My goal for the 2013-2014 school year was to stop thinking of myself as a homeschooler and to start thinking of myself as an educator who chooses to teach my own children. 
Thinking outside of the box
While I have enjoyed being a member of the homeschooling community I have also have come to realize that it can be as limiting as some criticize the traditional school system of being.
I want to think outside of the ‘homeschool box’ (and you know there is one). I don’t want to limit my education or my children’s education to just what can be found inside the curriculum halls or conference rooms of a homeschool convention. I want to open my mind and my homeschool classroom to new innovative ways of thinking, teaching and learning.
I want to challenge myself to be the best teacher I can be, so that I can provide the best education I can to my children.
This means I want to network, collaborate and learn from others who are doing the same thing, even if they are doing it in a traditional classroom.
Unlike traditional educators I don’t have to follow Common Core or answer to a school administrator. I can adopt practices that work best for my students and drop those that don’t.
Educating the Educator
In homeschooling circles we give a lot of lip service to the idea of ‘creating a lifestyle of learning’ or “developing a love of learning’ but do we actually model that for our children?
Do our children see us learning new skills or hobbies?
More than just buying the latest curriculum, do we invest in the education of our children by investing in the education of the person that is teaching them?
Do we have a desire to learn and grow as educators?
I want to consider everything that is available and choose the best for our family with our resources.
I want to learn about the resources that are available to educators, not just homeschoolers.
I want to learn from some of the leading educators in the US, and not just those who have homeschooled their kids.
6 (non) Homeschool conferences to attend in 2014
January
Florida Educational Technology Conference
April
National Conference on Science Education
NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Annual Meeting and Exposition
May
June
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)
July
SDE (Staff Development for Educations) Singapore Math National Conference
How do you feel about homeschool conferences? Are you ready to think outside of the homeschool box?
I really like this idea. I’d be very interested in hearing about what it is like to go to a teaching conference as a homeschooling mom. I like the idea of thinking of myself as an educator first. Great blog!
I am not into the conferences, but I am always doing my research on-line. My girls do not learn the typical way at all. I do math with ladles and counting bears, we do science with reflectors and flash lights and spelling tests on a dry erase board.
The kids like it better this way and when they are having fun, they do not realize how much they are learning. There are so many amazing resources and blogs on-line, I am always learning how to better my education skills.