I saw online tonight that there is going to be a HS convention in Greenville, SC in March. My parents live there so it would be easy to go and leave my kids with them so my husband and I could go together (without three screaming kids). Anyway, DH is definitely not convinced about HSing. I know this is what God wants for our family. He is onboard (tentatively) for kindergarten, but I am wanting to HS at least until 8th grade...maybe even through HS. Would it help for him to go to the convention? What exactly do they do there? I am mostly excited about the exhibition hall. I would love to see some of the materials before I buy them. I don't want to overwhelm him and make him freak out about HSing, but I really want to go. Will he like the convention? Thanks for the input!
YES!!! I would take him. And he WILL be overwhelmed; so will you!!! My dh was OK with me homeschooling, but it wasn't until after he went to a convention that he truely understood what it was all about. Each convention is different, but usually there's a Vendor Hall (which is the overwhelming part!!! SO MUCH to chose from!!!) and speakers on all kinds of topic from "What About the "S" Word?" to Portfolio Evaluations to "What to do with Toddlers" to workshops on specific subjects to hs'ing laws to cooking and cleaning.... They even have workshops designed for hs'ing dads specifically! If you got a place to stay and someone to watch the kids, GO!!!
Are you serious?!! This is a sign!!! GO!!! I would, I'd go. I'd take my husband and maybe even pay a couple of sitters so the grands could go to! What a wonderful opportunity!
GO! and make sure dh goes!!! When we first got started, we went to a couple of meetings/talks first, then went to the big (Christian organization's) state convention. What really helped, besides hearing the experts talk about their various topics, was just walking around observing other parents and their kids. There were hundreds and hundreds of parents there, with more hundreds and hundreds of their kids, and all of those we saw were friendly and the kids were ALL well-behaved (granted, those whose kids tend to be more active or disruptive probably didn't bring them), and the bits of conversation that we overheard as we walked around were things like "... in our morning devotions the other day...", "... and our service project helped ...", "... and my 11 year old is reading (insert name of high school level classic here)...", and so on and so forth. We'd never been to any gathering this large that wasn't church, where ALL weekend we never heard ONE cross word spoken by anybody! That's what impressed him the most. I, on the other hand, could have stayed in the book fair for about a week.....
Yes. GO!!! Just leave your checkbook at home so that you're not tempted to buy all sorts of curricula!
I would go and plan on not buying anything on the spur of the moment (or bring just a little cash to buy some small stuff). I would suggest bringing a pen and paper to write down the potential stuff you are interested in. Keep in mind that while a lot of people are selling good materials, that does not automatically mean it is a fit for your family. These are sales people and some are more "convincing" than others. By that I mean, some are going to say that it will fit your circumstance, even if they are not sure themselves. Overall, there are merits to all kinds of curriculum. The trouble is which one fits your family? I think the best way to explore what homeschooling is and what it isn't is by reading good homeschooling books, speaking to other homeschoolers, and going to forums like this one.
Please do go! Take hubby if at all possible! Make it a special time together, maybe going out for supper to a special restaurant. You will learn SOOOO MUCH! I wish everyone who was contemplating home schooling had a chance to go to one! One other suggestion would be to find a good homeschooler in your area and meet with them, couple to couple, and have a good, long chat. Give your hubby an opportunity to ask the other hubby all of his questions. I hope you get a chance to attend the convention!
Go!!! Dh and I go every year to our local one. They are wonderful and can be uplifting and reassuring. Sometimes they even have special sessions directed at the Dads.
OHHHH, I bought my family pass a few weeks ago to the SC convention and I can't wait. It's my first hs convention and we're 3 years in (I'm a little slow). My mom helps with ds sometimes, so I'm dragging her along to get a taste of what it's all about. Hubby mentioned that he might tag-along, but I already had reservations for the hotel (2 nights @ a Comfort Inn for $35 per night, WHAT...gotta love Hotwire). Ds is coming with us (after all, it kinda concerns him and he deserves a break) and there's a "kid's convention" (think "day camp"). The cost is $20, I believe, for all days. Cherry on the top: Tim Hawkins will be there Friday night, $5 per person...yeah, we have our tix for that one too. Kiddo's been wearing me out with youtube videos of Tim so he can get excited over our adventure.
Go! At the hs convention out here they offer free admission for people considering hs and pastors. I think it's free for grandparents too but I could be remembering wrong. Check to see if yours does that.
