Hey guys. A few initial observations about this conference:
1. This is definitely a Christian conference - every session leader begins with prayer, the Bible is used, and the curriculum offered is distinctively Christian (some, distinctively reformed).
2. There are a lot of people here. We're talking well over a thousand, though no number has been given. (Not much racial diversity, though.)
3. The curriculum fair is huge, with booth after booth of curiculum sellers showing off their products. Everything from math books to violins to light-up ant farms and everything in between is being sold. (Anyone want a rocket kit?)
The first session I attended was taught by Jeff Baldwin - he gave a great talk on apologetics and the faulty arguments of atheism.
The second session I attended gave an overview of the different approaches to homeschooling:
a. Conventional
b. Classical
c. Charlotte Mason
d. EarlyLearning
e. Delayed Learning
f. Unit Study
g. John Holt
As I mentioned before, Crystal and I are definitely convinced of the need for clasical education, though we intend to use unit studies and Charlotte Mason ideas as well. (I'll take questions later - or you can probably look these things up on wikipedia.)
The keynote speaker was a nuclear chemist who made the case for homeschooling. It was excellent - go here to see what was presented (it's a pdf file - if that doesn't work, just go to the resources section of apologia.com) Anyone feeling "unqualified" to teach their children at home should definitely check out the statistics he displayed. As it turns out, homeschooled kids taught by parents without even a high school diploma tend to do much better than kids taught by teachers with education degrees in public or private schools.
Overall impression so far: I'm more convinced than ever of the need for Christian homeschooling, and I'm more than excited about the journey ahead for my family. (It is well worth my wife staying home, having less income, a smaller house, etc.)
Reporting from the business lounge of the Salem Best Western Hotel in downtown Winston Salem, JN
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2 comments:
I'm glad things are going well. Shannon and I are definitely planning to home school as well, so I look forward to hearing from you about this conference.
I'll look forward to hearing more. I have a few of my members/prospects who are attending that conference.
Here is just one thought from me: In our excitment for homeschooling, we must never present it as a Biblical mandate. I have heard of many parents who have been told that if they don't homeschool, they are sinning. The mandate is to teach our kids the Word.
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