Thoughtful Thursday Week 27 – Homeschool Conferences

Posted on

I have said it before, and I will say it again: homeschooling parents should attend a homeschool conference at least once a year. Sorry for should-ing all over you, but you should. I am not saying you should spend money on transportation, hotels and restaurants to get to one. But if you have a local event, by all means change your schedule, get a second job to pay for the fee, volunteer at the conference for discounts, do whatever it takes and attend.

Adriana Zoder and Susan Wise Bauer at the Appalachian Home Educators Conference in Knoxville, June 2015

With Susan Wise Bauer at the Appalachian Home Educators Conference in Knoxville, June 2015

The reason people don’t attend homeschool conferences is that they don’t think they will get enough value out of them. I know, I know, some of you are saying, “That’s not true. Some actually can’t afford a conference.” I can agree with that only for the extremely poor, but even they make an effort to earn some extra money for something they deem valuable.

Ultimately, it is human nature to choose activity A over activity B because activity B does not offer as much satisfaction or perceived value as activity A. Sure, I understand schedule conflicts. I also understand lack of resources. I even understand the fact that homeschooling parents are afraid of being made to feel inadequate in their efforts by so-called homeschooling experts.  Continue reading »


Thoughtful Thursday Week 25 – Continuing Education

Posted on

Last month, my sister graduated from a Romanian university with a master’s in education. I am so proud of her. She has been working on this degree for years, a bit at a time, as time and circumstances allowed. In addition to being a mom and an author, my sister has been working for a Christian radio station for more than two decades. She is not really planning on being a teacher, but she felt this master degree would give her the knowledge to continue to write and produce children’s radio programs.

The AL Abacus from Right Start Mathematics

The AL Abacus we use from Right Start Mathematics has two sides, for different operations.

As homeschooling moms, we also ought to invest in ourselves through continuing education. It is not only traditional classroom teachers who need in-service days. Home educators should read at least one book a year about how to teach. Summer time is the best time for this, of course, because many of us take at least a month off from teaching actively. Continue reading »