MPE Women's Encouragement Day for Kansas City Homeschool Moms
An Invitation to Homeschool Moms from Midwest Parent Educators (MPE):
With the winter holidays approaching, you're probably busy buying gifts for others … but did you know of a special gift just for you?
As moms who belong to the Midwest Parent Educators (MPE) homeschool organization in Kansas City, we know the best gift can sometimes just be ENCOURAGEMENT.
Because homeschooling often feels like the loneliest, most discouraging job in the world!
The crucial need for ongoing homeschool support
When MPE hosted its first retreat just for homeschool moms, about 20 precious mothers attended.
Today this event is called Women's Encouragement Day and draws approximately 300 homeschool moms around the Kansas City area – one of MPE's most popular events to date!
Why has this event addressed such a deep need within the homeschool community? We have some thoughts:
1. The importance of continuing professional development.
Within the educational industry, many teachers know the importance of continuing their own education.
According to Learning Forward, an association dedicated to educator professional development:
“As in all professions, new teachers and principals take years to gain the skills they need to be effective in their roles. The complexity of teaching is so great that one-third of teachers leave the profession within three years and 50% leave within five years (Ingersoll, 2003).” https://learningforward.org/docs/default-source/pdf/why_pd_matters_web.pdf
The article also concludes that if educators don't take time to improve their skills, then student learning suffers.
Now apply this mindset to your homeschool.
If you don't take time for rest, recharge and professional development, your children aren't going to get your best either!
Women's Encouragement Day is just one day that's set aside for you, the homeschool mom and teacher.
You get to spend the day with other home educators, developing your skillset and taking notes from veterans all at different stages of the homeschool journey.
If "real-life" teachers dedicate a number of hours each year for professional development, maybe you should consider a similar strategy as a homeschool teacher.
2. The need to know you're not alone.
Because of the unique nature of homeschooling, we don't always have the support system we need at our fingertips, right during our workday.
We don't have a "homeschool staffroom" that we can duck into during recess, while the kiddos play out in the yard!
Nevertheless, homeschoolers do have an amazing support network right here in Kansas City.
With more than 1,000 homeschool families as MPE members, you can certainly find at least one other homeschool family going through the same (or similar) challenges that you're experiencing right now!
Women's Encouragement Day also serves as this "school staffroom" outlet. Each year we get amazing testimonials from attendees that this was just what they needed:
- to know they weren’t alone
- to hear from others that their homeschool challenges are normal and just a stage
- to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones
- to find someone else beside them who is going through the same thing.
It’s truly a labor of love!
We want to see you there
If any of this has resonated with you, we invite you to come!
This year's Women's Encouragement Day will be Saturday, Jan. 26, at City Center Church in Lenexa.
Registration is open! Because we have a limited number of seating, please register early so we can save your seat.
For more info: https://midwesthomeschoolers.org/attend-events/womens-encouragement-day/