A few days ago my friend Joyce (hi Joyce!) called and invited me to visit the co-op she is part of. Basically it's a group, limited to about twelve homeschooling families, who meet once a week for some informal "class" time, lunch, and fellowship. Throughout the year they throw in pizza parties, field trips, family nights when the kids can share what they've learned and the dads can get together, and an end of the year talent show.(I am told one child's talent was screaming!) The teaching is split up among the moms, with everyone taking a turn in their own child's class and another turn in the nursery. You do a unit study on the topic of your choice, building on it week to week, usually for about five weeks. When you're not teaching, you serve as an extra pair of hands to the moms who are teaching.
Sounds like lots of fun...and lots of commitment.
We attended their meeting this morning. Classes start in two weeks, and this was mostly a meet and greet and run-down of what goes on. When we arrived, Gracie immediately found a little buddy and was off playing. Caleb went to the nursery with a few other toddlers and played with blocks. I met the moms, all of whom were super nice. They were loud (in a good way)- laughing and joking, and catching up on what they did this summer.We went over the year's tentative schedule, then the kids met for assembly. They said the Pledge of Allegiance, then shared their joys("my tooth fell out" "I got a parakeet this summer") and their concerns ("I fell down playing basketball" "I got sunburned"). They prayed together, and then they would normally break into classes by similar ages, but today they just played.
My first thoughts on co-ops were, "why would I join a co-op and go to classes when classes are exactly what I want to avoid?" But it's not really like that. The classes are very informal, and they're unit studies, so they're really hands-on, with lots of crafts and projects and games. The kids learn and try their best, but there's no tests and grading and bells ringing. So it's not a group of homeschoolers trying to imitate school, as I originally thought. I have until they start in two weeks to decide if we're going to join, and here's what I'm thinking:
Pros-
Gracie and Caleb would both have regular time to play with other kids
We're "plugged in"; we're not just floating around in our own world, we're connected with other people who have similar goals and lifestyles
I can talk and share with other moms who know what I'm experiencing, we can discuss curriculum, methods, problems, whatever
They meet five minutes from my house
Cons-
Only one really, but it's a big one...commitment. Am I ready to commit to teaching other kids for five weeks, maybe more? Choosing a topic, finding books, preparing crafts and games? I'm still figuring out how Gracie and I are going to do this ourselves, and I have Sunday school lessons to plan for every other week.
Gracie and Caleb both had a great time this morning, and while I'm not worried about socialization in the sense of raising awkward kids, I do want opportunities for them to develop meaningful friendships. And I could definitely use the support and wisdom of women who have been where I am now. It seems like a no-brainer, but I really need to pray and think about this one...
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