On Being the Student

I've got a lot to learn, or maybe just figure out, before the school year begins for us this fall. So what better place to get some learnin' (yes, I know that's bad grammar) than the annual homeschool conference?!

This was my third year attending the NICHE conference. The first year went something like this: "OK, I'll go, but I'm not going to homeschool my kids. I'm really just going to gather good reasons for why not to homeschool."

The second year went like this: "Um, this sounds kind of good. It might be a good fit for our family, but I need to find out more about it before I make a decision."

And this year: "What are we going to teach? What curriculum are we going to use?? Yes, I know I need to take a deep breath and relax, but this is my child I'm going to be teaching and I don't want to screw her up! (anymore than... yeah, never mind) Is that a tornado?!?!"

This year I had Dakota by my side (most of the time) and a small army of friends to attend workshops with, walk around with, and discuss all the good stuff we were learning. I was actually surprised this year by all the friends I ran into at the conference. How encouraging to know there are so many friends who have a similar pull on their hearts for educating their children at home. And encouraging to know my kids will have plenty of other kids to get together with!

The weekend was full of motivating speakers. And when we weren't listening to them, we were making our rounds through the curriculum hall, spending hours talking with various vendors and getting a feel for the endless options before us--a very overwhelming task. But by the end of the two days, we felt like we were able to piece together a curriculum that will be a good match for Emma's interests and abilities. Yea! The hard part is done! (Why do I hear laughing?)

Back at home, the girls enjoyed the endless time and attention from Grandma. When we got home the first day, Ashlyn started crying almost immediately. She thought our return meant Grandma would have to leave. We told her that wasn't the case this time, but she still insisted on being Grandma's little shadow for the rest of the evening. Before we went to the conference on the second morning, Emma instructed me to find some math for her. She specifically wanted some adding and subtracting. That's my girl! If it's math she wants, then math she shall have!

By the end of the two days I felt exhausted--mentally and physically. But I felt like I came away with lots of good ideas and information. I'm looking forward to receiving the materials we selected and getting back into lesson planning this summer. The journey begins!


By the way, did you know the monarch butterfly tastes things with its feet? True fact! See, we're always learning something around here. :)