Sunday, April 13, 2008

Looking Forward

We've been away alot over the last week and a half. The weekend of the 5th I attended a home education conference. It's been several years since I've been to one and I really enjoyed it. The conference itself was well put together and organized to be 'user-friendly' and the speakers that I went to see were good. From learning how to make science fun (which is weird 'cause I already think its fun), to working out a template for unit studies, I learned alot and feel excited about starting some of the ideas now, as well as planning out grade 4 for September.

I did attend a session that was to point out ways to be more organized - this was a dissapointment because I could have taught the speaker a few things. The fact that this presenter didn't bring enough pamphlets for her audience was the first clue that the presenter could learn from SAHMs. I think alot of the experienced homeschoolers were dissappointed with this one. When the speaker wasn't a homeschooler herself, and she was there to promote her business rather than encourage parents, the presentation fell a little flat.

The surprise of the weekend was that my husband came with me! Originally, I was going to be driving alone (3hours each way) and just making a long day of it. Since he took the time off work, we left Friday morning and stayed overnight for the Saturday conference. We made a mini vacation out the whole thing and it was great.
This is an annual conference and I will be encouraging the homeschoolers of my church to come next year. Maybe we can make a ladies' weekend out of it all - or maybe I'll just go with my husband again! That's a win-win situation!

2 comments:

Janet said...

Kim, was that the OCHEC conference? We are simply too busy this spring to have even considered going, but maybe we'll find the time next year. I was sorry that I missed Stacy and James McDonald last year, but our daughter was expecting twins and in the middle of moving, so we were working hard for her!

One question: did you fill out a comment card to let the organizers of the conference know what you thought about the speaker that fell flat? I know they appreciate feedback, positive or negative, because it helps them to make better decisions in the future.

Janet from Canada, too!

Kim from Canada said...

Hi Janet,
This wasn't OCHEC (I believe that one is coming up in May - ?). Because I haven't attended any conferences for several years, I researched what was available and this one was in Kitchener/Waterloo area.
And, yes, I do fill out comment cards for each session I attend - good comments and not-so-good comments - especially if I plan to attend annually. It can only benefit everyone involved.