The Great Homeschool Convention starts tomorrow, everyone.
It’s not too late to get on board for the South Carolina convention. Find ticket information here.
I’ll be speaking on Saturday, and I’ll also be at the conventions in Ohio and California.
If you’re new to homeschooling, or maybe considering the possibility, or even just curious about the whole deal, there will be a plethora of information, resources, and networking opportunities for you. For those who’ve been doing it for a while, you’ll find the hundreds of different homeschooling workshops very useful.
And no matter your experience level, we can all enjoy the roster of dynamic speakers, including (future presidential candidate?) Ben Carson.
It’s not to late to get registered.
The Matt Walsh Blog 
Homeschooling is the only way to save the children from the state.Even private schools are not much better than the public schools because the same teachers that leave the public school system go to private schools and take them over.
It’s not the only way… sufficient talking with your children so that they can recognize propaganda when they hear it works too. At some point, of course, you reach a tipping point where the time and effort required to ensure your kids aren’t programmed by the indoctrination centers would just be better spent homeschooling anyway. I’m optimistic that our nation’s school system can be saved, especially with the rise in charter and private school driving a real need for reform. But it’s still a dicey situation to be in. Homeschooling, if you have the time and capability, neatly avoids that issue, but of course, takes a lot of time and effort that we’re already paying someone else through taxes to do anyway.
i kind of hope ben carson doesn’t run for president. i feel like politics ruin people. and i don’t want him ruined.
please record yourself and Mr. Carson??
You can get recorded sessions from the convention. Ben Carson’s session won’t be recorded according to Rhino Technologies. You an get recordings of all recorded sessions from them on CD. http://rhino-technologies.com/
Matt, thank you for your support of the homeschool community! This is why I homeschool:
http://kingdomcrossing.com/2014/02/25/why-i-homeschool/. I linked to your blog post about the sickening curriculum that is being pushed by Planned Parenthood into public schools.
Ack! Wish I was closer to S. Carolina. Been trying to get my wife on board with the idea of homeschooling once we have kids. She’s not comfortable with the lack of social interaction the kids would have, and I’m horrible at explaining how the social aspect is actually covered.
Pretty much wherever you are there will be a conference or convention near you. I would also look for homeschooling friends. Or find out about local homeschool groups. Believe me, children do not lack for social interaction….in fact they can get too much interaction at times. Locally we have a debate team that competes alongside our university, we have speech club that just took all the cash awards for a local contest, and most of our children have gone on to university with scholarships like crazy. I would love to interact with either of you regarding the fallacy of “lack of social interaction”. Contact me through http://www.lamphomeschool.net
javin just a thought….there are plenty of home school co-ops where kids actually go to a place with other kids in the program to school together once or twice per week. Plus if your kids are involved in church or athletic activities in addition to that they are going to get plenty of social activity. Plus is the social activity they are getting at school healthy activity? From my experience what they get at school is only negative anyway so you really are coming out ahead by doing home school and exploring all the networking that kids can do. i really think you and your wife would be pleased. My kids are some of the most social and happy kids i know and they don’t go to public or private school.
If she has a facebook account, and socialization is her major concern, you could suggest that she join a homeschooling facebook group. She could just watch the posts in it for a while and see some of the conversations going on, or she could post questions and concerns that she has. The socialization is a little bit of a touchy topic because it’s pretty much thrown in every homeschoolers face that they aren’t able to provide socialization for their children. But if she were to come in and say “My husband and I have been thinking about homeschooling, but I don’t fully understand how we would be able to socialize the children. Could you please give me some ideas?” in a way that doesn’t seem like an attack, then I’m sure many homeschooling families would be more than happy to help her understand how it works for their own families.
The best group I’ve found so far is Homeschool co-op and freebies. It’s full of wonderful and helpful people willing to answer pretty much any questions a person might have. She will have to send a message to the admin letting her know why she’s requesting admittance to the group.
Just to chime in, I am a graduate of the home school movement (all the way from K-12!) and I can honestly say that it put me at an *advantage* socially. After going to college, working various jobs, getting married, and getting involved in our church, the social skills I learned as a home-schooled child prepared me to cross generational lines in my communication. I am just as comfortable talking to the elderly as to small children. And from what I’ve seen, this experience is the rule, not the exception, for other home schoolers. Let’s be real: kids in public schools actually aren’t that well socialized themselves. School kids only socialize with those in their grade, of their exact age. How does that translate over into real life?
Deal gently with your wife as you and she work to come to an understanding. After all, there are a lot of stereotypes to overcome. A lot are false. Some are true (those are the ones I like to make fun of!), but I hope that your decision – together – will come as a result of looking at the real nuances of home schooling and not as a result of fear for what doesn’t really exist.
Good luck on the adventure ahead!
Our conference is at the beginning of April, I’m so excited to go, I always have so many new ideas when I get back.
I would love to see Ben Carson but am too far away. Darn. My youngest is a senior in high school but I do believe homeschooling is our only hope for our kids future.
Matt i would love to home school, i feel it is pointless where we live however, to home school you have to have regular visits by social services to inspect you teaching and home environment, at least here there is no getting away from state controlled education. If you don’t teach what they tell you to or don’t allow them in to inspect you face legal consequences and put your family at risk of being torn apart because they don’t approve of how you are educating your kids, ironically we have more freedom to educate our kids here by putting them in public school then educating them outside of state control and providing information that will not be given in the schools
Maybe it would be good to have someone who knows the difference between “to” and “too” speak about how to educate kids…
The last two paragraphs of the above blog post read:
“And no matter your experience level, we can all enjoy the roster of dynamic speakers, including (future presidential candidate?) Ben Carson.
It’s not to late to get registered.”
Let’s do our kids a favor and leave the formal educating to the professionals…
Why, to nit pick them to death? Pounce on every flaw or error until they are a cynical mess too? Mine are both doing fantastic, however I’m just an ordinary loving Mom!
Loser…L-O-S-E-R…loser.
That is correct Buster!
Maybe people who have nothing better to do than nitpick minor typos should find something better to do with their time.
So were you homeschooled as a child or are you just planning to with your children? This is our first year, I have a 4th grader and preschooler, along with a toddler. It’s been a crazy year but we’re figuring out how to function and get things done without going crazy! lol
I go just to see you and Ben Carson.
*I’d
Matt, I wish you would join on with the Teach Them Diligently Convention instead. I don’t attend GHC because of an incident a few years ago involving Ken Ham.
I’m really glad you homeschool your kids. I wish I could.