Truscifi Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 ooookkkaaayy...so. I guess I should stop envying people who actually get to go. That so doesn't sound like what I'd be interested. Some things I guess would be more appropriate for a church parenting convention. Yes! This exactly. If I want someone to tell me how to raise a godly child, I'll go to a church parenting convention! Since I don't, I'll stick to the vendor hall. :tongue_smilie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 How many secular homeschooling or academic homeschooling, or classical homeschooling and don't want to go to a conference in order to hash out religion, homeschoolers are on this board and in the Midwest? I propose that we all descend on a centrally located hotel :auto: and commiserate together. Maybe SWB will come talk to us!!! :D:D:D :bigear: I promise to bring my mother in law's, TO DIE FOR, rum cake with rum frosting, I volunteer my friend (aren't I such a lovely BF?) to bring her heavenly peanut butter pie with whipped cream, someone else can bring the Godiva Double Chocolate Cheesecake, and we'll force SPYCAR to fly in from California and make Ethiopian food! We'll consume every carmel or mocha latte in the area. :001_smile:Faith I'll be there! That PA one sounds fabulous. But so far away from me!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Well, I am a Christian and I enjoy some of the types of workshops the rest of you find irrelevant.:tongue_smilie: That said, I don't go to many workshops. It seems like when I am there, I have a very small attention span and while I am sitting there listening, the vendor hall seems to beckon me.:lol: I don't think anyone should worry about going to convention and someone wanting to kick you out or something because you don't fit a stereotype. I attend FPEA which is one of the largest conventions. There are all kinds of people there, most of whom look like everyday "typical" people. There are also Mennonites with their cape dresses and headcovering, some ladies in skirts and dresses with various hair lengths, and on and on. Denin jumpers-very few.;) It's really a mix of people and it's lots of fun to be there.:D[/QUOT: :iagree: I always enjoy just sitting and people watching once in a while. I go the Midwest Convention and it truly seems to be a wide representation of many different kinds of homeschoolers. Sometimes I end up in a seminar that doesn't quite live up to my expectations but it's always interesting to see how other people live their lives and educate their children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) FYI... I have been lobbying for more academic/secular/gifted speakers and vendors for the Midwest HS convention, since the first one. Not agressively, just an email here or there. The people who run that convention (and now the other 3 new ones) are amazingly open-minded and flexible, IMHO. They are definitely Christians, and they know that most people who HS will fall into that category, but they are really trying to have the best HOMESCHOOL convention, and realize that might mean they should expand their scope a bit. I (and my other secular HS friends) have a great time at these conventions. Why? Because they are giant and have a lot of variety. They are also pretty cheap (especially if you register early). Even with only a few speakers/topics/vendors to see... I still feel like I didn't do or see everything I wanted. I also like being in a huge place packed with people who are homeschoolers too, even if they don't HS like me. The head of the convention called me last year (I am listed in the phone book) and asked me SPECIFICALLY for other speakers/vendors etc that would appeal to the academic/secular/gifted homeschool population, as he decided that MCT was awesome and wanted to add some more people like him to the roster. I sent him about 20-40 people, some of which are now going to be there (YAY! Ed Zaccarro!). I'm sorry, but that's cool. ;) Next year, there may be more, who knows! If you are near any of those, and are secular, sift through the stuff that is over the top or irrelevant and see what you are left with. It is a surprising amount. It is as if there is a smaller convention, within the convention. :w00t: And if you go to the Cincinnati one, and want to have lunch, get a drink and see some bands... I will tell you where to go! Now people need to actually go and see some of the academic speakers. MCT's talks had just a handful of people in them, and I'm thinking they won't keep asking him back if he doesn't get a bigger audience. We are so excited to see Ed Zaccarro. Thank you for requesting him! We are taking our math books to have him autograph. :D And in general, I'll say what I always say: Anyone can start a homeschool convention and make it what they want. There is no governing board who only allows certain people to have a convention. :) The reason the talks are what they are is because the people putting in all the time to run the convention (and their group of friends) want that. I don't think they are trying to be representative of homeschooling at large or appeal to everyone (obviously, the Midest is different, because they are running it as a business.) If you start your own, you can make it whatever you want and then other people can either come if they find it useful or not. I've got the Midwest and it's close enoguh for me (as long as they quit increasing the amount of relaxed homeschool speakers,) so I'm good, but if it wasn't there, I'd think about getting one going. Edited February 27, 2011 by angela in ohio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I wholeheartedly agree. glad you hit post. ;) :iagree: I think we need a Homeschool Convention Festivus... a convention for the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 DH and I went to a homeschool convention three years ago. It was supposed to be secular but wasn't... OY, it wasn't... One of the speakers called on DH (who was asleep at the time) and asked DH how he felt as the leader of our household about homeschooling. DH told him he couldn't answer that because he was afraid I'd punch him in the face!! :D Then he sat back down and 5 minutes later, we left and had dinner out. I haven't been to convention again and I'm not sure I'll ever go. That whole "head of house" thing and chastity belts and whatever people want to do with their kids is their issue. But yes, it would be a refreshing change of pace to attend a HS convention that was actually about EDUCATION. Radical idea, actually!! THIS WAS MY EXPERIENCE AS WELL! I was so excited a few years ago to have my husband join me for a day of workshops at our state conference. We came out of there stunned. As Christians ourselves, we almost couldn't speak when we sat down in the car, we were so stunned. I was hoping for ways to impart knowledge to our children so they can go into the world as strong, intellegent beings who have open minds and know how to research a topic and discuss it from all sides. I would venture to say that the majority of what we heard at the convention that day was "teaching" exactly the opposite. I would also go so far as to say that I believe to a certain extent that the demanding, unbendable positions of these incredibly wealthy and influential groups could ultimately do harm to the homeschool movement as a whole. There - I said it outloud. When a homeschool conference leadership decides to no longer allow a Christian curriculum (Sonlight) to be a vendor because they deem them "not Christian enough", that's when I realize that the "Christian" homeschool conference is not "Christian" enough for me either. BTW- I just looked at the speakers for this year's conference and did not see even ONE that I would want to attend. They have consistantly become more removed from academics and it feels to me like one great big propaganda event. I just spoke with my husband about the PA conference and if I start feeding the kids Beefaroni every other day, maybe I can afford to go.:001_smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 :iagree: I think we need a Homeschool Convention Festivus... a convention for the rest of us. :lol::lol::lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 :iagree: I think we need a Homeschool Convention Festivus... a convention for the rest of us. :iagree: I have no idea of how to even begin planning one and even if I did, I'm not sure I would be able to get the word out bc most of the outlets for state wide communication are via two groups who sponsor the current one and would not appreciate competition. In fact, in the past I have been accused of hurting feeling and being unchristian for doing my own thing or complaining that these groups have nothing to offer me and other like me. Their response was basically that I should pray about it and they can't be everything to everyone and could I please be quiet so as not to sow seeds of discontent. So I'm very much thinking my input for change or my making my own thing would not go over well. I need to buy one of those shirts that says, "Does not play well with others.":tongue_smilie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hey the Arlington Home School Book Fair looks good? It has some of the iffy stuff, but it also looks like a good mix of vendors and speakers topics? http://www.homeschoolbookfair.org/index.html But it is just four weeks before my due date. That is likely cutting it a bit close for a weekend drive out of state. Figures. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 "Homeschool Festivus" Who will design the Tshirts and tote bags? :001_smile: Here's how I imagine it: We all get together in a city served by Southwest on a Friday night (at a nice hotel), have an incredible dinner, then listen to SWB speak. (I'm listening to her downloads, and they are great!) We all chip in a few dollars to cover her airfare and hotel. Then we stay up as late as we want, talking, drinking, eating, talking, watching movies, painting our toenails-total slumber party. Then, on Saturday after brunch (because no one is getting up early), we use a conference room for our "exhibit hall". If we each bring one bag of books/curricula we can wander around and see what other people are using. We could even get a little organized, so we don't have 15 Saxon 5/4 textbooks there and no Oak Meadow. We wander, talk and eat for a few hours and then we're done. People can go home, stay another night and see the sights, get a massage, whatever. More of a retreat than a conference. Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hey the Arlington Home School Book Fair looks good? It has some of the iffy stuff, but it also looks like a good mix of vendors and speakers topics? http://www.homeschoolbookfair.org/index.html But it is just four weeks before my due date. That is likely cutting it a bit close for a weekend drive out of state. Figures. :( Come on down! We'll get you to a birthing center if need be! :001_smile: Did you look at the college prep genius who's speaking? Will her seminar be a sales pitch for her $99 program or will it be enough information so that we don't need to buy her program? I don't want to go listen to a 2 hour sales pitch, ya know? Her topic is fabulous, though. There is a mini-convention north of Dallas that concentrates on college prep. Next time I hear of it, I'll try to remember to post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 In CA we have several choices. We have a secular state conference that is mostly unschooling-oriented. We have a VERY conservative Christian conference in Modesto that sounds like the rest of this thread. We have a slightly less conservative Christian conference in Santa Clara that is pretty academically responsible, and encourages full on homeschooling through high school. Last time I went to that one was two or three years ago, and they had a lot of vendors including TOG, Apologia, Exploration Education, Rod and Staff, the Quine materials, and many others. Conspicuously missing were Rainbow Resources, the Real Science 4 Kids folks, and Sonlight. I have no idea whether there was controversy over those or not. I didn't hear of any dust ups like at the CHEC conference some years back. Anyway, I never went to any of these until I was well along in homeschooling years, and I still have only been to the third of them. But a few years back a classical Christian coop up in the Roseville/Sacramento area invited SWB to come and speak and organized the very first conference I ever attended. It was small but perfectly targetted to me. SWB spoke four or five times in a day and a half. PHP had a big table full of their own publications and some of their recommendations for sale. And a local Christian-friendly homeschooling store had a big room full of things for sale as well--I had not even know that they existed, and they had wonderful stuff! I was able to see the Omnibus books and peruse them in detail (which saved me from buying them and then deciding not to use them). I got to see much of the WTM recommended high school history material, and purchase more of it than I would care to admit. I also bought a ton of living books and a few hands on kits and games from the store. This was the perfect conference for me, until I attended the anniversary conference in 2009--wow, that was epic. SWB, Jim Weiss, JW, just a few vendors but they were the ones I really wanted...perfect perfect perfect. There need to be more of those. Take that show on the road! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jec3113 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 ETA: I remember a vague notion that AP was considering moving here, but don't know if he actually did or not. Andrew Pudewa lives lin Locust Grove, OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 "Homeschool Festivus" Who will design the Tshirts and tote bags? :001_smile: Here's how I imagine it: We all get together in a city served by Southwest on a Friday night (at a nice hotel), have an incredible dinner, then listen to SWB speak. (I'm listening to her downloads, and they are great!) We all chip in a few dollars to cover her airfare and hotel. Then we stay up as late as we want, talking, drinking, eating, talking, watching movies, painting our toenails-total slumber party. Then, on Saturday after brunch (because no one is getting up early), we use a conference room for our "exhibit hall". If we each bring one bag of books/curricula we can wander around and see what other people are using. We could even get a little organized, so we don't have 15 Saxon 5/4 textbooks there and no Oak Meadow. We wander, talk and eat for a few hours and then we're done. People can go home, stay another night and see the sights, get a massage, whatever. More of a retreat than a conference. Jennifer :) That's my kind of conference, Jennifer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I remember the only homeschool conference I went to when I took my husband to try and consider homeschooling. He is a doctor and the speaker went on and on against vaccinations:ack2::ack2: That did not help my cause any!! Grin, thankfully he was able to look past that. I homeschool, do not wear only dresses and do not have a grain mill!!! But I do can and freeze tons of produce, does that count?? Grin. Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 ETA: I remember a vague notion that AP was considering moving here, but don't know if he actually did or not. Andrew Pudewa lives lin Locust Grove, OK. Oh see I had heard them saying several years ago they hoped to move near the awesome monastery out here, but I never bothered to follow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I am going to my first convention at the end of March. I am seriously hoping that it won't be like you described. I did choose the VA homeschoolers convention instead of HEAV based on the speaker line up, and Joy Hakim is the Keynote speaker, so perhaps it will be academic. But I am with most of you.....I am interested in the VENDORs lol. Are the sales decent, or is it just the free shipping? I am so excited just to be able to see some of the curricula without buying it first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Come on down! We'll get you to a birthing center if need be! :001_smile: Birthing center! I'm pretty sure we have enough collective knowledge to deliver that kid ourselves if necessary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I agree. More help on teaching, approaches, academics, and less on stuff I can get elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Come on down! We'll get you to a birthing center if need be! :001_smile: Did you look at the college prep genius who's speaking? Will her seminar be a sales pitch for her $99 program or will it be enough information so that we don't need to buy her program? I don't want to go listen to a 2 hour sales pitch, ya know? Her topic is fabulous, though. There is a mini-convention north of Dallas that concentrates on college prep. Next time I hear of it, I'll try to remember to post here. No, I think I'll stick to the comfort of the familiar home town when it is time to deliver. Besides, sitting in a van for hours driving when you are due any day is brutal uncomfortable!:D I did see that and wondered about the same thing. Tho I suppose one could just quietly get up and leave if that was the way it started to go? I guess that might be rude, but well I did say to be quiet about it.;) Do share if you hear about a good convention no later than April! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm still new to hs-ing, and although I've been reading about hs-ing for more than a year, I've never had any interest in attending a conference until this thread, ironically! Thank you, OP. And thank you google, which found a Catholic hs-ing conference at my own parish (who knew? We are secular hs-ers, but if it's at my own parish, it couldn't be that "bad" ;)). Apparently last year's had the following choices at three sessions: 1. (a) How to Read the Bible as Story (b) Play is a Preschooler’s Work: Creating Meaningful Activities for Your Littlest Learners © The Home is the School of Virtue (d) Teaching Boys & Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day! (Andrew Pudewa) 2. (a) Nurturing Excellent Writers and Speakers – The Power of Linguistic Patterns (Andrew Pudewa) (b) Celebrating the Liturgical Year © Media, Culture, and the Homeschool Family (d) Phoneme “Phundamentals†and Tools for Teaching Reading 3. (a)Teaching and Evaluating Writing (Andrew Pudewa) (b) Fathers and the Homeschooling Family © Banishing Burnout in the Homeschool So apparently one could listen to Pudewa all day long. There was also a keynote address by Pudewa, a session for new homeschoolers (:D), a break for confession, and anticipatory mass (which is standing room only on an ordinary Saturday as it is :glare:). It looks like the fee was only $25. Hmmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 I am so excited just to be able to see some of the curricula without buying it first. Oh the money I could have saved over the years with 5 minutes to look through a product before purchasing it. Painful to think about. So I won't. Much. Birthing center! I'm pretty sure we have enough collective knowledge to deliver that kid ourselves if necessary! :lol: No thanks! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hey the Arlington Home School Book Fair looks good? It has some of the iffy stuff, but it also looks like a good mix of vendors and speakers topics? http://www.homeschoolbookfair.org/index.html ( The Arlington home school conference is the only one I've ever been to, and I attended it when my oldest two were 3 or 4 years old. We lived a couple of miles from the convention site at that time. Honestly, I've never felt the need to attend a convention since I actually began home schooling. As I think back over the materials we've used through the years, I learned about the majority of them from the WTM forums. These boards and a couple of other places online are where I get academic info that I need. I'm an oddball as compared to the majority of other home schoolers I know IRL in that I don't exclusively use a full packaged curriculum. I will have to admit that I am shocked and dismayed to learn that there is someone who doesn't love Hank. :crying: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'd really like a secular, classical homeschool conference, but I did find enough interesting seminars at last year's Midwest Homeschool Conference to make it worthwhile. I just avoided any that sounded like Christian lifestyle topics, and chose more actual homeschooling related topics. Many people were just trying to sell their product, too. Some seminars I did enjoy were by Cindy Wiggers, Andrew Pudewa, Jessie Wise and SWB. I did love the vendor hall, too. Plenty of non-religious stuff to peruse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 As I think back over the materials we've used through the years, I learned about the majority of them from the WTM forums. These boards and a couple of other places online are where I get academic info that I need. As I read through all these posts I can't help thinking about ALL the forums right here on this site that people can access for academic help. And what about Google???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 At the last convention I attended, the sanctuary (2,000 seats) was reserved for the types of workshops of which you're speaking. The actual how-to-choose and use-curricula, how-to-succeed-at-homeschooling, and how-to-get-your-kids-into-college stuff was in classrooms with twenty seats. Just sayin'. ;) A couple years back I offered to do a workshop about service academy admissions. I'm an admissions liaison for one and thought that it might be of interest at least for some families with high schoolers. When I spoke with the organizer I pretty much got a thanks but no thanks. It seemed that the largest space was for the keynote speaker and most of the other rooms were reserved for vendors. Now I don't mind that vendors do workshops. It's saved me from costly mistakes. But there is such a wealth of knowledge and experience among homeschoolers and we seem to only here from those who have published rather from those in the trenches. Bring on the comparative algebra or language or writing or science panels. Let me get the religious building up at church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey the Arlington Home School Book Fair looks good? It has some of the iffy stuff, but it also looks like a good mix of vendors and speakers topics? http://www.homeschoolbookfair.org/index.html I personally wouldn't travel for this one. In fact, I posted a similar post to your original 'rant' several weeks, lamenting the fact that this area doesn't have a big convention. Texans always like to say that "everything is bigger in Texas" but that is not the case with hs conventions. I think because each large city has their own convention, it just breaks up the supply/demand. I attended Arlington the year before I started homeschooling and the two years after we started, but likely won't attend again. Little to no academic focus. Too many people walking around saying they can't wait for the end of times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Just chiming in to thank you for exposing Hank the Cowdog ;) My 17 y.o. loved that dog when he was younger and still will defend him to anyone who disses Hank in his presence. (I was always suspicious of why he liked that dog so much.) We didn't discover him at a convention, though. I'm with your ds 17. Hank the Cowdog is very funny. He is a dog in charge of the ranch, not a bad kid. He's just kind of a dumb dog in charge of the ranch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I started a spin off where we could link any online lectures that might be helpful. We could do our own virtual conferences using the lectures we WANT to hear. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249465 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica626 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I've attended the CHEA of CA conference the past two years in So. Cal. This year I am planning to attend the Pacific West super-conference in Santa Clara. It has it's share of "eye-roller" sessions. However, I was really impressed with how un-homeschooly the attendees were. There were also several speaking sessions that were actually about educating (PK to high school). The vendor hall, now that alone is worth it. Someone warned me the first year not to go in there without a game plan. I ended up emerging two-hours later in an almost catatonic state. I had NO clue what I was looking at or why. LOL! I think the vendor hall this year will be HUGE! Yeah, I usually go to the convention with a game plan. I print out the speaking schedule, highlight where I am going to go, the spend the rest of my time spending too much money in the exhibitor hall. Monica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 As I read through all these posts I can't help thinking about ALL the forums right here on this site that people can access for academic help. And what about Google???? But can't that also be said for religious and parenting help? Not necessarily here but there are plenty other venues for that information both online and off...places you can visit in person such as churches and parenting classes. However when I go to a home school conference with the sole purpose of learning how to educate my child at home, I want information from those who have BTDT and from those experts who can help me teach my child to the best of my abilities. How many classes in educating my child can I take locally? Churches can bring in speakers but where am I going to go to hear speakers on teaching academics? Don't you think it's odd that there is a lack of academic speakers at a conference on educating children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemMommy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 It's supposed to be primarily religious, but with some secular vendors, from what I've heard. I'm a little afraid- can you imagine me, with my pentacle necklace and my tattoos and my decidedly hippie-ish wardrobe, walking in among all the long skirts and meekeness? I'm worried someone will try to hold me down and pray the demons out. :D Should be quite an experience. Luckily, I've never been one to worry about being stared at. The MN one isn't so bad. Most of the people wore pants and looked like typical middle-class, working people rather than Amish farm families. There were NO kids there (the convention in ND--which is always closer to my house--has tons of kids and kids activities) and the talks were more academically oriented in MN, too. However, Duluth is 5.5 hours away so I'd need the hotel/food stuff, plus admission. I still want to go to Cincy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I understand. I do wish that we could get more speakers covering actual educational topics, i.e., here's how to teach xyz to this level of child..... The larger conventions, such as we have in Cincinnati for our region, do tend to have more variety than the smaller conventions, for what it's worth. I generally sneak into the back of speakers' rooms and then quietly leave if the presentation seems to be turning into another religious talk. Don't get me wrong; I am Christian. And I do believe that good moral practice does have its place in rearing children, whether one's family is religious or not. But I go to church and participate in my church community meetings regarding all those sorts of things. I don't need more of that info at a convention that is supposed to be focused on school subjects. I've got that covered. I really sometimes feel as if some of those selling goods at homeschool conventions are using religion as a marketing tool, rather than sincerely expressing their beliefs, too, unfortunately. However, there was a larger variety of products at our convention last year than there ever has been before, so I continue to hold out hope for the future.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 FYI... I have been lobbying for more academic/secular/gifted speakers and vendors for the Midwest HS convention, since the first one. Not agressively, just an email here or there. The people who run that convention (and now the other 3 new ones) are amazingly open-minded and flexible, IMHO. They are definitely Christians, and they know that most people who HS will fall into that category, but they are really trying to have the best HOMESCHOOL convention, and realize that might mean they should expand their scope a bit. I (and my other secular HS friends) have a great time at these conventions. Why? Because they are giant and have a lot of variety. They are also pretty cheap (especially if you register early). Even with only a few speakers/topics/vendors to see... I still feel like I didn't do or see everything I wanted. I also like being in a huge place packed with people who are homeschoolers too, even if they don't HS like me. The head of the convention called me last year (I am listed in the phone book) and asked me SPECIFICALLY for other speakers/vendors etc that would appeal to the academic/secular/gifted homeschool population, as he decided that MCT was awesome and wanted to add some more people like him to the roster. I sent him about 20-40 people, some of which are now going to be there (YAY! Ed Zaccarro!). I'm sorry, but that's cool. ;) Next year, there may be more, who knows! Thank you! Last year was the first year I went to a convention, and I went to Midwest. It was huge. The gentleman from Royal Fireworks Press who represented MCT was great, even if his voice did give out (he still had every single word on his overhead projector :lol: ). I am Christian, but that doesn't mean that I go to the convention for religious topics (they're not excluded, but I don't think I picked any last year). I'm thankful that Midwest has grown so much in the past few years (didn't it start at Landmark--a church--just a few years ago?). I live 30-45 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, so Midwest might be the only conference I ever go to, unless I have to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'd actually like to see a wider variety of homeschool materials made available from Catholic and other religious providers. There are some great Catholic providers out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hmmm...you've all got me thinking. See, I could fly into OH, stay with the family of my dd's fiance' who was killed, see his gravestone (never have gotten to see it), hear my sil talk (never gotten to hear her speak, though I'm quoted in her book! http:http://www.learndifferently.com ) and just generally have a nice time... :D I enjoy the CHEC convention because I see friends I never get to see otherwise, but I'm not seeing much on academics this year. I'm sort of persona non grata with one dd that went to USNA--going to be less popular with another dd that wants West Point... Oh, do come. I'll be driving from DC to go with my sil. I'll tip you on where all the best used bookstores in town are. We seriously need to get together some kind of WTM join up at these conventions. I'd love to meet all the folks who have just been voices in my head for this last decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I originally thought I might go to the Northeast Homeschool Convention in Philadelphia to see SWB. It's just a short train ride away for me. Then I saw that the people running the convention felt the need to put in their "about us" section that they believe that I am headed for eternal torture, along with everyone else like me. That made me question how much I was going to fit in and be welcome there. Now I'm thinking I'll probably stay home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Wise Bauer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) "Homeschool Festivus" Who will design the Tshirts and tote bags? :001_smile: Here's how I imagine it: We all get together in a city served by Southwest on a Friday night (at a nice hotel), have an incredible dinner, then listen to SWB speak. (I'm listening to her downloads, and they are great!) We all chip in a few dollars to cover her airfare and hotel. Then we stay up as late as we want, talking, drinking, eating, talking, watching movies, painting our toenails-total slumber party. Then, on Saturday after brunch (because no one is getting up early), we use a conference room for our "exhibit hall". If we each bring one bag of books/curricula we can wander around and see what other people are using. We could even get a little organized, so we don't have 15 Saxon 5/4 textbooks there and no Oak Meadow. We wander, talk and eat for a few hours and then we're done. People can go home, stay another night and see the sights, get a massage, whatever. More of a retreat than a conference. Jennifer Jennifer, I'll come. When shall we do it? September's pretty open for me. SWB P.S. Mollie from the office will design the T-shirts. She's a genius. P.P.S. I bet I could talk a couple of other people into coming. Who should we ask? Edited February 28, 2011 by Susan Wise Bauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Wise Bauer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 There shall be no talk of this at Homeschool Festivus! There might be talk of what will happen to those of you who refuse to diagram, though. SWB I originally thought I might go to the Northeast Homeschool Convention in Philadelphia to see SWB. It's just a short train ride away for me. Then I saw that the people running the convention felt the need to put in their "about us" section that they believe that I am headed for eternal torture, along with everyone else like me. That made me question how much I was going to fit in and be welcome there. Now I'm thinking I'll probably stay home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Seriously??? That would be so incredibly awesome! I can't imagine just being in a room and listening to everyone. I would love to just sit and listen... and absorb.... and hear what you all have to say... And then the bonus of eating and staying in a nice hotel?? That would be so incredible. Right now, I'm at an incredibly low spot... although trying to climb out. THIS is fun to just daydream about!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Wise Bauer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Also we need tinfoil hats, I will bring my own. Seriously, if someone were willing to do administrative legwork (finding hotel, collecting the $$ to chip in for costs--we could rent a presentation room for not too much, that's what we did in Richmond), I'd come. Would really like to return to the opposite coast. SWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Wise Bauer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey, Southwest flies out of Norfolk! How about Reno or Sacramento? SWB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Also we need tinfoil hats, I will bring my own.SWB You need to read the "board rules" lady ;) :D Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 It's probably because I've been in bed sick for four days, but now I am envisioning a WTM fight club. The first rule about Homeschool Festivus is that you don't talk about Homeschool Festivus. We'll just walk around with chocolate on our face, our messed up hair from staying up too late, our matching bee tatoos, and our worn out freshly autographed copies of WTM. We won't have to say a word, we'll just nod and know, we've been a part of Homeschool Festivus. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I only go to hear SWB speak! If I can drive it and afford the layout of expenses, then this is my reason for attending. My dear friend and I do not hang out for other seminars, but we do shop until we drop. The Michigan INCH convention, in my opinion, is not classical homeschooling friendly and quite often the vendors I am interested in are not attending, and it has a very fundamentalist feel to it. This might not actually be so, but I do avoid it because it feels that way to me. I spent a little too much time in a "fundamentalist" high school and was really scarred. If that's the case (and from the speaker list sure looks it--even more so this year than usual), I'm glad I've never found it convenient to attend. And ditto on the fundamentalist school, but I doubt my experience was as bad as yours. (Is there a convention with SWB near enough? I'm about 2 hrs east of Lansing... off to go check her website.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Oh, please come out west!! I'll provide the Festivus pole if you do. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 If you do it in Sacramento, I am SOOO there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 It's probably because I've been in bed sick for four days, but now I am envisioning a WTM fight club. The first rule about Homeschool Festivus is that you don't talk about Homeschool Festivus. We'll just walk around with chocolate on our face, our messed up hair from staying up too late, our matching bee tatoos, and our worn out freshly autographed copies of WTM. We won't have to say a word, we'll just nod and know, we've been a part of Homeschool Festivus. :D Okay, now you're making a needle-phobic non-risk taker really want a tat... Can it be a really tiny bee? :D This would be a good excuse to pick up the newer edition of WTM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey, Southwest flies out of Norfolk! How about Reno or Sacramento? SWB Come on Bill...start planning! :tongue_smilie: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Homeschool Festivus....now that's my idea of a convention! Let me know when registrations are out! September's great for me too! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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