Sunday, like the last day of pretty much any big event, was bittersweet. There was still flood-related scrambling on Sunday because in addition to losing a couple of rooms that were still soggy, a miscommunication had meant that a wedding was scheduled and taking place in the majority of our upstairs rooms as well. Some talks and funshops had to move rooms, and others ended up having to share space. Our white-board was full of changes. But we worked it out, and no one – at least to my knowledge – seemed to mind too much.
After taking Saturday morning off, I was so happy to teach a gentle yoga class on Sunday. It was a lovely and fitting way to start the final day.
Also on Sunday: an important circle chat from Jen Andersen about what to do instead of punishment.
The moms panel.
The dads panel.
Photo by Alicia Gonzalez
Circle chats for teens… demonstrations on dread locks… classes on essential oils…
A film canister rocket funshop
Photo by Dan Omerza
Photo by Dan Omerza
Photo by Dan Omerza
My daughter’s favorite funshop, the Barbies and ponies:
Photo by Alessia Mogavero
Photo by Alessia Mogavero
A funshop all about hugging:
A mother/daughter chat about unschooling with Pam and Roya (which, by the way, was the ONLY discussion that was led by three generations of the same unschooling family :))
Photo by Chrissy Florence
And a main presentation by Allen and Laura Ellis:
Photo by Alicia Gonzalez
A final word about the speakers if I may. I don’t want to sound too self-congratulatory about my choices here, but I could not have been happier with the line-up of speakers! They blew me away. The biggest goal we had when choosing the speakers was to represent as many possible viewpoints as possible, and that’s exactly what happened. I feel like they covered every perspective, assuaged every fear, addressed every concern. They were inspiring, informative, and entertaining. Pam, Roya, Erika, Tiffani, Laura, Laura, Allen, Matt, Jeff, Jen, Brian, Rachel… nailed it. TWELVE main speakers in all (even more when you count those who led single discussions, who were just as appreciated!), when we’d originally planned for seven. They were amazing, each and every one of them, and set the bar extraordinarily high.
And finally, closing out the conference was the always wonderful Amy Steinberg:
Photo by Chrissy Florence
I told this to Amy, and I will say it again here: I felt like her concert was the perfect note which with to end the conference. Her love, her positivity, her lyrics. Perfect. Amy doesn’t have any children, but she’s an unschooler at heart nonetheless. Her words capture, over and over, the very essence of how we’re trying to live and what we’re wanting to do as parents. I could not have been happier as I listened to her sing. (If you’re not familiar with her work, might I suggest you remedy that ASAP. Start with Exactly. You’re welcome)
And with that, the conference was officially over (save for the late-night drinks that followed), except… I still don’t feel like it’s over. The past couple of weeks – hearing your words, seeing your pictures, re-living the memories, strengthening the connections – has kept it all alive. I’m sure I’m not done talking about it, and I’m most definitely not done thinking about it. So I can’t wrap it up, because there IS no wrapping it up.
The bubble lives on.
God bless the unschooling bubble.
