What I Learned at the NCHE Home Education Convention (Part Three)

This is the final installment of this particular series of posts. For this final installment, I want to leave you with some of my favorite notes, often things I heard over and over again from several different speakers. I feel that this information is so valuable I just have to share it!

(Regarding references: the lack of quotation marks does not mean that what I have written is not a direct quote. I may simply have failed to mark it as such in my notes. Other items are paraphrased. Since I have no way of knowing at this point what is a direct quote and what is a paraphrase, I am just referencing the speaker(s) for each item. I will reference full names and websites, when applicable, only once and put their initials by subsequent items.)

- “You are a life changer, a legacy leaver, a memory maker! What are you going to do about it today?” (Jennifer Schmidt)
- God has given your children to you to exalt you, not burden you. (Hal & Melanie Young)
- Prayerfully get insight from God that gives purpose to what you are doing. (Bonita Lillie)
- Begin with the end in mind. (B. L. and M. Y.)
- Get your husband's input. (Ronda Marshall, and B. L.)
- The end goal is to train them to make the best choices that are pleasing to God...and to train them to follow Him, not you. (Ned Ryun)
- Instill in them a desire to be like Christ. Show them all sides of Christ. (H. & M. Y.)
- Disciples become like the teacher. Who will you allow to disciple your children? (M. Y., J. S., and Brian Ray, PhD)
- What makes homeschooling better? We've gone back to the Word & we promote character above all else in education. (Kevin Swanson)
- Focus on discipleship & character development rather than academic achievement. (R. M., J. S., B. L., H. & M. Y., and K. S.)
- Proverbs is God's theory on the education of a child. Pr 1:7 – The beginning of knowledge is the fear of God. All education should be brought back to the fear of God. God should be recognized in every aspect of education. (K.S.)
- Provoke a love of learning in your kids. (M. Y.)
- Home education is life-integrated education. (K. S. and M. Y.)
- The heart of home education is relationships. (K. S., H. & M. Y., J. S., and R. M.)
- Relax and have fun learning with your children! Cherish the time you have with them. (R. M. and M. Y.)
- Start living intentionally. Teach as you live. (M. Y., J. S., and R. M.)
- Eat together as a family and use meal times to talk about what they're learning. (J. S. and M. Y.)
- Instill the value that our worth comes from Him. (J. S.)
- Don't compare yourself (your family) to others. It's the death of contentment. (B. L.)
- Do what works for your family. (M. Y., B. L., and R. M.)
- Get your husband's input. (Vicki Bentley)
- “Blessed are the flexible because they shall not be broken.” (B. L.)
- Flow with the seasons. (B. L. and R. M.)
- Homeschooling means individualized education that fits each child. (R. M., B. L., and M. Y.)
- It's impossible to standardize your children. (K. S. and M. Y.)
- Get the perfect day out of your head & do what is doable. (B. L.)
- Take the time to celebrate what you've accomplished rather than focusing on what didn't get done. (R. M.)
- Get your husband's input. (N. R. and M. Y.)
- Don't set goals about things you can't change. (M. Y.)
- Organization is a means of functioning effectively. It doesn't mean an immaculate house. (V. B.)
- Break things down into components. Make measurable, obtainable goals. (V. B. and H. & M. Y.)
- Cover the basics first – Reading, Writing, & Math. (B. L., J. S., and M. Y.)
- Train them to be autonomous, independent learners. (M . Y. and B. L.)
- It's not what you expect. It's what you inspect. (R. M., M. Y., and V. B.)
- Explain the vision to them & show them how their education fits into the vision. When they complain, give them purpose for what they have to do. (H. & M. Y.)
- Give them an opportunity to fail while they're still at home, while it's still recoverable, and we can still help them understand what happened and how to adjust. (H. & M. Y., and J. S.)
- Get your husband's input. (J. S.)