Convention Time =)

I must preface this blog post:
Please read the entire post. This post is about my personal experience - I am certain that it is not reflective of ALL people's experience.  I am sure that you can still be a Bible believing, filled with the spirit, loving, wonderful, super home school mom extraordinaire - and go to the Cincy Convention.   If you had a different experience and feel strongly about it - start a blog - and invite me to read it =)

In 2011 we went, for the first (and last) time ever, to the Cincinnati Home School Convention. 

This convention is huge, it attracts all kinds of publishers - the vendor hall took 3 days to get through and we STILL didn't see it all.  The sessions are also very big - some being held in auditoriums - this place literally hosts a vendor hall and a fully booked conference under the same roof (well actually several, within about a 1 block radius)
And that is where my praise for this event has to stop....

The sessions would be great, if you could get to them - crammed hallways and mile walks through strollers and crying babies is NOT my idea of a good time.  The vendor hall would be wonderful - if you could get through it - too many vendors - and many of them are NOT selling curriculum with a Christian world view.  Many speakers don't have a Christian world view either.  The best sessions I went to last year were geared towards teens and focused on apologetics- and they were packed out (over 1000 people in one room) hot, crying babies everywhere.  The only speaker I actually met was so arrogant I would never buy anything from him - literally made me forget all the good things he had previously said by the way he spoke to others and acted in the hotel.

Then the location - WOW - what a lovely place, minutes from the creation museum, the Cincy museums, the Cincy zoo (which is awesome) The speakers were spread out over 3 separate buildings making them impossible to find, and impossible to walk fast enough to go session to session.  In addition the only restaurants in the area are bars -geared towards the REDS fans - and the convention was held on opening weekend - so prices were ridiculous!  Our hotel stay for 3 nights was over 500 bucks! It's kinda hard to enjoy yourself, or buy curriculum, when you are paying that much money! We also paid $20 per day for parking, and drove to KY to get some reasonably priced dinner without being surrounded by drunks.  I'm not a prude, but I really don't want to spend my evenings in a sports bar with 50 drunken Reds fans yelling at a TV.

I got to thinking about all this and remembered something a friend had told me - that convention is for profit.  Makes sense, explains the crowded craziness, overbooked speakers, lack of the Word, they are there to make a buck - they are the Walmart of conventions. 

So what is a homeschooling mom to do?  Why not try the CHEO convention.  I have been to 2 CHEO conventions, one in Cbus, and one in Akron and they are AMAZING! 
The area is simply more affordable -for a 2 night hotel stay we paid about $150.00, there were restaurants in the area and close by that were also very reasonable. 
Crying infants is just a reality - and is going to happen every once in a while (that baby gets hungry!) CHEO has a fairly strict no crying babies in the session rule -which is kindly enforced by monitors, and also has several nursing mother rooms that are convenient to the sessions.  They also offer childcare for a small fee - something that you can not find elsewhere.
The vendor hall is comparable in size with one major exception - you won't find any wiccan herbalists selling their goods - they are decidedly Christian.  Another great thing is because it isn't all about the money - the vendors aren't so focused on making a buck that they won't talk to you.  Vendors are sincere AND friendly - and willing to explain their curriculum page by page if needed.  I have had vendors at this show recommend OTHER curriculum based on what I told them about my family - they profited nothing (not on earth anyhow) referring me a few aisles over to one of their competitors. 

Another great thing about CHEO's convention is the QUALITY of their speakers.  No, they don't have 42 sessions going on all at once, each with a clever title, conveniently located withing 2 miles of the convention (HA!)  They DO have a great variety of Christian speakers who will inspire you to bigger and better things in your home school! I can't remember the name of a single speaker I saw at the Cincy convention last year - but I can remember Voodie Baucham, Diana Warring, and Dianne Craft (which btw - google her if you have a kid with a learning issue or food issue - she is AWESOME!) which I saw over 2 years ago at a CHEO convention. Dianne Craft personally spoke to me about Mason and his learning issues - gave me FREE resources - and immensely helped my struggling learner - she was a real person -humble, caring, and a picture of Christian charity.  I was amazed and refreshed by her willingness to personally help me - and not at a vendor booth - just one on one.

We also met homeschooling father of 6 and legal advocate for Ohio HSLDA member families, Mike Donnelly, who presented a session - from a Christian perspective - on legal issues facing homeschooling families in Ohio.  He was also available for questions after his session and stayed for an additional 1/2 hour until every question (in about a 50 -75 person session) was answered. 

Not only were the speakers knowledgeable and inspiring, they spoke my language - that is to say as a believer I didn't just need a word from another sales person promoting their curriculum, or suggesting the path to peace might be giving up on the whole idea of homeschooling, I needed a WORD, from THE WORD, and THE AUTHOR of THE WORD.  I needed some refreshing from the fountain of life, and that is what we received.

CHEO holds a special place in my heart.  Jeri Neese sat with me as I, a distraught mother, was convinced I was going to jail for withdrawing my student from school, and  sh prayerfully guided me through a very difficult day and time in our lives.  About a month later, we picked out our first curriculum at a CHEO convention.  After 3 days of walking booth to booth, praying with vendors, and seeking God, we found the perfect fit for our family. 

For us, the CHEO convention is the way to go - and we will never pay more for the lesser again.  I feel foolish for being distracted by the shinny packaging of a for profit convention. Thank you CHEO for all you do and for hosting this BLESSING to our family, and to so many families like ours, THANK YOU! 

To find out more about the upcoming 2012 CHEO Convention click here
To read about last years CHEO convention click here

Amanda