Am I the only one

[Negin]

Well, any Christian conference that wouldn't like you would be missing out, Negin. :)

Thank you, so sweet of you. :grouphug:

 

And let's just declare this a pqr safe zone, so no worries there, either.;)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Negin]

I knew it would be a religious one, that didn't bother me. I just wanted to meet other homeschoolers and attend some of the sessions (and shop the vendors, of course). I went and tried to pay for an entry pass. I was asked for either my homeschool association membership card (as in membership in their HS association) or my church membership verification. I didn't have a church membership, so I asked if I could just join the HSA. They said sure, but membership required one to sign a statement of faith. I couldn't lie, and they wouldn't accept the application without signing that part, so I just went home.

OMG ... :confused: That's just plain out crazy. Sounds a bit like my dream, except my dream was worse. :001_huh:

[Susan Wise Bauer]

I've been thinking about attending the Great Homeschool Convention in PA this year, and looked into details as these discussions about conferences have taken place. However, I am really thrown by the presence of two of the speakers at the top of the roster--Ted Tripp, the author and proponent of spanking as a parenting practice, and Ken Ham, the president of the Creation Museum.

 

I understand the need for a plurality of views, but some are so distasteful (spanking, for example) or foreign to me I wonder what it indicates about the general tone/general culture of the event. I'm not afraid of being exposed to new ideas, or learning more about views I don't understand or accept, but I that's not why I'd attend a conference. I also know that there are many talks and workshops to choose from. I notice that many of the speakers' bios address their faith, which signals to me that the "culture" of the event will be of a non-secular nature. Which is fine, but not something I would travel for.

 

And I really would relish a chance to have something of a homeschooling boot camp.

 

I'd love to hear SWB, Puweda, Zaccarro, and a few others. I do know I can take what I need and leave the rest.

 

Thoughts?

 

Only since you asked for thoughts, I'll offer some.

 

I completely understand this. I often speak at conferences with speakers who are SO far to the right or left of me that I'm acutely uncomfortable.

 

However...what's more important to me is the motivation of the conference itself.

 

I am only speaking at conferences that invite a range of speakers.

 

I think it's a little odd that I seem to be on the far left of most of these "ranges," since in the world where I'm a historian and W. W. Norton author (I inhabit this world for part of my life, believe it or not), I'm so far right that they can barely SEE me; I'm practically sitting in Muammar Gaddafi's lap.

 

INSERT: THIS IS A JOKE. I AM DOING NO SUCH THING.

 

Back to the topic of this post (pay attention, having trouble writing a less complicated sentence than what follows...)

 

The willingness to at least HEAR different points of view, which makes it possible for me to attend, manifests itself as willingness to invite speakers I intensely disagree with. If a conference is willing to invite BOTH me AND someone I would like to have a smackdown with, that seems like a positive sign.

 

Does that make sense?

 

In many ways I'm an outsider at the conference world. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to parents who want to educate their kids. I don't want to be summarily cut off from that opportunity; that makes me reluctant to cut off others whose POV is alien to me. Even if I hate what they're saying. If I lobby to have them excluded, I'm essentially lobbying for MYSELF to be excluded at a future time. 'Cause, weirdly, in this world, I'm the radical.

 

I guess I'm saying: I think that you guys can listen to different speakers and make up your own minds about what to accept and reject. You don't need to be protected. You can hear, and decide, for yourselves. I like the idea that SOME conferences make this possible.

 

Trying to think of a clearer way to express this (hey, I write for a living, you know!....)

 

Will keep working on it.

 

SWB

[melissel]

Only since you asked for thoughts, I'll offer some.

 

I completely understand this. I often speak at conferences with speakers who are SO far to the right or left of me that I'm acutely uncomfortable.

 

However...what's more important to me is the motivation of the conference itself.

 

I am only speaking at conferences that invite a range of speakers.

 

I think it's a little odd that I seem to be on the far left of most of these "ranges," since in the world where I'm a historian and W. W. Norton author (I inhabit this world for part of my life, believe it or not), I'm so far right that they can barely SEE me; I'm practically sitting in Muammar Gaddafi's lap.

 

INSERT: THIS IS A JOKE. I AM DOING NO SUCH THING.

 

Back to the topic of this post (pay attention, having trouble writing a less complicated sentence than what follows...)

 

The willingness to at least HEAR different points of view, which makes it possible for me to attend, manifests itself as willingness to invite speakers I intensely disagree with. If a conference is willing to invite BOTH me AND someone I would like to have a smackdown with, that seems like a positive sign.

 

Does that make sense?

 

In many ways I'm an outsider at the conference world. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to parents who want to educate their kids. I don't want to be summarily cut off from that opportunity; that makes me reluctant to cut off others whose POV is alien to me. Even if I hate what they're saying. If I lobby to have them excluded, I'm essentially lobbying for MYSELF to be excluded at a future time. 'Cause, weirdly, in this world, I'm the radical.

 

I guess I'm saying: I think that you guys can listen to different speakers and make up your own minds about what to accept and reject. You don't need to be protected. You can hear, and decide, for yourselves. I like the idea that SOME conferences make this possible.

 

Trying to think of a clearer way to express this (hey, I write for a living, you know!....)

 

Will keep working on it.

 

SWB

 

Lovely (and hilarious) thoughts, Susan. Thank you for sharing them!

[Mad Jenny Flint]

I've been to my local one several times and, though I enjoy the vendors and loved the time I got to see SWB and her mother, I often fight it out with myself about whether I should ever go again. The talks are mostly not anything I could stomach, and it gets more that way every year.

[sheryl]

I want to go, but just haven't do so yet.

[KristinaBreece]

Only since you asked for thoughts, I'll offer some.

 

I completely understand this. I often speak at conferences with speakers who are SO far to the right or left of me that I'm acutely uncomfortable.

 

However...what's more important to me is the motivation of the conference itself.

 

I am only speaking at conferences that invite a range of speakers.

 

I think it's a little odd that I seem to be on the far left of most of these "ranges," since in the world where I'm a historian and W. W. Norton author (I inhabit this world for part of my life, believe it or not), I'm so far right that they can barely SEE me; I'm practically sitting in Muammar Gaddafi's lap.

 

INSERT: THIS IS A JOKE. I AM DOING NO SUCH THING.

 

Back to the topic of this post (pay attention, having trouble writing a less complicated sentence than what follows...)

 

The willingness to at least HEAR different points of view, which makes it possible for me to attend, manifests itself as willingness to invite speakers I intensely disagree with. If a conference is willing to invite BOTH me AND someone I would like to have a smackdown with, that seems like a positive sign.

 

Does that make sense?

 

In many ways I'm an outsider at the conference world. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to parents who want to educate their kids. I don't want to be summarily cut off from that opportunity; that makes me reluctant to cut off others whose POV is alien to me. Even if I hate what they're saying. If I lobby to have them excluded, I'm essentially lobbying for MYSELF to be excluded at a future time. 'Cause, weirdly, in this world, I'm the radical.

 

I guess I'm saying: I think that you guys can listen to different speakers and make up your own minds about what to accept and reject. You don't need to be protected. You can hear, and decide, for yourselves. I like the idea that SOME conferences make this possible.

 

Trying to think of a clearer way to express this (hey, I write for a living, you know!....)

 

Will keep working on it.

 

SWB

 

This ^^ is why I love this board. So many of the women here (and SWB herself!) are intelligent, funny, and tolerant (NOT the word I want, but it will suffice) of the life choices of others. I think the biggest obstacle I've encountered with homeschooling IRL is that people get so personally offended by our choice to homeschool (or by how we choose to homeschool), as though it somehow invalidates their own choices.

[laundrycrisis]

I have never been to one. One of these years I hope to go to the "In Home" conference put on by HOUSE in Illinois, which is a non-sectarian organization. I have no interest in ever going to one that has a bunch of speakers or sessions that have nothing to do with homeschooling and are just religious.

[jld]

I have never been to one. One of these years I hope to go to the "In Home" conference put on by HOUSE in Illinois, which is a non-sectarian organization. I have no interest in ever going to one that has a bunch of speakers or sessions that have nothing to do with homeschooling and are just religious.

 

If you can swing it this year, I'll bet you'd love it. I've only been to two, and this one is the better one. Totally, totally worth it. :)

 

Disclaimer: I haven't been in the last 5-6 years. My rec is based on my experiences before that. I hope the quality has not changed.

[KidsHappen]

I have never been to any homeschool conference. Of course, I started way back when very few people were doing it and by the time conferences came around I had already figured it out.

[jld]

I have never been to any homeschool conference. Of course, I started way back when very few people were doing it and by the time conferences came around I had already figured it out.

 

I hear you. After a while, I think we all just find our own way, just like with family life . . .

[Audrey]

I have never been to any homeschool conference. Of course, I started way back when very few people were doing it and by the time conferences came around I had already figured it out.

 

 

I've been at it for long enough to have figured out most of what works and what doesn't, but I'm coming up on the high school years soon, and the number of people on forums who have stuck for it that long are slim. I would love to listen to some speakers and just socialize a bit with other hs'ers IRL.