For Tia and Jonathan Rydberg, parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in Waite Park, being homeschooled by their mothers is something they both admire and respect. They have made the decision to provide their own children, Jeremiah, 7, Judah, 4, Declan, 2, and Aria 3 months, with the same opportunity.
“I chose homeschooling partially because I can tailor school to my children based on their varying levels,” Tia said. “I know schools don’t have the ability to tailor learning to each student, and I wanted faith to be a big part of our school and have greater control of what they are learning.”
Carrie Ellis, Tia’s mother, homeschooled her five children for over 22 years and found a lot of resources by attending The Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair.
“When the conference started, it was such a relief to get material that was Catholic and to see everyone else who was homeschooling was wonderful,” Ellis said.
This year, Tia plans to attend the conference, which will be held at St. Paul College in St. Paul on May 30 and 31. She was homeschooled in a different way than her husband was and looks forward to developing her own style for her family.
“Part of the reason I want to go to the conference is because I want to find ‘my way’ to homeschool. I’m different than [Jonathan’s] mom and my mom, and I need to tailor [homeschooling] to my strengths and abilities,” she said.
Ken and Kerri Davison, founders of Holy Heroes, a company that focuses on products and resources aimed to equip Catholic families with tools for faith-based education, are keynote speakers at the conference.
The Davisons have over 26 years of homeschooling experience with their eight children and bring practical insight, Catholic wisdom and heartfelt encouragement to families seeking to grow in both faith and educational excellence.
Kerri will open the conference Friday evening with “The ‘Unfair Advantage’ of Homeschooling.” Ken will present “Ten Homeschooling Tips from the Parents of Saints” on Saturday morning. Additional speakers will present during breakout sessions, which will include a special needs discussion, panel conversations and networking opportunities.
Tia looks forward to learning through these breakout sessions, but she is particularly looking forward to the used book sale.
“If purchased new, some resources can be $200 to $300,” Tia said. “The book sale gives opportunity to buy it for less and you can ask the parents selling the resources about the books and their first-hand experience.”
For more information about The Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and Curriculum Fair or to register, visit www.mnconference.org.