Education Rebels Unite in Florida
Education Rebels (yep, if you homeschool or microschool, you're a rebel too) united at two of the largest conventions for homeschooling and non-traditional education in Florida this month. South Florida hosting an event in June.
For those familiar with homeschooling, they are an icon to the end of each school year for inspiration, curriculum, and celebration of a school year completed. FPEA (Florida Parent Educator Association) is in Orlando and FHA (Florida Homeschool Association) is in Daytona. They were both amazing, and I’m excited we were able to attend and have a booth. I wanted to share things we learned while we were there, to help encourage you to learn more about their organizations, to attend next year, and to check out our South Florida Conference next month.
Teaching About Microschooling
As microschooling is still a term that is fairly new to people, we spent much of our time at our Microschool Florida booth teaching people what it is. There were a few booths that were promoting microschooling as well, such as Kaipod, and Florida Citizens Alliance. Each of these organizations have platforms to help train parents and educators who are inspired to start their own microschools. We were so excited to have microschooling be part of the conversation this year, and that we weren’t alone! We ran into a few microschools who are opening this fall as well, who were So Excited to be there, and especially to see us representing our growing community!
Homeschool Conference in Orlando, Florida
FPEA, Florida Parent Educator Association in Orlando is Christian Convention, and is very large. There are many booths and speakers who cover biblical information. Not all of the booths were that way, and someone who has a discerning eye could use the program to know which speakers were christian before they attended. Considering how large the conference is, and the vending hall, it would be easy to spend an entire day speaking with non-christian booths and listening to speakers as well.
The conference covers three days. Thursday is their leadership day for anyone looking for inspiration in leadership roles. Friday and Saturday are open to anyone. It was bigger, and a bit overwhelming at time with a myriad of booths and speakers to choose from. At this convention there were a lot more veteran homeschool families attending, along with new families.
They also have the Sacred Music Festival that is held on Thursday before the main event. It is a music competition for K-12, and was very well attended. This was open to Public, Private, and Home Education students. Great way for home education students to participate in a competition such as Solo and Ensemble. They also had a group choir performance during the awards ceremony that everyone could participate in if wanted.
The Rosen Creek Shingle Resort is very large. Bring your walking shoes. The hotel books up quickly.
Homeschool Conference in Daytona, FL
FHA, Florida Homeschool Association in Daytona, is a Secular Convention and is a mid-sized conference. They are big enough to be held in a convention center, but it was not so big that you couldn’t meet all of the vendors and speakers in one day. Because it was smaller, many people who stopped by our booth were able to engage with us, and ask a lot of questions. Most of the attendees that I spoke with were new homeschoolers, or only homeschooling for a few years. We really enjoyed the time to really connect with people there, as opposed to having them walk by, overwhelmed by all that was going on in the convention hall.
The Hilton hotel was great. It had a great view of the ocean and the sunrise which I loved. You could also open your balcony door and stand out on a tiny balcony to enjoy the breeze. It was magical. The convention hall was right across the street, and there was plenty of eating available nearby within walking distance.
Education Rebels
Education Rebels and Non-traditional education can come in many shapes and sizes. The state wide homeschooling conferences, whether they are Christian or Secular based are excellent ways to meet like-minded individuals and be inspired to do something new. We are all education rebels, daring to leave mainstream education behind, and search for something better! This year we handed out “Education Rebel Rock-on Raccoon” stickers, which we had many teenagers vote that they were their favorite stickers of the whole event. I don’t know, we could be biased. So amazing to connect with everyone, especially our new microschool friends.
Innovative Educators South Florida Conference Next Month
Join Microschool Florida next month in Coconut Creek at the Innovative Educators Conference where we will be co-hosting the event with the Innovative Educators Network. We have 20+ booths and amazing speakers to share with us. (A few speakers are flying in special for the event.) You’ll not want to miss it! RSVP to attend, Saturday, June 24, 2023, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Coconut Creek Community Center. It's FREE for families to attend.
Networking
Join Microschool Florida groups specific to South, Central, or North Florida.
Microschool Florida Groups - Microschools, Pods, Programs
Facebook Group - Microschool Florida for Parents and Educators
LinkedIn Group - Microschool Florida www.microschoolflorida.com