RSVP. Thanks. :)