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SWB's New Video on Co-ops


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Has this been shared here yet?

 

 

I admit to being very, very conflicted on this.  I love what her video has to say and agree with pretty much all of it.

 

Ideally, I'd love a tutorial type set up for us (using the curriculum we use), but we move so much I find it hard to have the inertia to start one.

 

My son did K and 1st at a B&M half-day school and loved it.  He always asks to join and go to co-op wherever we live.  He wants friends, specifically school friends.  I feel like as he gets older, doing a co-op is one way that I get buy-in from him on the rest of our schooling and it improves our relationship if he knows I'm doing co-op because he really desires to socialize and be the extroverted guy he is.

 

OTOH, I totally identify with the stress it places on me and the time it takes out of our school week to essentially do elective subjects with a group.

 

We are joining a co-op this year.  I'm going to attempt to teach at least one subject to the group that will also be on my oldest DS's list of assigned schoolwork.  But, I know it is going to add stress.

 

Thoughts?

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Oh, how I love SWB! (Thanks for sharing this!) I totally agree with her. We participate in a co-op strictly for social reasons, but I have such a love/hate relationship with it. I love the people, and my girls love going and making friends there. But the downside, just like SWB says, is that it takes up so much of my time. I also feel that some of the parents put in tons of effort, yet others put in a lot less. (The teaching can be really uneven.) Finally, I often wonder if life would be better (for our own homeschool) if we stayed at home all five days a week. So...I'm so torn! I'm hanging in with our co-op for now, but I don't know if I'll be able to do it forever. But I think she is right-on with her ideas in this video. 

Edited by EKT
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The one co-op I did that worked well for us was American Girls Book club.

 

Once a month, for 4 hours in the afternoon we discussed an assigned American Girl book, (the historical ones) did a simple craft related to the book, ate a snack related to the book, played a game related to the book and then socialized.   We had enough parent participation that two parents divided those things between them each time and arranged for back up in case of emergency.  I filled in for a parent whose kid broke his arm the morning she was supposed to teach.

What made it so good:

The hostess invited parents to participate in the planning session and what was decided was decided from then on out.

It didn't require a lot of prep work for any one person.

Discussions and games are good for group settings.
Cost was minimal: buy the books if you couldn't get them at the library, buy supplies for the craft (corn husk doll, dream catcher, small beginner embroidery kit and the like)  buy ingredients for the snack if it's your week.

The downside:

A handful of parents didn't bother making their kids read the book because they were, "...just here for the socialization."

Since there were plenty of younger and male siblings not particularly interested in American Girl books and childcare isn't realistic, a few parents let their non-participating kids run wild throughout the hostess's house and outside in her yard with inadequate supervision.


I prefer to pay for classes for our out of the house activities like PE and art class.  That way I don't have to spend energy and time other than getting there and being there.

 

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I enjoy our coop at this point in life. But it isn't the type described in the video. I pay for my older 2 girls to take 2 classes. They are young. These classes require no prep work and I only have them in them for fun. I then drop them off for those 2 hours (in the afternoon so it doesn't interfere with normal school time). I use those 2 hours to go grocery shopping. Best coop ever. 😀

 

If it required more of me I wouldn't be involved.

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I enjoy our coop at this point in life. But it isn't the type described in the video. I pay for my older 2 girls to take 2 classes. They are young. These classes require no prep work and I only have them in them for fun. I then drop them off for those 2 hours (in the afternoon so it doesn't interfere with normal school time). I use those 2 hours to go grocery shopping. Best coop ever. 😀

 

If it required more of me I wouldn't be involved.

 

That's because you're using the term co-op differently than most veteran homeschoolers do.  When you pay and don't do much, it's a class according to "old school" homeschooling lingo.  When it's a true co-op(erative) it literally means people cooperating by dividing up labor.  Lots of confusion happens in this discussion because people either aren't aware of the different ways people use the term or because they don't clarify what they mean when they use the term.

 

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Thoughts? 

 

There is give and take for sure. We've had years WITH co-op and years WITHOUT co-op and they were all good years.

 

If we join co-op, I have to know that the TAKE is going to be equal to or exceed the GIVE....giving up a day, giving up our schedule, giving up books I would choose or the way I'd teach something. If you find the right co-op fit, the TAKE can be so worth it ... excellent teachers, healthy competition, excitement and energy about a class, classes done at a level we'd never do at home (for us, chemistry lab  or Shakespeare plays), accountability to a schedule, due dates and a syllabus.

 

One year, I chose a co--op when it wasn't a great academic fit only for the social aspects. That became hard for me to finish well and I learned there has to be more. For social connections, I'm much better at getting active at church or scouts or the neighborhood or even inviting a small group of families for playday or field trips. 

 

Lisa

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Ah. Yes. I agree with every word she said. We co-op'ed for... two years? Maybe three years? ... and I regret it.

 

Support group activities, however, I love and couldn't do without. Co-op? Meh. We probably won't do it again.

 

Eta: My biggest frustration was the fact that my academic expectations far exceeded the other families' expectations. We weren't on even footing.

Edited by Kinsa
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I saw this on FB and thought it was really good information. I even shared it. :) I did co-ops in the beginning because I felt pressured that I wasn't homeschooling "right" if I didn't do a co-op. Thankfully, I think I'm over that. Like Kinsa said, support groups/activities are great, but co-ops are not for me. I'm definitely more interested in putting the time and energy into my own kids these days.

 

Side note - is that the new WTM next to SWB? Do authors get paperback versions? I am patiently waiting for my pre-order!

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I thought it was great info. The moms I know who teach in coops complain they get nothing done at home. So yes, what if they put in the same effort at home???

 

We don't do co-ops. We have chosen to do online classes for some subjects. It gives them a better teacher for subjects I can't teach, but we aren't losing time driving. And I'm not picking up classes to teach!!

 

I loved her advice to school at home a year before trying a co-op.

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Totally agree with her. Co-ops have never worked well for us. My kids usually need to see other kids more than once per week to make friends and the classes have never been good enough to justify the time spent & the resulting fatigue. 

 

 

 

ETA: to add more information

Edited by Mrs. Tharp
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Should you join the co-op?

 

Are you content with the content, schedule, assignments and standards for behavior and grading? 
Is your primary focus (socialization or instruction) the primary focus of the people running and teaching it?
Is it organized enough for you?

Are you content with the standards for content, materials, instruction, grading, scheduling, deadlines?

Are you content with the standards of behavior and participation for parents and students?

Is this meeting a specific need in your homeschool?

Can you still do the other things you think are important as much as you'd like while attending this co-op?

If you answered yes to all of the above then the co-op might work out for you.

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I thought it was great info. The moms I know who teach in coops complain they get nothing done at home. So yes, what if they put in the same effort at home???

 

We don't do co-ops. We have chosen to do online classes for some subjects. It gives them a better teacher for subjects I can't teach, but we aren't losing time driving. And I'm not picking up classes to teach!!

 

I loved her advice to school at home a year before trying a co-op.

 

This is such a good point! Doing an online class is probably more likely to give you a good teacher and then I wouldn't have to take on anything extra. (Granted, I only teach classes that my own kids are in anyway, so I am sure they are benefitting from my efforts, but still...) 

 

We'll see how this semester at my co-op goes, but like I said...definitely a love/hate relationship!

Edited by EKT
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Should you join the co-op?

 

Are you content with the content, schedule, assignments and standards for behavior and grading?

Is your primary focus (socialization or instruction) the primary focus of the people running and teaching it?

Is it organized enough for you?

Are you content with the standards for content, materials, instruction, grading, scheduling, deadlines?

Are you content with the standards of behavior and participation for parents and students?

Is this meeting a specific need in your homeschool?

Can you still do the other things you think are important as much as you'd like while attending this co-op?

 

If you answered yes to all of the above then the co-op might work out for you.

Uh oh! I answered no to 5 of these. I suppose I should start thinking a bit more about this!

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I loved this discussion, and agree with her points.  Currently, I am in a great little co-op that shares responsibility for teaching SOTW -- complete with mapwork, discussion, role plays, and interesting hands-on projects.  We also have the kids practice public speaking, and may do some art history, science, and foreign language.  Then, there is a generous one-hour play time.  

 

Each mom only has to plan one history lesson each month, and she makes it amazing and memorable.  We did the chicken mummy Egyptian funeral with a pyramid, procession, and weeping and wailing.  We made the Trojan horse, Roman roads, and a Viking ship.  The children dressed like Athenians and took complicated votes on which candy they should have -- complete with earnest speeches for and against lollipops.  They tried out different castes in a caste system role play, and we caught all of the toddlers trying to camp out in the Brahmin room with the silver and china and good food.  I don't mind planning something elaborate once a month.  It is fun and do-able for me.  And I love that my kids can experience history the way I wish I had time to teach it.  We just complete our reading at home, and come to co-op prepared for discussion.  I realize that this is not the only way to teach SOTW, but it is what I want for my kids at their young ages, and really the only way we are able to consistently do fun projects.

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That's because you're using the term co-op differently than most veteran homeschoolers do.  When you pay and don't do much, it's a class according to "old school" homeschooling lingo.  When it's a true co-op(erative) it literally means people cooperating by dividing up labor.  Lots of confusion happens in this discussion because people either aren't aware of the different ways people use the term or because they don't clarify what they mean when they use the term.

 

 

 

:iagree:  :iagree: 

 

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Inigo Montoya

 

Failure to define terms with some precision generally promotes confusion rather than clarity!

 

E.g., Here a drop-off class is commonly called a tutorial, except for Classical Conversations, which calls itself a tutorial but requires parent participation and is therefore a co-op, except that the academics are all dictated by the national organization. Clear as mud.

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I want to share this video with my homeschool group...but I am afraid that I will step on some toes. And I am the one who runs one of our co-ops!

 

The co-op I run meets 2x per month Monday evening 5-8pm and is for 6th-12th graders. Not all parents need to participate and we usually manage just enough volunteers to make it work. This past year we had Spanish Conversation, Logic, and Debate. None of us need to use the same curricula at home. We don't assign homework. We build in time to socialize and keep an eye on cliquish behavior - some of the older girls are really great at making sure that all the girls are included. The boys just seem to get along well lol. We don't pressure any family to participate and are planning our fourth year.

 

But the daytime co-op we offer for the younger kids...it seems great. We have offered Missionary Geography, fencing, Ukulele, drama, choir, Bird Identification, etc. etc. Everyone raves about it...except for the Moms who are overwhelmed, cry or drop out, and can't understand why it doesn't work for them. I tell them all that I would have never put my kids into a co-op like that  - or any co-op - when they were younger and not to feel badly but just to do what is best for their families. But some of the Moms who love the co-op get a little annoyed with me...because in order for the co-op to work they need a lot of gung-ho women and I am not supporting them enough. Sorry not sorry (as my kids would say). But no co-op is so wonderful that it is worth the struggle/sacrifice for every family!

 

/rant

 

 

Edited by Liza Q
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Thank you for sharing!  As we enter our homeschooling journey, I find that a lot of people ask what co-op we're planning to join.  Honestly, between my 4 kids, I feel like we're involved in a lot of activities anyway and one of the reasons I'm taking them out of school is so that we're not so overscheduled. I wasn't planning on joining a co-op, and after watching this, I feel better about that decision.

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I agree with everything she said! I tried teaching in a coop twice and both times it was a disaster. My expectations never matched the other parents. Students did not take assignments seriously. The amt of time I spent on those classes most definitely detracted from my own kids' education.

 

And I have never understood bought into the idea that if I don't know a subject I can't teach it or have my kids become successful in it. I stink at math beyon 1/2 way through alg 2, but I have raised a chemical engineer and a math/physics major. I only know a little Spanish, but my kids have learned Latin, French, and Russian. There is no way a high school classroom or a coop would have allowed my kids to reach the academic levels they have. It is precisely bc they are learning independent of other typical students that they have managed to progress to the levels they have.

 

My current rising sr has never stepped inside a regular classroom or even taken a classroom type class. Everything has been done at home or through one-on-one private tutors. Her level of accomplishments? Incredibly high. Why? Bc the only pace and restrictions on her learning were her own.

 

I love homeschooling. I would never relinquish its absolute academic freedom to a coop.

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I think she had some wise points in the video.  The co-op we belong to is an a la cart co-op that does not require parents to teach (although you have the best choice of classes if you do teach).  I often recommend that new homeschoolers who are interested in the co-op (especially with young children) just come in for one or two classes the first session.  This way they can see what it is like and if it is a good fit for them.

 

I usually teach 1-2 classes at my co-op.  For the most part I teach things that I want to do with my child that I just know I will not get to if I did it at home or that would work better in a group situation.  When folks ask what they should teach I always recommend either something they are passionate about, skilled at (knitting, art...) or something they want to do with their kids.  So do I put a lot of effort in yes but I do not put it off to the side which is what I would be tempted to do some weeks at home.  I also occasionally teach high school history classes because that is what I went to school for.  Now is that a ton of work for me, YES but I look at it that I am able to be a blessing to other parents.

 

In the end every family needs to determine what works for them.  There are a variety of co-ops around our area and some of them would never be a good fit for us.  I am very glad we found ours because it does benefit our family.

 

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I just quit our group after 3 years. My kids loved it, and 99% positive for them.

 

I am depleted. I was on the board, taught 2-3 classes each term, kids participated in after co-op SciOly team, I was part of book group... But really, it wasn't that but the silly demands of a school-ish structure. We grow and started stricter age segregation, we needed rules about lunch clean-up and recess, women began being dramatic, courses became assigned instead of instructors developing their own courses....

 

So I think a co-op can work. But maintaining a balance is both difficult and critical.

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Thanks to SWB for posting this video . We've never done a co-op because the closest one is further than I'm willing to drive, especially in the winter. I've always felt a bit guilty about not providing co-op for my very social child, but this reminded me that there are better ways to use my time and energy to meet both academic and social needs.

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I believe that the co-op phenomenon is not as wide-spread outside of the US. Thankfully, it's not the norm in my area, as I have no interest in the kind of co-op that places heavy teaching and administrative responsibilities on parents. It's exhausting enough homeschooling one's own family, and when I do outside-the-home activities I much prefer paying some money to hire a person trained in the specific area. If the only option of gaining social interactions with other homeschool families was through co-ops, it would have been very challenging. 

Edited by wintermom
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Thanks for posting this, my homeschool mentor of sorts gave me similar advice when I was starting out. However it is sometimes difficult to explain my lack of desire to participate in a co-op to well meaning family or friends who don't understand homeschooling. This helps me better articulate my thoughts. I'm confident in my decision but I do want to help educate others on homeschooling.

 

I would love to find a social or support group for me and my kids though. I know I could start one, but I really dislike organizing things for other people.

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Thanks for posting this, my homeschool mentor of sorts gave me similar advice when I was starting out. However it is sometimes difficult to explain my lack of desire to participate in a co-op to well meaning family or friends who don't understand homeschooling. This helps me better articulate my thoughts. I'm confident in my decision but I do want to help educate others on homeschooling.

 

I would love to find a social or support group for me and my kids though. I know I could start one, but I really dislike organizing things for other people.

 

One of the ways this works in my area is that someone will organize a field trip and offer it up on the local homeschool facebook pages.  They charge something for the trip (either the cost of the trip or a deposit that is refunded to families that attend).  Payment is via Paypal.

 

This seems to spread out the organization of events.  Events are scheduled because someone really wants to do them.  There isn't a long term commitment.

 

There are also teams specific to various projects, programs and competitions.  There is a lot of overlap between groups.  Maybe some of the same kids do robotics as who do computer programming classes.  Maybe one kid from a family does Science Olympiad and another from the family does debate.  So you do build up a network of supportive, informed and helpful families.  But if you need to take a break for a while, you just don't sign up for the next several events.

 

Another really successful activity in another city we lived in was biweekly bowling.  The kids bowled (or just snacked or played arcade games).  The parents (moms mostly) were able to get together and chat, swap books, show off knitting and otherwise get to know each other.  This could have been a park day on a similar schedule, but weather was often too hot or too rainy for being outside.  What helped was that there wasn't a host or an organizer who had to be responsible for things.  People just showed up.

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I often wonder if life would be better (for our own homeschool) if we stayed at home all five days a week. 

 

I homeschooled without co-ops through elementary, junior high, and almost all of high school (we joined one when my kids were in their senior/sophomore year, so they could work on speech.)

 

We belonged to a parent support group that had field-trip opportunities, once-a-month activity days (some years), or service opportunities (singing or taking valentines to a nursing home, a work day at the church where our parent support meetings were held etc...)--and we enjoyed many of those.

 

But the vast majority of our homeschool weeks, we were at home--no harried pace--and it really was great for us. I encourage you to try it some year and see what you think. 

 

I found that what I wanted instead of a co-op was social opportunities (hence our involvement in the parent group & various field trips--opportunities for meeting other families). We made Friday afternoons "friend days," and would get together with another family for fun that afternoon. It was a nice, relaxing way to end our week. 

 

Anyway--great video, and I agree with so many of the points.

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When I first had my kids I was ABSOLUTELY going to join a co-op when we started homeschooling. Then we started homeschooling. The co-ops were all too far away or too academic when my kids were little. As they got older the ones I found were too expensive, just fluff, find't work with our schedule, or would take too much time away from our school schedule and free time. I've given up on finding a co-op that will suit our family (at least for now), but I am on several FB groups and participate in random one-time classes and field trips. That's good enough for us.

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I loved this discussion, and agree with her points.  Currently, I am in a great little co-op that shares responsibility for teaching SOTW -- complete with mapwork, discussion, role plays, and interesting hands-on projects.  We also have the kids practice public speaking, and may do some art history, science, and foreign language.  Then, there is a generous one-hour play time.  

 

Each mom only has to plan one history lesson each month, and she makes it amazing and memorable.  We did the chicken mummy Egyptian funeral with a pyramid, procession, and weeping and wailing.  We made the Trojan horse, Roman roads, and a Viking ship.  The children dressed like Athenians and took complicated votes on which candy they should have -- complete with earnest speeches for and against lollipops.  They tried out different castes in a caste system role play, and we caught all of the toddlers trying to camp out in the Brahmin room with the silver and china and good food.  I don't mind planning something elaborate once a month.  It is fun and do-able for me.  And I love that my kids can experience history the way I wish I had time to teach it.  We just complete our reading at home, and come to co-op prepared for discussion.  I realize that this is not the only way to teach SOTW, but it is what I want for my kids at their young ages, and really the only way we are able to consistently do fun projects.

 

I love this! Sounds perfect for the younger years and could even be good for logic stage if the whole group ages up together.

 

But, it is not a typical co-op in that it is focused on just one thing and is small enough not to require paperwork (no application, health forms, rules/policies, liability waiver etc.) A small group of like-minded friends can be amazing, but most co-ops are not that, sadly.

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