As many as 300 expected for homeschool event
For those who want to homeschool their children, this weekend could be very informative.
The second annual Tri-Cities Midwinter Homeschool Convention will be held Friday and Saturday, from 7-10 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., respectively, at Crossroads Christian Church, 1300 Suncrest Drive, Gray.
“This year it’s probably going to triple or quadruple,” Lisa Baughn, the organizer of the event and home educator of her daughters, said about the expected attendance. “This year we’re hoping for 300 vendors. So we’re really excited. Good things are happening. We’re trying to build just a reputable convention and God has blessed us.”
The convention is expected to draw between 150 and 300 people from different states. Baughn has sent out 10,000 e-mails announcing the event.
Included in the two-day convention are informative seminars, a legal representative from the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, games, books, special needs materials, curriculum, refreshments and more.
“Anybody who wants to know the facts about (homeschooling) needs to come,” Baughn said.
Baughn said homeschooling can seem like an overwhelming prospect upon first consideration, and there is much a home educator must know.
Homeschoolers must be taught using the parameters of the state in which they live.
Baughn said she had the same concerns about homeschooling that most people have – Is it legal? How do you do it? Do you need a college degree?
“When I first heard about homeschoolers I thought they were freaks,” she said.
Then, she said, the public school system proved to be inadequate when her oldest daughter was having problems in the seventh grade. She asked her mother to homeschool her.
Since then Baughn said the family is much closer.
“The wonderful thing about homeschool is you talk to your kids constantly,” Baughn said. “They are not in this vacuum with other kids.”
There are many reasons for homeschooling children. For the Baughns, it was a desire to be obedient to God’s will. Baughn said she felt as though God was calling her to homeschool her children. Other families homeschool because they think it will give their children a better education, some do it out of fear of the public school system and some do it because their children beg for it.
Baughn also is not worried about her children not developing the proper social skills, because they have plenty of social opportunities through church, volunteering and participating in community activities.
“We all have to deal with bad people and when you’re around a group of kids you can learn incorrectly,” Baughn said.
Emily, 13, Baughn’s youngest daughter, said her family is happy with the homeschooling.
“It’s been the most incredible adventure of our lives,” Emily said. “It’s drawn our family closer together.”
Emily began kindergarten in a public school in California. She said she loved that.
“But when I went into first grade I felt isolated,” she said. “I felt like nobody in there cared for me.”
Now studying eighth-grade material taught by her mother, Emily said the absence of bullying and non-helpful teachers is something she does not miss.
“I would never want to go back,” she said.
As well as learning the basics of math, science, literature and history, Emily learns life skills. She helps her parents file taxes and manages her own savings account.
“We do everything, pretty much, as a family ... ,” Baughn said. “The best thing about it is parents learn right along with the kids.”
The Baughns spend about four to six hours each day on school work.
A homeschooled child receives recognition of the successful completion of high school course work, just like a student who attended a public high school. The stigma that that degree is not as good as a real high school diploma is diminishing, too.
“Some people look at that and say ‘mommy gave you that grade,’ ” Baughn said.
Now, though, the Army is equating homeschool with hard work and dedication. Baughn said the Army sends out information to homeschool conventions offering itself as a viable option for homeschooled children.
Despite the stigma disappearing, Baughn said having the confidence to teach as a home educator is challenging.
“It’s really, really easy to feel insecure and that’s one of the reasons for the conference,” Baughn said. “No matter where your child is educated, your child is going to come out with holes.”
For more information on the convention, visit www.midwinterconvention.com.
Reservations can be made, but Baughn said there is room for 500 participants, so walk-ins are welcome.
