Grateful for Grace Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 My ideas (I haven't read all the responses): 1) bring someone with you to be your personal assistant (I volunteer!); that would help you in many ways if they don't give you a room sitter/assistant 2) say at the beginning that it's your preferance as the speaker to have everyone be able to hear, live and recording listeners, so that you ask all babies that are not settled quickly to be taken out of the room AND THAT if they aren't then A) your assistant will ask you to leave or if you don't have an assistant B) you will ask them to leave in front of everyone As both a mom who has brought babies and a mom who has not brought babies, I think this is fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 They really have to do something about the children issue at the conference. It gets more out of control every year. I am so disheartened by the behavior of both adults and children this past weekend. I was trying to buy curriculum in several booths and had children push past me, climb on me, grab things from me, etc. with their parents standing right. there. :001_huh: I saw men talking on cell phones during speakers, the child with the balloon (that was insane!!,) people coming in late and shuffling down front over everyone instead of politely sitting in the back, crying babies in speakers and just outside in the hall, :D I honestly skipped the entire last day of the conference because of this, and opted to just purchase the CDs instead. I thought I was attending a professional conference. Instead, it felt more like Great Wolf Lodge without the water. Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 (edited) "It wasn't anything like that. He wasn't preaching anything. He was being intelligent and encouraging, and people just didn't get it. It was sad, because every single homeschool parent should have heard that talk. It was about building a love of learning and a relationship rather than trying to do 12 different subjects. It was incredible." (Not sure how to put the quote in a little box) I'm sorry I missed it! I could use a talk like that right about now. :001_smile: Edited April 4, 2011 by Farmgirl70 add quotes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostinabook Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 It wasn't anything like that. He wasn't preaching anything. He was being intelligent and encouraging, and people just didn't get it. It was sad, because every single homeschool parent should have heard that talk. It was about building a love of learning and a relationship rather than trying to do 12 different subjects. It was incredible. What was the title of this session? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 What was the title of this session? The Lighter Side of Education I don't know if you can get it anywhere from another convention, or maybe from his site (CAP,) but it would be great to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostinabook Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 The Lighter Side of Education I don't know if you can get it anywhere from another convention, or maybe from his site (CAP,) but it would be great to hear. Thanks. I'm going to e-mail him & see if he has the download available for purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 and I sat on the floor of almost every session with my kids who sat quietly reading, coloring, or knitting. I don't even think they ever even sat in a chair except at Michelle Duggar's afternoon talk where they asked to not have children in the aisles and the back was already full. If my littles got noisy, I left. I had to do that one time. Michelle Duggar's 2:30 talk was ridiculous. I could not believe how much noise people were making. Of course, she didn't seem phased. :lol: :lol: I guess people assumed that a mother of 19 could concentrate with a little baby noise. It was totally out of control though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Thanks. I'm going to e-mail him & see if he has the download available for purchase. He asked us for help when he was preparing this seminar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 He asked us for help when he was preparing this seminar. He didn't actually use that, though he did mention that he asked. Instead, he opened it up to the audience of moms there. One or two had good thoughts, but then it started to slide. (I actually would have preferred to hear more from him, not other moms, but that's just me. ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 My ideas (I haven't read all the responses):1) bring someone with you to be your personal assistant (I volunteer!); that would help you in many ways if they don't give you a room sitter/assistant The problem is that this costs money--travel, hotel & food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) Michelle Duggar's 2:30 talk was ridiculous. I could not believe how much noise people were making. Of course, she didn't seem phased. :lol: :lol: I guess people assumed that a mother of 19 could concentrate with a little baby noise. It was totally out of control though. Really? I was at the front and didn't notice noise at all. Seriously. There were times when I did notice how quiet it was and thought--Wow, quite an attention-getting session. Other times I must have been so focused on her talk that I didn't notice any noise. Was it mostly at the back and sides of the room? ETA: Ok, I did notice a baby once, but it wasn't distracting. It didn't seem very loud. I was 4th row from the front, so maybe Michelle was far enough away from many of the noises, too. Edited April 5, 2011 by gardening momma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I was at that Christopher Perrin talk too (but I didn't leave!). I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. It has to be discouraging to the speaker when peopel leave like that. I'm guessing there were a lot of people who came based on the title alone and really had no idea what they were going to hear. ;) What was the title of his talk? And what did he talk about? Just curious.. I was intending to attend his talk in Pennsylvania, but that's not happening now.. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Well, I confess I haven't read all 32 pages of replies, but I know that when I work at a convention booth, I always post a sign: "Children who are left unsupervised will be given a free kitten and an espresso." Parents always laugh and are noticeably more mindful that their children are not fondling, spindling and or mutilating the merchandise. Maybe humor will work for you. Is there a row in the back of the room that could be designated for mothers with babies so they can make a quick exit? Maybe a "shoulder tapper" could sit with them and be at the ready. I would also announce that mothers with crying babies WILL be asked to step outside so as not to spoil the recording for those who are purchasing the CDs. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 What was the title of his talk? And what did he talk about? Just curious.. I was intending to attend his talk in Pennsylvania, but that's not happening now.. Sigh. That particular talk was "The Lighter Side of Education". There was quite a large group at the beginning of his talk. I'm guessing some (or many?) people came based on the title alone. It was a great session, but not just a light hearted, fun, "how can we make homeschooling fun? session. He focused on how we add/experience joy in our homeschooling lives, experiencing the "levitas" along with the "gravitas". I don't think some of the attendees expected Greek roots to be part of the Lighter Side...;). I feel so badly for everyone who was planning to attend the Pennsylvania convention. What a disappointment! It would be really nice if they could arrange for cd's from the previous conferences to be available for a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 I don't think some of the attendees expected Greek roots to be part of the Lighter Side...;). Ah yes, I can see *easily* why people would be lead to a wrong idea of the talk. Now my son would have loved it. When he received his Greek curriculum as a Christmas gift, he exclaimed "That's the best gift ever!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 (edited) SWB had to stop halfway through her talk because a little boy was running around amongst the audience with one of those balloons that you can bounce on a rubber band (such a ridiculous thing to sell at a convention full of people, but anyway.) It didn't stop, so she had to stop again. She was so calm and firm. (I would have been much less kind.) It was finally determined that the boy's father was standing on the other end of the hall (she was in a very large room - the junior ballroom - as she drew a few hundred people to some of her talks) doing nothing at all while she asked someone to get the boy to stop. :confused: Apparently he confused a session where a college professor and author was teaching homeschooling mothers how to teach their high school students writing for a playground. :glare: Actually he was not 'just standing' there. He was NOT in the room. He came in as someone was taking the child to 'Lost Children' or someplace similar. Apparently, the child had wandered in. Unfortunately, with the Duggar groupies outside, I can almost understand how one could lose track of a child. Originally Posted by Mom2boys :iagree: And I was also annoyed at the standing-room-only sessions where adults were standing in the hall to hear, while young children, who were getting nothing out of the lecture, occupied seats. I would prefer it if those parents sat in the chairs around the edges, and had their children sit on the floor beside them, with their toys and coloring books. The chairs should be for the adults who are actually listening to the lecture. And I was also annoyed at the standing-room-only sessions where adults were standing in the hall to hear, while young children, who were getting nothing out of the lecture, occupied seats. I would prefer it if those parents sat in the chairs around the edges, and had their children sit on the floor beside them, with their toys and coloring books. The chairs should be for the adults who are actually listening to the lecture. How about when there are seats in the middle of rows? People were able, in some cases, to pull the seats somewhat backwards from the back row and sit. But I was in a couple of bigger sessions where there were tons of single seats, and people were standing in the back. There was one row where every other seat was empty. And stayed empty the entire time. Yeah, it's nice to have a place to lay my jacket and papers, but not if people are standing in the back?!?!? Edited April 5, 2011 by cin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Actually he was not 'just standing' there. He was NOT in the room. He came in as someone was taking the child to 'Lost Children' or someplace similar. Apparently, the child had wandered in. Unfortunately, with the Duggar groupies outside, I can almost understand how one could lose trac of a child. I was next to the door on the side where the dad came in. He had been coming in and out of the session with his other son (also with a balloon, but also with a giant wooden sword :glare:) from the beginning. It was incredibly distracting to me, because the door next to me kept opening and closing, so I noticed him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 So, perhaps have conferences for ADULTS?? Is it me, or doesn't it just seem normal that first choice would be with no kids, and 2nd choice would be with the children acting as they should in church or other locations?? I would be absolutely ticked if I finally....finally.... got to listen to SWM or Perrin or anyone else... and a little bitty was allowed to ruin if for me. I think I'd pick up my stuff and move a couple feet away from the speaker... I wanna get to hear speakers at conferences someday :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 So, perhaps have conferences for ADULTS?? Is it me, or doesn't it just seem normal that first choice would be with no kids, and 2nd choice would be with the children acting as they should in church or other locations?? I would be absolutely ticked if I finally....finally.... got to listen to SWM or Perrin or anyone else... and a little bitty was allowed to ruin if for me. I think I'd pick up my stuff and move a couple feet away from the speaker... I wanna get to hear speakers at conferences someday :) Our local Catholic conference, while not on this same scale, has a teen track but other than that only allows nursing babies. I would love to hear SWB and Dr. Perrin and others speak but you couldn't get me near the big conventions. The environment described here would stress me out more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 2) You parents WITH babies: how would you hope that this would be handled, if you were the owner of the noisy infant?, and Truly? I'm shocked that there isn't some kind of care set up at homeschool conventions. Imagine if a parent could pay for some kind of care and then actually LISTEN to a speaker and then spend money on curriculum. :confused: We (DH, I, and our oldest DD) were hoping to attend the Portland convention this year and as I was looking through registration materials I noticed there was no option for care and was very confused. Keeping in mind this would be my first attendance at a convention to hear the speakers I had never realized this wasn't something offered!! I just assumed.... That said, *if* we go this year, we'll be attending with, most likely, a baby under the age of 7 days and if she cried or fussed, I'd expect to leave the room out of sheer politeness to others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 About setting up care at conventions, etc.... Many places won't even consider it b/c of licensing and insurance issues. And if you are going to leave the kids in a care set up, why not leave them at home with a sitter anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 And if you are going to leave the kids in a care set up, why not leave them at home with a sitter anyways? This is definitely a fight I don't have a dog in but the conventions I've been to (FPEA) there is so much to do as a family that many see this as a vacation. So they leave the kiddos in care while they do the talks and then spend the rest of time enjoying things as a family. Anyway....just wanted to give a bit of insight as to why. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Unfortunately, with the Duggar groupies outside, I can almost understand how one could lose track of a child. nm. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 And if you are going to leave the kids in a care set up, why not leave them at home with a sitter anyways? The reason would be because many are traveling and don't want to leave their children for 2-3 days. For others, they'd like to bring their little ones who still need Mom throughout the day, but not bring them into lectures where they could potentially be distracting, kwim? I see it as a potential fix to a hard situation. After all homeschoolers are, by nature, family centered, and have larger than average families to include a wide age range. Many mamas have toddlers and/or nursing older babies and simply can't fathom leaving them for two whole days while they attend the conference, or even all day long while they attend a lecture, especially as many older babies are dependent on them for food! At the same time, they realize small children can be distracting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 About setting up care at conventions, etc.... Many places won't even consider it b/c of licensing and insurance issues. I agree. Convention centers just aren't remotely set up to be able to offer child care. You'd need a room with direct access to a restroom, sink, changing area (I think there are usually some specifics regarding this), etc. Plus licensing and insurance, as Impish mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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