Best Homeschool Convention Tips
How Can I Benefit from Attending the CAPE-NM Annual Convention
So, you need to make a change…
You’ve seen and heard what is happening in the public school system and you feel in your spirit that there has to be another way to teach your child(ren).
Somewhere, somehow, you heard that there is help available from New Mexico’s state-wide Christian Association of Parent Educators of New Mexico (CAPE-NM) and you found out they hold an annual convention. You are interested in finding out what they offer and how you might benefit from attending. But you are wrestling with whether you should spend the time and money. Will the investment be worth it? What do they have to offer that I can benefit from?
My wife and I faced these questions when we first heard about homeschooling as an alternative to public education. Our first child was nearing kindergarten age, and we felt the Lord prompting us to not put him in public school. A friend at work mentioned that he and his wife were homeschooling their children and that there was a homeschool convention that was coming up where we could learn what it means to homeschool and how to get started. We weren’t sure about this. But we decided to attend.
Attending the Convention for the First Time – A Life-Changing Decision
Our decision to attend this convention turned out to be life-changing for us. During the convention we were privileged to hear inspiring messages from national convention speakers who were brought in to share their story as to why they started homeschooling and the resources that are available to support parents who make this choice. The speakers shared with us the Biblical basis for parents leading the teaching and training of their children, not just in academics, but in the fear of the Lord. We looked at each other and we both knew that the Lord was speaking to us. We knew that we were being led to homeschool our children.
But there was still hesitation. How do we get started? Is there curriculum available that supports us teaching Christian values to our children? Do we have to register our children with the State in order to homeschool? Are there homeschool support groups where parents get together to encourage and help each other through the process of getting started and when we have questions as to how to do things?
As we navigated the convention workshops available, we chose various topics that provided some answers to our questions. We found out that indeed there is a wide variety of curriculum available that integrates Christian values into the teaching of all subjects that our children would need to learn. We found out that there are support groups that we can join to provide us with encouragement and support. We also learned what the requirements are for registering with the State.
We visited the exhibit hall where we found samples of curriculum and many other resources available which we could leverage to help us get started.
While at the convention we were blessed to meet some homeschooling parents who provided answers to some of the questions we were asking. They shared their experiences with us and we felt encouraged.
Before we left, we purchased a basic set of materials that we could use to get started. And that is how our homeschool journey began.
Homeschool Convention Became Our Life-Support
The annual homeschool convention, however, became a life-support system for us year after year as we navigated our way through homeschooling four children who had very different learning styles, learning disabilities, and learning strengths. Each year of our homeschooling journey, we went back to the annual convention with new questions for which we sought answers. Moreover, as we struggled through difficulties, we needed support and encouragement. Is this still the direction the Lord has for us? Should we continue to homeschool another year? How do we deal with the opposition from family members who oppose the idea of us homeschooling? We faced issues with CYFD as well, and we sought direction on how to address the accusations we were facing.
Each year as we went to convention, the Lord had gone before us and prepared just the right speakers and just the right encouragement from the convention leadership and attendees. We learned about legal resources which were available to provide support at a reasonable annual fee. Speakers experienced with different learning styles shared how they learned to adjust their teaching approach to help with the challenges we faced. And friends – oh, the friendships the Lord led us to were invaluable. We learned about support groups and joined some through which we gained much strength. Yes, the Lord had done His homework and met our needs above and beyond what we even knew we had.
Looking back on the experience that we had attending the annual CAPE-NM convention, I thought it would be good to share a few simple ideas for those who are considering whether they should attend the convention this year and if so, how they can best benefit from doing so.
How to Optimize Cost of Attending the Homeschool Convention
1. Get in on the discount pricing for the convention. If you register before early bird pricing deadline, you get a substantial discount on the registration price. The cost is a little less if you pay to become a member of CAPE-NM. Scholarships that cover a couple’s registration to the convention are available to parents whose oldest child is a preschooler. Information on how to apply for a PoPs Scholarship is available from the Registration committee at Registration@cape-nm.org.
Attending Your First Homeschool Convention?
2. If you are not sure if the Lord is calling you to homeschool your children, you can attend a free “Getting Started” workshop which is scheduled for the Thursday evening, the day before convention begins. It runs from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. In this workshop, you will get a huge dose of information on homeschooling from veteran homeschoolers who have been there and done that. There will also be time for Q&As.
Join Us for Worship to Begin the Homeschool Convention
3. The convention starts on Friday morning with a short worship time leading into the first general session where there will be a nationally recognized speaker who will inspire you with a message on why you should homeschool. We always made an effort to attend the worship and general sessions on both Friday and Saturday so we would have our focus begin with putting God first.
Plan Sessions to Attend at the Homeschool Convention
4. Prior to the convention, we always made a habit of getting a preview of the available sessions/workshops so we could decide which to attend. Sometimes we would split up and attend two separate sessions which were going on at the same time. But mostly we would stay together so that we both heard the same information and we would have more to discuss together. The sessions we selected were often based on the challenges we were facing in that particular season of our homeschool journey. There were some sessions that were so good, we wanted to be able to listen to them more than once. There were other sessions we just couldn’t attend and wanted to listen to later. So, we took advantage of the convention recordings offered for sale at the convention. Discounts on the full set of convention recordings are usually made available during the convention. The Lord was again faithful to plan out the speakers and topics that we needed to hear. God is good!
Find Resources for Your Homeschool at the Convention
5. The Exhibit Hall became a magnet for our children as they grew up and became able to attend the convention with us. They loved browsing the exhibit hall and finding resources that interested them. We fell in love with some of the reading materials that were of first-class quality. Whether adventure books, books on creation or science, or just well written old stories that had been updated for a modern audience, we always seemed to find materials which added value to us. We learned to set aside time in the convention schedule dedicated to being in the exhibit hall. We also learned to keep track of what we wanted to buy and then go later on Saturday to make our final purchases, being careful to keep within our limited budget.
Build Relationships and Make Connections at the Homeschool Convention
6. I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you about the relationships forged with so many homeschool families as a result of attending the annual convention. Time after time, the Lord would lead us to talk with someone and we would end up going to lunch with them to get to know them better. Sometimes we would end up in homeschool support groups as a result of the contacts we made at these conventions. As we got more involved with other homeschool families either through the convention or through participation in homeschool support groups, we forged stronger relationships and a support system which proved to be invaluable.
I encourage you to be on the lookout for whom the Lord leads you to talk with. It could be that there is someone He plans to have you talk with who will speak encouragement into your life. Or it could be that God will lead you to encourage someone else who is struggling by sharing how the Lord has helped you through difficulties. The body of Christ extends beyond our local churches. We found that there are many believers who share the same values we place on training up our children in the fear of the Lord. So, be the body of Christ and look for God to open doors for you to bless others as they bless you.
A Place for You and Your Children to Serve at the Homeschooling Convention
7. After years of attending the annual CAPE-NM convention, we really appreciated the support we had received and so we decided to look into volunteering to help put on the convention, to help others experience the many benefits we had received. My wife and I chose different positions to volunteer for which fit our skill sets and abilities. I volunteered in Recording and then as a Runner Supervisor. My wife volunteered in Registration and at the CAPE Table. As our children matured, they also volunteered as Runners to help homeschool families and exhibitors during the convention.
There are many opportunities to help with the various roles required to put on this all-volunteer-run convention. If you feel the Lord leading you to volunteer, you can sign up to volunteer on the CAPE-NM website. The benefits of volunteering may include free admission to the convention and conference recordings for your efforts.
Regardless of where you are in your homeschooling journey, I pray that this blog post has been an encouragement for you and that you will find something here that will help you get the most out of attending the annual CAPE-NM Convention. If you find this blog post useful, feel free to share it with a friend.
God Bless You!
Sam Wingerd – CAPE-NM Board