Friday, April 20, 2012

So, guess where I'm going tomorrow?

Disclaimer:  I will be mentioning my less-than-positive feelings about Creationism in this post.  If you are a Creationist - sorry.  I sincerely respect your right to have different beliefs from me, but I don't hold any respect for the beliefs themselves.  If you have a problem with me having differing beliefs from you, by all means feel free to skip this post.

I am going to Cincinnati.  To the ginormous Homeschooling Convention there.  The uber-fundie-Christian one.  The one I had resolved not to give my money to ever again.  What changed my mind?  Well, my Uncle - a public school teacher - has a side business and is developing some new kind of software program to help teach kids to read.  He has been picking my brain about the homeschool community lately, to ascertain if his product would be good for the homeschooling market as well.  I told him that it's probably a bigger market than he thinks and that there are LOTS of people out there, and many of us try many different things to find what works with each kid, so yeah, there probably would be some interest.  I told him he should definitely check out the convention to see what's out there, what people are charging, etc.  So he invited me to go with him - he's driving me there and paying for our registration... so technically, I am not giving them money from my own pocket... although they will still be receiving money, which does bother me.

I went to this convention 3 years ago with my mom, when my husband and I were considering the idea of homeschooling, to find out what all was "out there".  I actually really enjoyed it, and was amazed by how big it was and how many people were there.  And all of those people, and especially the kids, were so darn NICE!  There's a huge exhibit hall full of vendors of all kinds, from curriculum, to games & toys, books, funny t-shirts, etc.  And there were tons of lectures, a few of which we checked out and found to be very useful and informational, as far as learning styles, teaching methods, creative ideas, etc.  There was one lecture that was so ridiculous, though, that we had to walk out of it.  I can't even remember what it was, but I remember realizing after sitting there that it wasn't simply an informational lecture but a sales pitch, and the guy still hadn't gotten around to telling us exactly what his product was - just that it was *so* amazing. 

Anyways, I considered it a pretty good experience overall, except for one thing:  Creationism.  It was everywhere.  Until I attended that convention, I honestly had no idea that it had such a large following.  I was blown away.  Nearly every science curriculum was Bible-based, and nearly every history curriculum began with Adam and Eve.  I remember shushing my mom, when she exclaimed loudly and sarcastically, "Oh yeah!  Let's start our history program with mythological characters!" and chuckled.  (And she's a Christian!)  It is definitely a very fundamentalist Christian event, barely inclusive of any other ideologies.  Which quite obviously makes me uncomfortable.  I'll definitely have to work extra hard to bite my tongue throughout the day, although there is a small part of me that thinks it would be interesting to show up in a t-shirt with an "A" on it or a photo of Darwin with a heart around it or something.  But non-confrontational me would never do that, and it would really serve no purpose.

Each year since, I've thought about going again, just for all of the good stuff that's there - because there *was* quite a bit of good stuff - but just couldn't bring myself to shell out any more money to help further their cause.  But my Uncle asked and I said yes, and now I need to get myself to bed so I can get up early for the long drive.  It'll be nice to spend some time with him and I'm sure we'll have some interesting chats on the way there & back.  Also, I'm sure it will give me plenty to write about here... so wish me luck!

9 comments:

  1. Good luck! I hear the way to alert people that you're not drinking the cool-aid somewhat unobtrusively is to wear tie-dye. Too bad I didn't know ahead of time, I'd have sent you a Feral Homeschooling t-shirt! That would clear large swaths of the convention floor in no time! But it would be much more fun if someone were there to film people's reactions. We've got our all-inclusive convention coming up June 30! I'm really excited! It's cool but it definitely has its share of far out characters. I give the Christian one a pass- last year, a dear friend of mine who is a Catholic attended and was shocked to find the actual theme of the event was Creationism! EEEEEKKK!

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    1. Haha, I did not know about the tie-dye. Will try to be more prepared next time! And I would be proud to wear a Feral Homeschooling t-shirt! SO jealous that you have an all-inclusive convention in your area. Nothing like that anywhere near here as far as I know. :(

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  2. I go to the SC convention and experience a similar situation. There are so many vendors that I manage to get a good look at things I want to put my hands on that are secular in nature, so it is worth the drive and money. However, I thought I would tell you that one time I approached a booth (my protocol is to approach slowly and scan the display for obvious signs of Christian worldview) that did not appear overly Christian. A friendly man handed me a brochure and started explaining something about his program (I don't even recall what it was). I suddenly noticed the display had a very obvious mention that should have steered me away. So I said something on the order of, "so this is approached from a Christian worldview?" and he said yes, got a surly look on his face, and actually yanked the brochure back out of my hands. Geesh. :)

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  3. I was just there! I went Thursday night and Friday. I, too, promised myself not to give them my money again after last year, but there were actually some speakers there I wanted to see. So I went. It was worthwhile.

    The Creation Museum was not there this year, which was a relief. Walking into a convention hall and being confronted with a giant dinosaur was a bit disconcerting, knowing that they thought we would have ridden them had we been around when they had. Also, by the time I left I felt dirty. I felt the need for cleansing, and listened to Kid Rock on the hour drive home to get it all out of my head.

    It really wasn't as bad this year, if you just avoid all the science curriculums. Plus, it helps that I have already figured out which companies are Christian based, so I could avoid their booths. It's only taken me 5 years of homeschooling to accomplish that. Oh well.

    I do think the would have a market for his software. There IS a lot out there, and I think it is a great idea for him to use the convention as research. Good luck today.

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  4. OH MY, I've been to this kind of convention before. It's excruciating.
    The treacle and the Christian timeline (have you seen that one that starts at 4004 BC? ~SHIVER!~).
    Good luck!

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  5. A good friend and I went last year, and I was overwhelmed with all the creationism. BUT it sure was nice to look at all the awesome secular curriculum that was there as well. We had planned on going again this year, but my friend moved out of state, and I didn't really want to make the trip alone. Good luck!

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  6. Thank you all for your comments, it's really nice knowing there are others in the same boat, and that I'm not the only non-kool-aid-drinker who enjoys going too! :)

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  7. We home schooled children in the 1970's. We were afraid we might go to jail back then. All are good members of society today. By the way, we are still waiting for an explanation regarding the 2nd law of thermodynamics and it's relationship to evolution.

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    1. I am sincerely grateful for the freedom to educate my children as I see fit, without fear of being punished or sent to jail for doing so. I know that I owe this freedom to you and the other trailblazers of your generation, so - thank you! I do not doubt that your kids turned out awesome! :)

      To address the second part of your comment, saying that the Second Law of Thermodynamics disproves Evolution is a common creationist argument (I assume that's what you were alluding to) which does not hold water and which just shows a lack of understanding of both the Second Law of Thermodynamics and of Evolution. A quick Google search will turn up a multitude of resources and explanations.

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