LDS Home Educators - My First Experience

For the first time ever, I attended the LDS Home Educators conference in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  And I can't help but wonder...why haven't I gone to this conference before now?  I had a positive experience with the conference and its people ever since my mom and I arrived at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center, where the homeschool conference was taking place.

Image from ldshe.org

I was immediately impressed by the youth attending the conference.  I am so used to seeing the majority of homeschoolers being a little extreme in their clothing and accessories.  I am a conservative when it comes to appearances, so I usually stick out like a sore thumb at homeschool conferences.   Due to the LDS dress code, however, most of the young men and women at this conference looked - how should I put this - normal.  I admit, it made me feel more at home.  Beyond their appearance, however, the youth were just like the homeschoolers I'm used to: authentic, geeky, and totally awesome.

Image from ldshe.org

My mom, Cindy Gaddis, was also having a first-time experience alongside me.  In her case, she was running her first vendor booth, and I was her helper.  She was advertising her book, "The Right Side of Normal," which will be published this summer.  Click here for more info on her life-changing, revolutionary book!

I'm caught in a really awkward place between being too old for youth classes and being too young (and childless) for adult classes, so I volunteered to run the booth while my mom went to some of the classes.  To be honest, I was bored to tears, even with my DSi and Kindle Fire.  There was barely anyone wandering the halls, and the few people that were around weren't interested in my mom's booth.  For three hours I sat, impatiently waiting.

 Image from icanhascheezburger.com

After my mom gave her two classes, however, tending the booth wasn't boring anymore!  Tons of people showed up at our booth, asking questions and taking pamphlets.  Most of the people wanted to talk to my mom, but I also answered questions and/or explained what my mom's book was about.  It was fun, made me feel proud of my mom, and inspired me to have a book ready to sell for next year's conferences! 

As for me, I was on two different panels: "How to Be a Successful Homeschooler," and "College Prep 101."  I got to meet some really cool people who were also on the panel with me.  We all had different experiences with college and life, and gave different perspectives and advice.  I was a little bothered by some of the questions, or more like, the way some of the questions were worded.  The question "what do you wish you could have known in high school" bugged me because it implied that being a homeschooler disadvantaged me at college.  Sure, I had some weaknesses going into college due to being homeschooled, but I also had a lot of great strengths.  In fact, being homeschooled really made my college experience an amazing one.  Instead of answering the question, I challenged it by saying I could not have prepared for college anymore than I could have prepared myself for becoming a teen, or getting married, or one day having a baby.  You can't expect to study ahead and be perfectly prepared for anything in life.  The best thing (and basically the only thing) we can do is go forward and relish the experience of living.  I have no regrets about the way I prepared for college, or anything, because I could only learn and grow through doing.

Image from Freefallingforever on Deviantart

Don't get me wrong, though.  Just because I didn't like a choice of words in one or two questions does not mean I didn't enjoy myself on the panels.  On the contrary, I loved sharing my insights along with the other confident and wise individuals.  The youth who attended the panels were also respectful and interested in what we had to say.  Almost everyone had pen and paper in hand!  I didn't attend any of the adult classes, but I'm sure they were all wonderful, too.  Of course, my mom's classes were the best, but that goes without saying.  ;)

On a random note, there was a really cool grocery store within walking distance of the Frederickburg Conference Center called Wegmans.  It was really huge and really cool!  Not only did they have the variety of a Walmart, but they also had little restaurants in the store, including a sushi bar!  But what I was most impressed with was their customer service.  I only had a few items (i.e. Virginia peanuts, a request from my husband), and was stuck behind a mother with a huge cart full of food, so one of the managers took me to the customer service desk and checked me out on the spot.  I felt like a VIP!  I had a very positive experience with Wegmans, so I hope to shop at one again soon.

When the conference was over, I felt satisfied.  My mom and I both had great successes in our classes, the people were great, the atmosphere was pleasant, and our booth's debut went fantastically well.  I found myself wishing my mom had signed me up to go to the LDS Home Educators conference when I was a teen.  Now that I know how great it is, I hope to come back year after year.  And if it's still around when I'm a mother, I want to share the great experience with my children.  Hooray for LDS homeschoolers!

For more information about LDS Home Educators, please visit their website.  :)