Convention was just over a week ago and I thought I’d share a little with you about my experience. The day was very minimally planned. Very. Minimal. As in, we didn’t even look at the list of speakers before we left. I didn’t even print my confirmation. It was a rushed experience. =)
We arrived on Saturday morning about 10 am and already they were completely out of registration packets though one worker was kind enough to scrounge up a bag from last year. It was helpful as I didn’t bring a bag in. We were in beast mode or something, I guess. I was toting a cell phone in one back pocket and a wallet in the other.
I noticed the layout was quite different this year. It seemed like there wasn’t as many vendors but maybe that was just because the layout was spread across a larger amount of floor space. Anyway, we browsed down one hall, spoke to a few people we recognized and turned a corner into another room filled with booths. Here we found the Rainbow Resources booth which in years past had received a prominent spot in the main hall. With just as much merchandise as years past, we found plenty of fun things to explore and picked up a couple of extra items for the kids.
At my paper mecca, Miller Pads and Paper, I was a little disappointed. I was all geared up to load down my arms with pads of paper, leather journals, and other drawing goods but to my dismay I couldn’t find much of anything I had to have besides a sharpener and some tortillons. *sigh* Oh well. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.
My Father’s World, of course, supplied us with our core set of material though we didn’t bring any of it home. It was conveniently delivered to our home yesterday. Remember when I said that it’s so beneficial to speak with the curriculum reps and developers when purchasing your material? Here’s an excellent reason why. I was all set with my list of things I needed and knew exactly what I wanted after studying the website. All I needed to do was place my order – or so I thought. Fortunately for me, the MFW rep who was helping me asked questions and informed me of some things I would need to purchase duplicates of for each child. I was thinking they could share and I could save some $$$. Well, thank goodness she was there to help. Turns out, the items I was planning on “sharing” were items that each child would need for their own notebook. These items while in their normal use would be fine shared were not used in their normal way. Each child would be using them more like craft items and needed their own. I can tell you right now, I would have been a very disappointed mommy if I hadn’t know this and only ordered one of this particular item. And really, it happened with a couple other items as well. Never underestimate the assistance of a company representative and their expert knowledge.
Wanna know what $600 worth of schooling for 4 kids looks like?
Doesn’t seem like that much, does it? And that doesn’t even include the Language Arts, Math, Art classes, or Computer Science courses. If only Uncle Sam would let me keep those taxes to pay for MY children’s education…
The big event of the day happened in the main hall. It’s a busy hall. Mainly because, well… it’s a hallway. Lots of people going here and there and vendors on both sides vying for your attention. Bless her heart, this sweet lady with a crazed look in her eyes jumped out in front of myself and my husband and said, “does your child like art?”. We stopped and looked at one another thinking, “why, yes, he does.” Before we got a chance to reply she quickly ushered us into her booth and told us all about this amazing series of art courses she has developed and why our child needs it. Her passion for teaching art was genuine and intense. We could tell within five minutes that her program would be well worth the expense as she described our son and his personality without having even heard so much as his name – we knew this was a good thing. Something he needed and would do very well with. So we bought the first series right then and there.
We weren’t even looking for a new art course, y’all. Again, the importance of attending a convention. As we listened to the excited lady in the art booth, our attention was drawn away from standards and planned semesters and towards what was best for our child. Towards something that would serve his needs, fit his personality, and ultimately be of the most benefit to his future. He is an artist, first and foremost. Everything else is second to him. It’s so important to remember who our children are, who they are becoming, and how we can assist them in being their most successful self. If we had skipped convention this year, I never would’ve met Sharon Hofer or heard about her wonderful art courses or how much she loves teaching art and building up young people. I am certain this lady has blessed the lives of many children with her Creating a Masterpiece series.
If you’ve never done so, I hope I’ve convinced you to attend a convention the next chance you get. We didn’t even get to sit in on any of the lectures and it was so extremely helpful to us.
To top off the whole thing, I got to meet my daughter’s favorite author and get an autographed copy of his newest book for her. It was exciting for me to meet him but I wish she could have been there to meet him herself. Still, she was incredibly happy to receive the book and photo I took.
Share your convention highlights here in the comments below. What did you learn? Any surprises like Sharon for you this year? Let us know!
-Sara O’