Stronger Together – 2018 MASH Homeschooling Conference

Join the Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home (MASH) for a day of homeschooling encouragement!

Saturday, September 22, 10 am -4:45 pm
Riverview Community Centre at 90 Ashland Avenue

EARLY BIRD TICKETS (purchased by August 31, 2018)
Individual – $30
Couples (married and common-law partners) – $40

REGULAR TICKETS (purchased after August 31, 2018)
Individual – $40
Couples (married and common-law partners) – $50

DAY AT A GLANCE
10 am – Registration
10:15 am – Welcome
10:30 am – Panel – Homeschooling’s Lesser-Known Methods

• This panel will feature homeschoolers who use methods which we might not be very familiar with: Forest Schooling, Game Schooling, Read-aloud Schooling, Reggio-inspired and Art-integrated Schooling, World Schooling. Each panelist will introduce their method and then the audience will be invited to ask them questions.

11:45 am – Workshops – Choice of Two

• Option A: Mad, Sad and Scared

It’s 9 am and my child is already crying about having to do math, or throwing pencils in a fit a rage over having to do writing! As a homeschooling parent, dealing with the emotions of our children all day every day can be not only draining, but worrisome. Understanding how these emotions work and what we can do to foster healthy emotional growth in our children can ease some of that worry. Jennifer will look at how children experience alarm, frustration and sadness, and how we can foster maturation.

Jennifer Gehman is a veteran homeschooling mother of 5 children. Three are now adults, and two are still learning in the living room. She holds a Bachelor of Education from bygone days, is the co-creator of Wildwoodcurriculum.org and is a recently certified facilitator with the Neufeld Institute. Visit her personally at connectionsforlearning.ca or neufeldinstitute.org for more information about parenting from an attachment-based developmental model.

• Option B: Dyslexia 101

“If life gives you lemons and you make melons, you might have dyslexia.”This session will explore one home schooling family’s journey with dyslexia. Dr. Nazer-Bloom will define dyslexia, offer strategies when working with children who have hidden learning disabilities, and highlight potential resources.

Dr. Leanne Nazer-Bloom has been passionate about using a delight direct teaching philosophy to teach her four children over the past ten years. Prior to homeschooling, Leanne taught teacher candidates how to teach. Home education has definitely been the highlight of her career.

12:45 pm – Bring Your Own Lunch

1:30 pm – Table Talks

Table Talks is an opportunity for homeschoolers to ask questions and share ideas with each other concerning a specific homeschooling topic. Six tables, each with a separate discussion topic and a discussion leader, will be set up. 8 to 10 people will sit at each table.

When registering for the conference, registrants will sign up to sit at 2 different tables. They will sit at one table for half an hour and then move to sit at their second table for the next half an hour. Participants should sign up to sit at tables with topics of concern to them and/or topics that they have experience with where they can help answer questions. Seating at tables will be determined on a first come first served basis; i.e. the sooner you register, the more likely you will have your first 2 choices of tables.

The table topics will be:

New to Homeschooling
Homeschooling and Working Outside the Home
Forms and Reporting
Homeschooling High School
Transitioning into and/or out of Public School
Dealing with Family (and others) Opposed to Homeschooling

2:45 pm – – Workshops – Choice of Two

• Option A: How Boys and Girls Learn Differently

Brain research as well as research in classrooms has shown that boys and girls learn differently.

You have likely seen this difference: boys are often more physically active learners than girls: they are wiggly and process ideas well when moving around, and many girls are able to focus longer on lecture-type learning than boys. However, did you know that boys take notice of and look longer at items posted on walls than girls?

This session will briefly outline research findings about the differences in how males and females learn and why over the past few decades, girls have had more academic success than boys in schools. Then, practical ideas and examples of how to work with the different genders in homeschool settings will be discussed.

Rachael Fecyk-Lamb currently homeschools her son and the son of a close friend. Previously she homeschooled four nephews and sees home education as the best fit for her family. Rachael has worked as a teacher in Spain, England, Pakistan and Canada. Rachael has been an instructor (currently part time) in the University of Manitoba’s Bachelor of Education, Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education (PBDE) and Certificate in TESL programs for 17 years.  

• Option B: Weaving Reconciliation into Home Schooling

What is reconciliation? Can this concept be part of home schooling for all ages and grades? This workshop will hope to answer these questions.

Kathy Mallett is a proud descendant of First Nation and Metis heritage. Some of her ancestors came from the Orkney Islands in the mid 1700s to work in the fur trade for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Recently retired, Kathy worked for 30 years in the Winnipeg Indigenous community. She served on the Winnipeg School Division as a trustee in the early 1990s and before retiring she was the Co-Director of the Community Education Development Association serving Indigenous and New Comer high school students in the North End of Winnipeg. Finally, Kathy homeschooled her daughter for high school, and she graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Design in 2014.

3:45 pm – Panel – Homeschool Graduates and their Parents

• The final panel of the day will be homeschool gradates and their parents. They will discuss some of their homeschooling experiences, including how they handled high school and how to get into post-secondary education. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions during the panel.

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<!–USED CURRICULUM SALE – Conference attendees are invited to rent a table and offer used curriculum, books and homeschool resources for sale.  $10 full table; $5 half table.  Select that option and pay when registering for the conference.–>

TICKETS – Tickets are non-refundable but can be transferred to another individual. Please email [email protected] with names of original purchaser and new attendee.

LUNCH IS NOT PROVIDED: Please bring your own brown bag lunch and a refillable water bottle.

NURSING BABIES ONLY: While we at MASH love toddlers and children, this event cannot accommodate them!

(If digital payment is a concern, please contact MASH for assistance.)

You do NOT need a paypal account, only a valid credit card to buy online tickets

After you purchase your tickets, you will be taken to a survey to register for your workshop and table talk options.