Way back when my boys were younger (they’re now 16 and 20), we attended a homeschool co-op. Four families from my church, with children roughly the same ages, met every other week for science class. The moms spent the summer planning out the lessons. We divided the kids into three age groups. Three moms were each in charge of a different group while the other mom (also the hostess for the week) was the facilitator.
It was really a great set-up for us, and my boys and I loved it. It was great to not have to plan a whole year’s worth of science for my kids. It was a good experience for my boys to take instruction from someone else. And, it was such a blessing to have a regular time of fellowship with other homeschool moms and kids.
Then we moved from KY to TX. We lost that connection, and that community. We didn’t know anyone with whom we could form a group of our own. And, there wasn’t a free co-op close to us.
So, we spent the next five years flying solo with our homeschooling. We only met one other homeschool family that lived near us in that whole five years. We started out as friends, but it wasn’t long before it was apparent that this other family was not a good one for us to be around. So we were back to homeschooling solo.
It wasn’t too bad, really. I had my three kids at home. They were all involved in lots of outside activities where we had great friends. But, deep down, I still felt we were missing that little connection with families who were living our lifestyle.
Last year, we moved again. This time, we moved from TX to OH. My oldest is attending college classes. My middle one attends the local public high school. My youngest, 5th grade at the time of our move, is the only one left in my homeschool. Last year, I asked her if she was interested in attending a co-op. I described what our old co-op was like, and I encouraged her. In the end, however, she decided against finding one. So, I stopped searching. The one I was most interested in starts in 7th grade anyway.
Toward the end of last year, I learned about another co-op in our area that accepts students of all grade levels. Emma’s friend told her about it. We checked it out, and she ultimately decided that she wanted to attend for our current school year. I liked this school for a variety of reasons.
Emma is learning to take instruction from and be accountable to someone else for some of her learning. Emma’s learning to complete her work within the time frame that someone else has set for her. She may have homework, which makes her accountable to someone else. I don’t have to nag her. There will be natural consequences if she doesn’t finish her work.
She’s getting the opportunity to try classes she wouldn’t have access to at home. She’s taking a pottery class, complete with a wheel and a kiln. I just couldn’t offer Emma that opportunity. She’s also taking a Shakespeare class. In that class, she’ll learn about the Elizabethan era, complete with a feast. They’ll study A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and they’ll perform pieces of it at the end of the year.
She’ll make friends outside of dance. Em has been dancing for 7 years. Over the years, 99% of her friend circle has come from her dance classes. I have loved almost every one of those girls she has befriended, and their moms. We all have so much in common that there is never a lull in the conversation. However, we have a very narrow topic of conversation. With so much of Emma’s week spent in the dance studio, I want to broaden her circle with kids who don’t dance. I want her to broaden her horizons a bit and to interact with kids who are passionate about other things.
She has to be independent. I drop Emma off in the morning, and I pick her up at lunchtime when her classes end. This creates a totally independent experience for her. She is responsible for getting herself to her classes {they meet in a church}. Since I don’t have to teach at the co-op, I have decided to use this time as “office hours.” I swing through Starbucks and grab some coffee before heading to a nearby library with my computer. I get three uninterrupted hours of work time. I’m not distracted by my kids, the TV, or household chores that need to be done.
For us, for this year, co-op is a perfect fit! She loves her classes. The price is right. She’s making friends. We’ll evaluate the situation at the end of each school year to see if it still fits our needs and our finances, but for now, it is definitely right.
Leave a Reply