Homeschool Conference Bingo

For the record, I was never homeschooled myself. My early education was a patchwork of public and independent Catholic schools, driven by my parents' determination to get me the best education possible. Once I was settled at a tiny yet awesome Catholic high school, my Mom did homeschool two of my siblings for a few years. She's getting back in the saddle homeschooling Brother #3 this fall, and so that is how I found myself at a  homeschooling conference this June.

If you live in the DC area, you may know that the IHM conference is the biggest Catholic homeschool event of the year. There are tons of notable speakers, and the people watching is amazing. I felt like some sort of anthropological participant observer. I understand who these people are, and I can speak their language, but I am still not quite one of them. Nevertheless, I made sure to layer several modesty tanks under my v-neck shirt and wear my flowiest skirt, lest I be pegged as an outsider. Nobody sniffed out that I have two degrees from heathen public universities, and I had a great time. I found some good books at vendor tables, and now I am kicking myself for not inventing Piusmedia, a Netflix-like service for Catholic movies.

A gathering this huge showcases how Catholic homeschooling is its own subculture, and thus a huge business market. Parents this dedicated to their children's education invest plenty of time, money, and energy, and it's encouraging to meet others doing the same thing. Just walking through the parking lot makes you realize how many like-minded people are jostling around the hotel ballrooms and vendor booths. Large families and ankle-length skirts are just the beginning. If you'd like to give home education a closer look, try this Bingo game next time you go curriculum shopping.