My Tanks are Topped Off
One of my favorite events in a year just took place. From Thursday evening to Saturday evening, most of my family were attending the Texas Home School Coalition Convention and Family Conference in The Woodlands. We heard dynamic speakers, we met people, we shopped, and we had a great time as a family discussing all that we had learned.
The key note speakers were Sally Clarkson, Andrew Pudewa, and Todd Wilson. All were great speakers and had encouraging and insightful messages, but Todd Wilson was our family favorite. He is a homeschooling father of eight, who travels around the country with his family speaking at events such as this, in a RV. Apparently his family provides him with a lot of material because he is hilarious. He could do stand up comedy, but his goal is simply to encourage homeschooling families.
Todd Wilson is Family Man Ministries. Your husband can sign up for his weekly email. He is also the author of many books for dads, for moms, and for entertainment. He has four cartoon books about the homeschooling experience. Every time I laughed, all my family members would look and say, “What? Let me see.” Then they would laugh, too. If laughter is good medicine, then I anticipate picking these up often especially on frustrating days.
According to Todd Wilson, Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe is his most important book. Lane, Jake, and I already attended this workshop, but I still bought the book. I am halfway through it now and highly recommend it, especially to homeschooling moms that are reaching a burn out point or have someone in your life who is less than supportive of your family’s choice to educate your children at home.
Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing delivered honest and insightful messages time after time this past weekend. He too was entertaining. He explained how his life has changed since reading and applying the Thomas Jefferson Education in his home. This was comforting to me because it is something we try to do in our own home. He shared his family’s purpose for education, which is to cultivate wisdom and virtue by filling your child’s soul with goodness, truth, and beauty so they can know God and enjoy Him forever. Beautiful, isn’t it? When my sister-in-law heard this, she told me she was going to hang it in her house to remind herself daily.
Mr. Pudewa spoke on the importance of reading aloud to your family throughout their lives. Once children begin to read on their own, many parents begin phasing out read aloud time; however, to build a extensive database of vocabulary and sophisticated syntax, one must be exposed to high level, sophisticated language with few errors. In this day and age, this is achieved by listening to classics. He suggests 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day of reading aloud to combat all the unsophisticated, low level, and frequently incorrect language children are exposed to daily from television, peers, and busy adults. While 2 1/2 hours may seem out of reach for your family, audio books are a second best option.
Last but not least is Sally Clarkson. Her husband, Clay, and Sally run Whole Heart Ministries. I have heard her speak many times, and always find it encouraging. Her goal is to refuel homeschooling moms. She reminds you what is most important and that is the relationship with your child. She reminds you that homeschooling is a walk of faith. She shared stories of triumphs and successes as well as lows and mistakes. Sally Clarkson is real and honest, and it draws you to her. They have just published the 3rd edition of Educating the WholeHearted Child. I have read the first two chapters and already love it. I cannot wait to read more later today.
I try to encourage homeschooling moms with my articles; however, I also write about homesteading and cooking with food allergies among other things. If you want to receive articles of encouragement solely about homeschooling, then check out Sally Clarkson’s blog, I Take Joy.
I am a firm believer in attending home-school conferences. Some of my friends who began homeschooling have since given up. Educating your children at home is not the easy path, but it is rewarding. I believe that they allowed their tanks to go empty. They believed the lies. They succumbed to pressure and/or doubts from well-meaning members of their family. Plan on going to THSC next August 2-4. Register for one in your area. If you live in a very remote part of the world, register for an online conference. Get your tanks filled and stay the course through this unique adventure. I don’t know about you, but my tanks are topped off and I am ready to go.
