At some point, you chose to homeschool. Amongst all of the possible teachers out there, you determined that you would be the best teacher for your child. Maybe you have a background in education and transitioned into homeschooling. Or maybe you just have a love of your child and decided you would learn and grow together. Whatever your background, odds are that you have never taught or learned to teach every subject, at every level, to every learning style and every personality… or even to your child’s (or children’s) specific learning style and personality.
This is just the first of the benefits of attending homeschool conventions and summits that I’ll be sharing.
1. We Haven’t Done This
When I decided to homeschool, I started researching everything I could. I knew that there had to be a process, and even though it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I still needed guidance. It was crucial for me to learn the requirements for my state and to see how other homeschool moms navigate them.
I hadn’t been homeschooled and had never homeschooled before, and there was only so much that I could learn from blog posts and Facebook groups when I didn’t know what I was looking for. I loved finding out that there were actual state homeschooling conventions where I’d be able to eventually speak to other homeschool parents who had been where I was and I could learn from their experiences teaching their children. But then I discovered virtual summits, which are basically homeschool conventions live and/or recorded for your convenience and available to view on your phone, tablet, or computer.
2. Access to Experts
Regardless of whether you attend an in-person or virtual event, not only do you get to speak to other attendees, you also get to speak to the experts, the speakers, the sponsors, and the organizers of the events. If they’re involved in bringing a homeschool summit or convention into fruition, they likely have confidence and experience in homeschooling. Oftentimes, they will also have an expertise or specialty that makes them even more qualified to answer questions.
If there is an area where you’re struggling, attending a convention or virtual summit can help you to overcome it. The experts will give talks or provide workshops for attendees and then you’ll usually have direct access to them to ask questions. I’ve formed friendships (and acquaintanceships) with experts after meeting them and talking at virtual summits.
(Caveat: you are the only expert on your children. The experts I’m referring to would be experts on teaching, learning, human nature, etc. They are not experts on your children specifically.)
3. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
When I attended my first virtual summit, I discovered the idea of year-round homeschooling. That was an idea that I had never before heard mentioned and it quickly resonated with me. I knew that it was nearly impossible for me to remember everything from the previous school year come September when I was in high school or college and the topics were familiar to me. It made sense that it would be even more difficult for younger children to remember everything when it’s all new to them. Additionally, my daughter had an amazing love of learning that I wanted to nourish with opportunities, not quash because the school year was up.
I was also reintroduced to the concept of eclectic homeschooling and realized that it was what I wanted for our homeschool. Previously, my understanding of the eclectic style was that it was filled with uncertainty and it was based more on indecision as opposed to a conscious choice to educate in that way. I was wrong. I discovered that eclectic homeschooling just means using a variety of methods and resources and choosing between them to do what works best for your child. It’s a means of making their learning the priority instead of a specific style. For example, although we have a large focus on books and reading in our homeschool, the Charlotte Mason style of teaching didn’t feel right for us. We can incorporate some aspects, but we don’t need to only use that one style.
There are a ton of other things that I never knew or never would’ve even guessed about homeschooling, so another benefit of attending homeschool conventions and summits is that they allow homeschool parents to find out what we don’t know and learn about it. Once I hear about a concept, I can go down the rabbit trail and learn as much as I can about it or I can ask more experienced homeschooling friends for more information. This leads to the next reason to attend.
4. You Meet Like-Minded Homeschooling Mom Friends
When I attended a virtual summit in October, I thought it was going to be like each of the previous summits I’d attended. Powerful. Thought-provoking. Filled with new and old concepts explained in new ways. What I didn’t realize is that I’d be meeting a bunch of new homeschooling mama friends and we’d still be in touch daily 6 months later. I love that I can talk to these women about parenting and homeschooling questions and situations and they’re able to relate, share ideas, and ask their own questions, too. Outside of this summit, odds are we would’ve never met in person. Whereas I’m in New York, these women live in Georgia, Texas, and Oregon. Even if we all attended the same in person homeschooling convention, our kids are different ages so we’d be attending different seminars or visiting different booths. We could’ve only met through a virtual summit.
But if you were to attend an in person convention, you’d likely meet homeschool parents from your state. You’d meet ones with kids around the same ages. If you went to the curriculum booths, you’d meet parents with similar interests or teaching styles. Whether online or in person, there are tons of opportunities to meet other homeschooling moms who could change your life for the better. You just have to take the initiative and find them.
5. Continuing Education
Most people have heard of “continuing education,” but did you know it’s a requirement for many professions? According to Wikipedia:
Continuing education or professional development is required in many fields, including teachers, insurance professionals, interior designers/interior architects, lighting designers, architects, engineers, emergency management professionals, school administrators, educators, nurses as well as those in the mental health professionals [sic] including psychologists and social workers.
Both teachers and educators are listed. Sounds to me like it would be worthwhile for homeschooling parents to keep learning about learning and teaching too.
We can do this by reading homeschooling books and keeping up with homeschooling blogs by a variety of parents, but I don’t think that’s enough. Like I shared earlier, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” If we continue to choose books by the same authors or keep reading the same blogs, we’re likely to keep learning about the same ideas. Attending virtual summits or in person conventions will expose you to new ideas. These ideas may result in you changing how you homeschool or they may confirm for you that how you’re homeschooling is still the best way for your family. The important thing is to be exposed to the ideas so you have new knowledge.
The Overall Biggest Benefits of Attending Homeschool Conventions and Summits: Empowerment and Confidence
When you bring each of these reasons together, it leads to a confident and empowered homeschooling mama. Whether you learn something new or your existing methods are reinforced, this knowledge creates a feeling of confidence. Speaking to experts and like-minded homeschooling parents empowers us. We have the knowledge and we have access to people who can answer our most pressing questions when we feel uncertain. We can homeschool with the confidence and the certainty that we made the right choice for our family and that we have access to resources, support, and opportunities for further education whenever we need them.
Have you ever attended a virtual homeschool summit or in person convention? What were your favorite things about attending? Let me know in the comments!
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