Convention.
Balm to a homeschool mother's heart. Sometimes.
Other times, a distraction and a burden that pulls us away from what we need to do for our own family.
This time?
Just what I needed.
It is so fascinating to attend these now as a second-generation home schooler. I remember the infancy of homeschooling in our area. I remember when there were only a few curriculums to choose from and woe to the poor kiddo who couldn't handle the bookwork inherent in those work-book based curriculums. And now? Take your pick. Unschool, eclectic, Charlotte Mason, Trivium, Classical, on and on and on and on. And just as many vendors for each...enough to make a brand new homeschooler's eyes pop and get burn out before they even start. I loved
this post by Elizabeth...it summed up so perfectly what I think about it all, essentially: stay in your own lane. Do what works for you and your family. And bathe everything, and I do mean everything, with prayer. One of the questions I get so often (when mamas find out that I am second-generation) is "I've switched curriculum for my child, because I thought this or that was better suited, but am I setting this child up for failure? What did your mom do? Did she switch curriculum when she schooled you?" I understand this fear, don't get me wrong. But inwardly, I smile. I think I experienced five or so different curriculums over my homeschool adventure. I remember the year when Saxon math was first published, because it was such a godsend for my math-addled brain. I was failing with Abeka, and both me and my mom were knocking our heads against the wall trying to understand why I just wasn't getting it. And now? Take your pick of math programs! So many different ways to get to the end point, and all of them good. I tell these mamas not to worry- that I seemed to turn out alright...and that I have the double degree to prove it (not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but passing that university benchmark seemed to really bring them peace!)
To me, the beauty of homeschooling is the unique and inherent flexibility in it. As home schooling has moved more main stream it seems like that facet of it has been a bit forgotten as people try to 'do school at home' instead of moving into a lifestyle of learning. There is a huge difference. I love that I can tailor things to each of my sons' unique needs. Ben thrives with a 'typical' workbook education with lots of nature walks and art and music thrown in- nothing gives him more pleasure than working through his math book. Seriously. The kid finishes his last lesson of AO- Horizon Math K about three weeks ago. (There are two workbooks for each of the elementary years.) "Mommy, when will I start my
third math book?" Me: [Flabbergasted] "Uh, well honey, we're on vacation. I am going to get your math book at the convention in two weeks. Can you wait till then or do I need to get it now?" Ben: [thinks hard] "Well, I guess. I want to know more. I know lots about clocks now. And money. And counting. See? 1, 2, 3 [Counts all the way to 100]." He takes to learning like a duck to water. He really likes knowing things. Isaiah is a different story. With his SPD and fine and gross motor skill delays, typical schooling is hard. But I don't have to do typical with him! We do Handwriting Without Tears, Math U See....and lots and lots of reading. He loves to look at books, he loves to memorize and sing...he needs to
see and
touch and
feel through his school day. He's learning in his own way, and that is
just fine. I'll be curious to see what Lorelei and David will be like when they get to this age, what their learning styles will be...it's such a fun adventure. And there is nothing cooler than seeing the lightbulbs go on!
I feel so blessed that I have my mama to mentor me through this homeschooling adventure. She has a wealth of knowledge that I can draw from. That being said, it is hilarious to go to convention with her as a Grandma, because she is such a Grandma! Bragging on the kids, buying them rubber band rockets and t-shirts...just all around spoiling them rotten. I love it!
So what 'filled up the tank' so to speak?
There are always a ton of good speakers...this year was no exception. But I really, really needed to hear Dianne Craft speak. She's a nutritionist, and the whole weekend she was focusing on the connection between food, allergies, and behavioral/chemical issues. One whole segment was on Sensory Processing Disorder alone. We have known, Isaiah's pediatricians have known, that he has serious food allergies. And we've removed as many triggers as we can. But Dianne had the 'missing piece' of the puzzle- what we need to put
back in to his diet to balance out all the stuff we've had to
take out. James and I sat in those workshops and scribbled like mad to catch all the notes, she had so much information to give. I was so blessed. Interestingly enough, although we've easily accepted that Isaiah has allergy related behavior issues, it never dawned on us to consider that Ben might have some of the same allergies as Isaiah...I'm not sure why. But as James and I were listening to Diane speak, we kept looking at each other and mouthing "Ben?" So it looks like another round of elimination diets might be happening around here...to rule out some obvious allergies. She also really made me consider that I have
not been taking care of myself properly, and I am dealing with some really stupid issues. Stupid only becase they are easily fixed with careful diet, but I haven't been taking that time to care for myself. I haven't really been paying attention and just
going. But after the convention, I decided enough of that. A family member's issue with heart and high blood pressure scared me right out of my lack of care...so a new adventure.
All in all, it was great. I am glad I went. I'm glad that James got to go with me. I feel so blessed to have a husband that takes the time to be involved and help me make these decisions. The thrill of the 'find the used curriculum' hunt is ten-fold much more fun when we're doing it together. It got to be quite the competition.
Of course.
My very pregnant body did not like the convention. Not. One. Bit. But it was so worth it. And now I have six weeks to relax and recover! (Just let me stay in my denial, alright?)