Each fall and spring, there is a small window of time when my email and social media become inundated with various free homeschooling conferences and summits. They all sound wonderful, with great topics, engaging speakers, and exciting ideas. However, I wondered how I would find time to actually teach my children if I did all of those workshops.
If you feel the same way, you might be tempted to click delete on those emails, scroll past the social media posts, and ignore all the conferences. While I totally understand that temptation, I think there is a third option. Instead of spending all your time in conferences or ignoring all the summits, you can choose the parts of the summits that will be most beneficial for you, but not try to do it all.
Choose One or Two Applicable Sessions Each Day
Generally, my favorite way to enjoy one of these events is to pick one (or maybe two) session from each day that I think would be most beneficial to me. Then, I work out a time each day to watch those sessions. This lets me benefit from the workshops without having it take all day.
For my schedule, that time is often just after lunch. The baby is napping, we have completed school for the day, and I can send the big kids outside to play while I listen and learn.
That time of day is often when I would be getting other household tasks or computer work done, but the encouragement and inspiration that I gain from the sessions make it time well spent. Other good options are taking a walk and listening, listening while cooking dinner or folding laundry has also worked for me in the past.
When I remember that homeschooling my children is a calling and an important job, it is easy to see that it is not wasted time but time used to gain valuable knowledge and inspiration.
Have a Teacher Workday
Sometimes, the best way to take advantage of a homeschool summit is to pick the day that the sessions you are most interested in and call it a teacher workday. Give your students the day off, make yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee and your favorite chocolate, grab a notebook, and settle in.
You can watch the sessions, take notes, and spend some time planning and implementing the things you learn in the sessions. In addition to some great ideas, a day like this can provide refreshment and help you be ready to jump back into the work of homeschooling.
Buy Yourself Some Extra Time
If you are going through the conference and really enjoying your sessions but feel like you want to watch them all, most of these summits and conferences offer you the opportunity to purchase the sessions for a small fee. Once you buy the conference or summit, you will have access for a year or a lifetime (depending on the conference). Then, if you need encouragement or help or have a little extra time, you can watch a session.
Upcoming Conferences and Summits
These are some of the conferences and summits that are coming up. Take a look at some of the wonderful speakers and see how you can use these to encourage you in your homeschooling journey.
These are some of the conferences and summits that are coming up. Take a look at some of the wonderful speakers and see how you can use these to encourage you in your homeschooling journey.
Such a great opportunity for encouragement and resources.
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