Co-Op Pros and Cons

[mom31257]

I was wondering if you've participated in an academic type co-op, would you be willing to share your experiences with me?

 

I currently direct an enrichment co-op, meeting 6-8 weeks each school semester. We offer classes that moms are willing to teach (different each semester) and moms have to stay and help out the entire time. We currently have over 20 families and over 60 kids. This is our 3rd year, and we've had a lot of turnover from year to year, but it's always fun and enjoyable.

 

This semester my high school daughter has forensics, logic, nature photography, and PE. My ds has forensics, art, math games, and PE. Dd was able to take a mock trial class last semester and was the prosecuting attorney. It was such a good experience for her. These are fun things that I probably wouldn't cover on my own.

 

As the kids are getting older (4th and 10th next year), I find that I wish the time out were covering more of what we are doing at home so it wasn't totally extra. I'm planning on offering a Biology class for high school in my home next year, and dd hopes to take chorus and cotillion at a Christian school again next year. I would love to do SWI-A with ds next year and know that he would work harder and enjoy doing it in a group.

 

Should I try to form an academic co-op and forgo the enrichment type? I'm so torn over it. What to do??? I have a space that I could do an academic co-op in and leave the current building for those that want to keep the enrichment co-op going. I also have a couple of families I know would do an academic co-op and could probably find a few others.

[mschickie]

Our co-op has both types of classes. As the kids get older the classes tend to become more focused on the academics but there are still some fun ones too. (art, cake decorating, dodgeball, book clubs, advertising/marketing....) For our high school kids we have one or two Apologia Science classes, Literature, Government and Economics this year. Middle school even has a science, a lit class and a history class as well as fun ones. I do not see why you can not do a little of both if you have the parents (or others) who are willing to teach.

[Dmmetler]

I don't know that we'll do co-op when DD is older. There are a couple of good places in the area that do academic classes with professional teachers that really don't cost any more than the more academic parent-run co-ops. I do love our social/enrichment parent-run co-op for DD now, where she does things like science experiments, American Girl reading club, and exploring different countries (via eating foods, crafts, dancing to music, and so on), and at her age, I can handle giving up a day of more formal school a week for it.

[mom31257]

Our co-op has both types of classes. As the kids get older the classes tend to become more focused on the academics but there are still some fun ones too. (art, cake decorating, dodgeball, book clubs, advertising/marketing....) For our high school kids we have one or two Apologia Science classes, Literature, Government and Economics this year. Middle school even has a science, a lit class and a history class as well as fun ones. I do not see why you can not do a little of both if you have the parents (or others) who are willing to teach.

 

 

The main issue I have with offering both is that most of the families of younger kids don't want to meet all year long. Do your classes meet for a full school year?

[SonshineLearner]

Could you take what you're doing and expand? Is it possible that others are feeling the same way as you? Maybe the older kids would prefer to have some more core academic classes? OR... that you'd like to have core and electives?

I think that it would partially depend on if it was one of my children's bases of friends... OR, that you could do one day of electives and one day of core at the same spot and open them up to your present families and also to "new" families? BTW, I'd love to hear what Biology you're using... We are thinking of Shepard's Biology the next time through...

[mom31257]

Could you take what you're doing and expand? Is it possible that others are feeling the same way as you? Maybe the older kids would prefer to have some more core academic classes? OR... that you'd like to have core and electives?

I think that it would partially depend on if it was one of my children's bases of friends... OR, that you could do one day of electives and one day of core at the same spot and open them up to your present families and also to "new" families? BTW, I'd love to hear what Biology you're using... We are thinking of Shepard's Biology the next time through...

 

I was planning on using Apologia because it seemed easy to do at home and cover the beliefs most of the people I know would come would want. I just recently saw the Shepherd science and don't know anything about it. It's more expensive than Apologia, so I think that would matter to parents as well.

[hopeallgoeswell]

My friend and I started a co-op two years ago. We do history, art, and science for PreK-8 with about 30 kids (with 5 little siblings running around). These are split up into three age groups for history and science and two age groups for art. Most mom's teach and/or help. We started it because the HUGE co-op (200+families) 20 minutes away only did enrichment and most did not meet more than twice per month.

 

Pros:

Accountability.

 

Presentation/public speaking opportunities.

 

Everyone shares the mess/clean up/financial responsibility.

 

I plan the classes so they are in-line with what *I* am doing:tongue_smilie:. At home, we read and discuss using resources that meet our schooling philosophy. In co-op, we do projects and small presentations.

 

Cons:

I teach two of the classes and do administrative work...NOT GOOD. Next year, there will be a one class limit.

 

If it did not fit into my "mold," it would be wasteful; I would stick to enrichment classes.

 

Last year, we met for 36 weeks (2 weeks being parties); everyone was burnt out. This year, we are doing 36 weeks (2 weeks for parties); we do 6 weeks on and 1 week off which is going much better.

 

 

I would encourage you to give it a try for next year. Since you are starting it, you have the freedom to choose classes *you* will be doing next year in your homeschool study and just extend it to others.

 

 

Best wishes!

[mom31257]

Pros:

Accountability.

 

Presentation/public speaking opportunities.

 

Everyone shares the mess/clean up/financial responsibility.

 

I plan the classes so they are in-line with what *I* am doing:tongue_smilie:. At home, we read and discuss using resources that meet our schooling philosophy. In co-op, we do projects and small presentations.

 

Cons:

I teach two of the classes and do administrative work...NOT GOOD. Next year, there will be a one class limit.

 

If it did not fit into my "mold," it would be wasteful; I would stick to enrichment classes.

 

I would encourage you to give it a try for next year. Since you are starting it, you have the freedom to choose classes *you* will be doing next year in your homeschool study and just extend it to others.

 

Best wishes!

 

Thank you! The pros are good, but the cons are a concern. I know I will end up teaching and administrating because I want certain things for my kids that I will be the one to teach. With the enrichment co-op I don't teach much.

 

I'm also concerned that if I start the academic co-op and don't like it, I'll have trouble starting the other kind again. I'm becoming well-known in the homeschool community as being the co-op mom because we've had a lot of people come and go over the 3 years. No one has left mad, they just sometimes realize they don't have time. Maybe because of that, I wouldn't have trouble.

 

Why do decisions have to be so difficult?? :)

[mom2att]

Our large co-op is mostly enrichment-type classes, but at the middle school and especially the high school level the classes tend to get more academic in nature. We offer these right alongside the enrichment classes. We meet for 12 weeks each semester, though, so that makes it easier. Fitting a more academic option into a 6 - 8 week semester would be difficult. Perhaps your schedule could continue, but be extended for the more academic classes?

 

Most of our classes are still parent-taught, as we have some parents with a real gift and passion for teaching older kids. However, it is a lot more work to teach an academic class at this level than to teach an elective elementary class. This is something to keep in mind when assigning tasks to families in the co-op. We have found it helpful to rotate offerings on an every-other year basis, giving those teachers a year off between teaching their particular class.

 

It sounds like your enrichment group is thriving and that you are enjoying it. I would try to add some more academic options before pulling out and starting something entirely new.

[Tidbits of Learning]

This is just me, but as the kids get older it gets hard to give up a day even to an academic co-op. I would just as soon my children take dual classes at cc in high school.

We have done the enrichment kind and when it split into 2 co-ops...it didn't necessarily mean that co-op would work for us. I have multiple age children and my youngest makes it hard for us to go to an academic co-op while my middle school children make it hard to rationalize giving up a day of school for enrichment co-op.

I think if you target small families or families within a specific age group (without littles) you may have luck in getting the co-op you want. The hard part is that unless everyone is on the same page with their academics and standards then you have children with such a big range of abilities that it is hard to have an academic class.

[Carol S]

It sounds like your enrichment group is thriving and that you are enjoying it. I would try to add some more academic options before pulling out and starting something entirely new.

 

:iagree: Talk to the other parents of middle/highschool students, they're probably feeling the same way. Offer to teach 1 academic subject and ask other parents if they could do the same. I wouldn't give up a great co-op until I had too.

[mom31257]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies! It's a lot to consider and pray about.

[Testimony]

My experience with the academic co-op I joined years ago. I was terrified to ever join a co-op. The area where I live there are so many co-ops. They are a dime a dozen. I find them personally to be stiffling and confining. I am a perfectionist. When I join something, I do it with all my ability. If I say that I am going to be there, then I will. That is my personality.

 

The mothers in the co-op that I joined were very obsessed with academics. They were unhappy with me because I allowed 4 and 5 year olds 20 minutes of free play. I said that it was 10 minutes. The council chastised me for allowing free play. I cried the entire rest of the school year. I wrote about this experience years ago. A lot of moms told me to leave the co-op. The problem was I committed to the 30 weeks. I am one who sticks to my commitment. I hated every week that I had to be there, but I did do it. These mothers were concerned about the best program for their children and what other moms want was of no concern to them. It was intense. They wanted their children to have the best and the others were along for the ride.

 

I remember when they asked us to re-sign for the following year. I did not re-sign. There were 17 families in the program, but only 7 families returned. The funny thing is that two mom broke away from that co-op and started their own program. They begged me to join their program because they were so impressed with how much their children learned with me. In fact over the years, I have seen the children from my class and all of the moms, including the mom who complained about my free play, say that their child learned a lot in the program. Boy was that a surprise!

 

Here are my pros and cons to an academic co-op:

Pros:

1. It provides accountability to a mom.

2. Children get "socialization."

3. You get to gleen from other moms who might have a better strength in an area you are weak.

4. Mom can get help if their child won't listen to them.

 

Cons:

1. Parent does not pick the curriculum (unless they are running the program). My question to moms in that position is why would you homeschool only for someone else to choose the curriculum for you.

2. Usually you have commit to at least 30 weeks.

3. The parent has to teach. It is a lot to plan and prepare lessons for other people's children plus teach your own all the other subjects that the child has not learned at the co-op. What if your child struggles academically in the co-op? You have to then tutor your child and teach other subject while you teach other people's children.

4. For me personally, I found that I could do no extra curricular activities if I did a co-op. Because the co-op I went to was intense, I was busy planning lessons after school. I couldn't do any sport or music. My children enjoy those activities.

 

These are my experience. I tried to be fair in assess co-ops because I was hurt. I hope that this will help you to some degree!

 

Blessings in your homeschooling journey!

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony