I had 4-5 Workshops marked for each session. My head was swimming and I was ready to soak it all up like a sponge. With the kids in the Children’s Program and no need to worry about them (HA!), Sean and I were ready to Divide and Conquer this Beast called the Homeschool Convention. We’d dotted our T’s and crossed our I’s. Slaying Dragons Together is what we do best. 

We dropped the kids off at the Children’s Program and entered The Exhibit Hall. Wow! Cool Stuff! Good thing I locked the Credit Card in the vault, cause I hadn’t gone 10 feet before I found something I really really needed to make our school successful. Audio books. Historical Audio Books! I’m a history and geography freak, so that was a hard one to walk away from. 

The hour passed quickly and it was time for my first session. And I had not given into Temptation. Even when the very cute little boy did the hard sell for his favourite Math Curriculum.

I was a little disappointed by the sessions I attended. This is not a reflection on the presenters or the Convention. I simply chose poorly. Perhaps I misunderstood the descriptions. Maybe my strategy was wrong. I wanted more tools to get started, but alas, I chose presenters offering encouragement for those already on the journey. A few I liked were Learning Styles, ‘Homeschool is Heart Work’ and Homeschool Travel (of course). The first two gave real meaty, well structured tips and strategies for families to connect and teach their children well. The third is just my personal interest – as a missionary and wanderer, it piqued my interests.

I was only able to attend a total of 6.5 of 15 sessions, due to the Epic Failure of the Children’s Program to hold the interest of my children for more than two hours (which I’ll talk about in tomorrow’s post).

At 11:30am, Sean picked up the kids for lunch while I attended an excellent session: Maximizing Your Child’s Learning Style. This session probably gave me the most ‘meat’ as a fledgling Homeschooler. I still haven’t pinned down their learning styles. But one thing I do know: my daughter is not a Producing Learner, which her current school expects her to be. This girl needs to Move and Create, to Relate and Invent. And it is my job to figure out how to harness her learning power and teach her to flourish!

After a glorious Lunch on the Lawn, Sean spent 2 hours trying to keep our son in the program, who would promptly cry if Sean tried to leave him there. This was DH’s gift to me – a chance to attend seminars. Then we traded off so that Sean could get some learning. The kids went to dinner with Daddy while I attended the District Gathering.

One of the things that really disappointed me about the Convention was the Lack of Connection. I had hoped to meet some people from my county, perhaps even my town. There were a total of 7 parents at the District Gathering. I think I met my District Leader and we made a great Connection, so it was worthwhile to be there. But no one from my area showed up. Throughout the Convention, I wore my “New-bee” sticker with pride, but no one noticed. I tried to chat with other mothers, but no one wanted to Connect. I’m an introvert, and really have to push myself, reinvent myself, in these situations in order to make connections with total strangers and try to build rapport. This obviously is not the purpose of this Convention for most families. It’s to connect with old friends, get more info, to buy buy buy for the lowest possible price. I made better connection with the Exhibitors… like the Missionary to Haiti. I was so happy when a friend texted “I’m here!” and we were able to have lunch together on day two and swap ideas.

Day 2 we dropped the kids off at the Children’s Program, and Sean and I spent the morning in the Exhibit halls. The plan was to peruse the exhibits we’d seen the day before, to get more information together, to compare notes. About 20 mins in, Sean stopped to chat with a speaker who had caught his attention the day before. That was it. An impromptu coaching session began and I was left to wander the Hall alone. I didn’t mind – too much… I wanted him to glean as much info as possible. But I was miffed that MY Plans were not working out. 

So, at 11:30 I got the kids (Sean had been in his coaching session for about 1.5hrs now) and met Kim, my Angel sent by God to make this day Bright and Shiny! Kim and Sean attended University together. She’s a Veteran Homeschooler, with a Missionary Heart. She has become a great friend, one of those people who encourages without even trying, who notices things you think you’ve hidden well. We had an hour together, enjoying food and sunshine and chasing my 5 & 7 year old around the garden! Sean finally showed up with about 10 mins to spare, fully pumped from his morning. About this time we realized that the kids would not be returning to the Children’s Program. They were done. And I don’t blame them, I wouldn’t want to be in that room either.

So, we attempted a new form of Divide and Conquer. Take one child each and go learn something. Sean got the long straw, I got the short. I think I was seated for less than a Minute before The Boy’s cries of “I’m bored! I don’t want to be here!” had drowned out the speaker!

I was really looking forward to that one, too… Reset. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now I get to spend time with my favourite Little Man, so try not to be Grumpy Mummy whose plans have been thwarted by Life… isn’t that what the Thermostat Mom said… 

I spent the afternoon exploring the Resort, watching movies in the atrium and enjoying frozen yogurt with Little Miracles. But still that Bad Attitude Simmered underneath, annoyed because I was unable to accomplish my goals. At dinner, Sean gave me a Time Out at Denny’s while he took the kids swimming.

All in all we got quite an education at our First Homeschool Convention. I don’t think we Slayed the Beast. It definitely Outwitted and got the Better of Me. Darling Husband faired much better than I, learning to Unleash his Inner Entrepreneur.

And the Jury is still out regarding this whole Homeschool Business. There’s a part of me that wants to just throw us all in the Deep End. But we are a Unique Family in a Unique Situation, so Homeschool just doesn’t seem like the right fit. Yet. Schooling and Homeschooling are both an awkward fit for us and our kids. I guess we are just Square Pegs trying to fit into a World of Round Holes.