A Moment of Clarity: Why I Chose to Cancel the Face‑to‑Face AI Talk

Homeschool educators, I just removed Sam and his friends’ names from the participant list. I had invited my student Sam only to help fill the quota of 40 participants. Over the past days, I called many friends, trying to invite anyone I could to join the AI Education Talk. My daughter Paris overheard me and asked what was happening.

I explained to Paris that Sofie and I had arranged this AI Education Talk to empower homeschool families and to show the EDB that homeschooling is systematic and well‑recorded. But the reality is that HSA cannot gather the 40 participants required by the AI expert. Our community is still young, many families participate selectively even when events are free, and many homeschool mothers are also working mothers who cannot attend due to job commitments.

The pressure comes from knowing that if we fail to reach 40 participants, I risk placing Dr. Samuel in a difficult position after he used his reputation and relationships to secure the free venue. The same applies to Sofie, who persuaded the AI expert to speak without charging the community. I didn’t want to disappoint the people who stepped forward to help the Hong Kong homeschool community.

Paris listened quietly, then asked me a series of questions that made me stop and think: 

If the majority of attendees are not even homeschool families, what is the purpose of the talk? 

Why am I pushing myself to the limit for a community that isn’t showing up for itself? 

Why am I carrying the burden alone, calling non‑homeschool families just to fill a number? 

And if I exhaust myself trying to protect everyone else’s reputation, who is protecting mine?

After reflecting on her questions, I realised I needed to make a healthier decision. We will cancel the face‑to‑face AI Talk on April 11 and shift it to Zoom to better support families who still want to join. If we still cannot reach 40 sign‑ups by the end of February, I will inform Sofie’s friend, Kenny, and cancel the talk out of respect for his goodwill and his busy schedule.

I am grateful that my homeschool journey with Paris has raised a young person who can think independently and offer wisdom when I need it most. Her perspective helped me recognise that I should not sacrifice my wellbeing or compromise the purpose of the event just to meet a quota.

Dr Lai