Homeschooling Conference!

 Homeschool teen party decorations

My family spent the last few days attending the Virginia Homschoolers Conference. It's my annual homeschooling booster shot. It always comes around just as I'm running low on steam and filled with doubt. Thankfully, I leave feeling energized and self-assured. The conference makes me confident that our eclectic/unschooling style of homeschooling will not render our kids ignorant and destitute. (Thank goodness!!)

It was also my second year of hosting the teen party. OMG!! 52 homeschool teenagers is a lot of wonderful and crazy energy!! I finished up Friday night by serving about 200 people ice cream and cake, I haven't been that physically tired and mentally fried since Country Living Fair! 

Every year I pick up a few pearls of wisdom to help guide me through another year and this year was no different.

#1: Do what you love and do what your good at!
#2: Our main job as homeschooling teachers is to teach the kids how to learn.
#3: Are you doing what it important or what is URGENT? (Yikes!)
#4: There are no educational emergencies!

I always go to the feel good sessions, sessions like Unschooling Unzipped and a Homeschool Mom Looks back by Jeanne Faulconer. Meanwhile, my hubby went to a few sessions that were more technical. Oh course, it's that ying and yang thing again! He went to sessions on real world math and teaching aps!

After the conference Don and I went out to pick up dinner alone and compared notes. My take away from his sessions are great as well.

#1. Mathalicious
#2. Evernote, I am so excited about this! Man, I hope it finally gets me on top of it all. PLEASE!!

At the end of the day I was part of a panel of working/homeschooling parents. The panel and the room was filled with a working moms and dads that are or are planning to work while homeschooling. I loved it, they are my people, a bunch of fellow crazy people that are willing to conquer it all! I'll be back tomorrow with more.