VaHomeschoolers 2012 Conference

This weekend, my mom and I traveled to our neighboring state, Virginia, to attend the VaHomeschoolers Conference and Resource Fair. I have attended this conference several times in the past, and even though it is small compared to other conferences (about 300 attended), it is very pleasant. This year, the conference was held at the beautiful Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, which alone had many wonderful art displays.There was also a wonderful little shop called "The Atack Family Gift Shop" that had gorgeous jewelry, paperweights, pottery, paintings, and other crafty things. In fact, I bought a beautiful pearl necklace and black-beaded bracelet from there, and love them!

When my mom and I first arrived, we were led by very easy-to-follow signs to the used resource sale and book fair. There were dozens of boxes filled with tons of used books of all kinds: textbooks, fiction, picture books, cookbooks, self-help, science, classics, sticker books, history, and guidebooks just to name a few. There were also new books for sale, many of which had been recommended resources by the conference presenters (including my mom). The sight of so many books gave me chills, and before I knew it, I was pulled in by the alluring power emanating from those paper-bound treasures and quickly acquired a precarious stack to purchase immediately. Thankfully, I know how impulsive I can be, so I forced myself to walk around for a few minutes to shake the magic spell the books had cast over me and to rationally pick from my pile what I really wanted. Most of the books were easy to put back, but one was harder than the others: "Living Color" by Steve Jenkins.

It reminded me of a childhood favorite of mine, "Hailstones and Halibut Bones," which was an exploration of color in the world around us. I love colors, and I wanted to buy "Living Color" for my future child to enjoy. But who's to say that my son or daughter will be interested in colors like I was? They might like robots or something. So I reluctantly put it back. I finally settled on two books: "Confessions of a Slacker Mom," which promised a funny memoir on the imperfections of motherhood; and "The Unicorn Treasury: Stories, Poems, and Unicorn Lore," because Bruce Coville books made a strong impact on me when I was young, so I like collecting his books wherever I see them.

Excerpt: "I think parents probably have better instincts than they know. You don't have to be a pediatrician or a child psychologist or an academician to have some inborn wisdom about raising your child. You just have to be a mom or a dad with a sense of what's practical, and a willingness to listen to your inner voice, instead of bowing to the inevitable pressures of 'perfect parenting' messages. And don't think this book is just one more installment in those endless parenting archives. I'm not going to end each chapter with reference material such as, "The Thirteen Baby Supplies You Really Need" or "The Only Six Toys You Ever Have to Buy" or "The Three Disciplinary Methods That Actually Work." I'm way too much of a slacker to come up with lists like that. But I do hope it'll give you enough to mull over that the next time you hear from some magazine, TV show, friend, or in-law about the latest thing that you, as a parent, are supposed to do or buy, you'll pause. And if you hear your inner voice saying something like 'yuck,' you'll listen."

There were a bunch of vendors in the conference as well. Most of them were advertising local programs or educational resources, but one stood out to me: the chicken vendor. The vendor was run by a nice woman who was passionate about raising backyard chickens. She had several books on the topic as well as a real live chicken named Oprah Henfrey on display. The chicken was huge and beautiful, and very interesting to watch. For more information, see the chicken website: www.chiknegg.com

Saturday was when all the wise and wonderful presenters gave their workshops. Alas, I wasn't able to hear them all, but several workshops were especially good:

"Beginning Homeschooling" parts 1 and 2 by Stephanie Elms

"The Natural Stages of Growth in Writing" by Julie Bogart

"On Homeschooling and Structure" by Jeanne Faulconer

Of course, my mom - Cindy Gaddis - was one of the best, too.

"The Collaborative Learning Process: A Strengths-Based Education Approach"

and "Understanding the Right-Brained Child" (for more information, see my mom's blog!)

For the first time ever, I was my mom's assistant during the workshop because she could not present and run the projector at the same time. My mom did a great job speaking, and many of those in attendance were really moved by what she said. A lot of people talked to my mom after the workshop was over, but some people asked me questions, too. Most of the parents had young children, so they had yet to see if homeschooling was going to work out for their kids. I was proud to be an example of a normal, functioning homeschooled adult. In fact, I felt a little bit like a celebrity. "Yes, even a homeschooler like me can go to college, have a good job, and get married to a hot man!" ;)

The VaHomeschoolers Conference was simple but effective. I wish there could have been more activity-based workshops available, or a place where people young and old could gather to play nerdy cards games (*cough,* Magic the Gathering, *cough*) Despite this, I had a nice, relaxing weekend with my mom and the homeschoolers of Virginia.

For more information about VaHomeschoolers, check out their website: http://www.vahomeschoolers.org/