What homeschooling trends have you seen come and go?

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I’ve homeschooled on and off for eight years and both DH and I are homeschool graduates.  So I’ve been around homeschooling since kindergarten in 1985 when my mom was illegally homeschooling and Abeka wouldn’t even sell to her.  In any case, a hybrid homeschool program has opened near me and while I appreciate it for those that need it, I don’t want to send my kid for two or three days a week and then do the homework the “tutor” assigned on the other days. You can even drop off your kids the other two days in the mornings to work with tutors on their homework. In my mind this is really just an unregistered, unregulated school with homeschool Moms trying to do classroom management and teach. I’m not knocking homeschool moms at all, but teaching a classroom of 15 is wholly different from homeschooling and I think does require some formal education in teaching or the subject matter.

However, I’m in the minority and the vast majority of homeschoolers in the area are utilizing this option 3-4 days a week.  To the point co-ops have closed and park days are non existent.  I am feeling very lone rangerish after just getting my third email telling me that a co-op I was interested in joining has closed due to lack of attendees.

But then I also remember decades ago when my mom was classically homeschooling while everyone else we knew used KONOS.  Like all trends, it seems to come and go. A few years ago the majority of HS here were in Classical Conversations. Now they’re using this hybrid homeschool program.

Just out of curiosity and to make me feel less alone, what other homeschool trends have you see over the years? I know we have these type of threads now and then but I searched and there wasn’t a really recent one to revive. 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[cintinative]

Hybrids are pretty big here. The three or so people I personally know teaching in them have a teaching degree or a bachelor's in what they are teaching plus a certificate.  I have no idea about the others. I am sure there are problems somewhere. I heard about a high school chem teacher who was a retired chemist that refused to do labs because he felt they couldn't do anything worthwhile without a real chemistry laboratory.  😃 

I do agree that classroom management is a thing and it's not necessarily something you learn as a homeschool mom. It was my least favorite part of teaching at co-op (which was not a hybrid and pretty much all volunteers). 

It's hard to make generalizations because my kids are in high school now and we are not in a co-op anymore.  But it does *seem* like less people are truly homeschooling high school.  Whether that is accurate or not, I can't say, because clearly I have not done a survey. But of the small population of people I know, most are using a hybrid school, part time enrollment at a private high school, or they are using the local community college very heavily.  

I am part of a local homeschool group and it has dwindled as the co-ops have grown.  We used to have playdates and mom's coffees and all that, but as the co-ops got bigger and there were more of them, people seemed to get their connection that way.  That might be a change?   So, unlike your experience, I think we are seeing co-ops here thrive and grow.  

I think this may just be because of my world being smaller/confirmation bias, but I do see a lot of attention focused on how to get college credit in high school and I don't necessarily remember that from when I started out.  That might be more of an overall trend, though, because it seems to be true in the public schools as well.  

Again, perhaps an overall trend but families seem sooo busy with sports and other extracurriculars anymore.  

 

[Ting Tang]

I live in a smaller rural area, and two new micro schools have popped up, scheduled to start this fall.  The tuition helps cover the cost of the curriculum and "education coaches." 

Sadly, the advertisements are full of grammatical errors and improper word usage.  

I think parents want alternatives to public school, some flexibility, and socialization made easy.  

[HomeAgain]

Pay-to-play is becoming more prevalent here.  Fewer park days/meet ups, more clubs, co-ops, organized activity where there is some sort of fee. Co-ops have outside teachers for the most part.

I've seen nature schooling come and go, lapbooks (so many lapbooks!), and now it's more TGTB or CC crowds, with few between if they use books.  The rest are firmly with online providers that promise to deliver a full education for $9.95/mo.

I think it would be interesting to pull out my original WTM and see how many products no longer are popular or even exist.

[cintinative]

@HomeAgain I have a friend who has fully embraced Charlotte Mason, nature schooling, poetry teas, etc. She is the only one I have ever met in my 12 years of homeschooling that does all that. I have to admit that some days I wish I was one of her boys!  😃

[HomeAgain]

6 minutes ago, cintinative said:

@HomeAgain I have a friend who has fully embraced Charlotte Mason, nature schooling, poetry teas, etc. She is the only one I have ever met in my 12 years of homeschooling that does all that. I have to admit that some days I wish I was one of her boys!  😃

I have one child who may have appreciated it.  He loved being outside and nature-based schooling, and while I didn't have a term for it, I tried to give it to him as much as possible within what I did know.  We didn't do poetry teas, but I did special pastry meetings with him and we read poetry at different times. 

The other child?  He would have thrown an absolute fit.  He wanted puzzles and correct ways of doing things and no fuss about material.  Only kid I know who was actually drawn to Memoria Press and thought it was a great idea. 😄At least until he did a year of First Form.  But that's just who he is and I learned quickly that I couldn't be drawn into any fads with him.

[Wheres Toto]

We have a lot of nature schools around me.  

Also a few hybrid schools that seems to be doing okay but aren't super popular, possibly because at least one of them seems to be getting a poor reputation for how they handle issues.  

Some coops but most are religious and we have quite a few secular homeschoolers so individual classes seem to be more popular in general - art classes one place, science classes another place (I run a science center), PE/gym activities at the Y, a couple casual but reliably attended park days.   Classical Conversations exists around here but doesn't seem to be a super popular option.  

I've actually seen more people homeschooling high school than I have in the past.   

I live in a state where it's super easy to homeschool and pretty much anything goes.  

[historically accurate]

I tried the workbox thing when it was big. I ended up with 36 shoe boxes (12 boxes times 3 children) full of random crap LOL.

One of the really popular things here years ago was ripping all your workbooks apart and filing it in 36 file folders - 1 for each week. 

Now, very few people do anything except multiple weekly co-ops/hybrid academies or online only. It's also very segregated between the Christian and the secular crowd which is very noticeable to me as I ran an open co-op for 5+ years, and we had Atheist, Mormon, evangelical Christian, LGBTQ, and Hindu families.

[8filltheheart]

I have seen so many fads come and go, but sadly, what I see now is something completely different than a fad.  I see the dissolution of homeschooling with parental control.  What I mean is not that parents aren't choosing what their kids are doing, but that it is very, very rare to meet a homeschool mom who hasn't been convinced that they are incapable of being their children's primary educator.  They have been mentally beaten into submission by marketing propaganda that ANYTHING and everything is better for their child than being at home with mom as teacher.  (Harsh words?  Not from my perspective.  I began homeschooling at a time when resources were scant, and parents were convicted that they could be better teachers for their kids bc they knew their kids, how they learned, and what they needed to be successful.  Now, with resource overload, more parents than ever believe they cannot teach their kids.  They need online programs that assign/teach/grade.  They need hybrids, co-ops, etc.)

I wrote a blog about this a couple of yrs ago.  I think we have progressed to the devolution of homeschooling where submission to outside authority controls the majority of homeschoolers vs. parents assuming their parental authority to be primary educator.

Edited August 11, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

14 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

I have seen so many fads come and go, but sadly, what I see now is something completely different than a fad.  I see the dissolution of homeschooling with parental control.  What I mean is not that parents aren't choosing what their kids are doing, but that it is very, very rare to meet a homeschool who hasn't been convinced that they are incapable of being their children's primary educator.  They have been mentally beaten into submission by marketing propaganda that ANYTHING and everything is better for their child than being at home with mom as teacher.  (Harsh words?  Not from my perspective.  I began homeschooling at a time when resources were scant, and parents were convicted that they could be better teachers for their kids bc they knew their kids, how they learned, and what they needed to be successful.  Now, with resource overload, more parents than ever believe they cannot teach their kids.  They need online programs that assign/teach/grade.  They need hybrids, co-ops, etc.)

I wrote a blog about this a couple of yrs ago.  I think we have progressed to the devolution of homeschooling where submission to outside authority controls the majority of homeschoolers vs. parents assuming their parental authority to be primary educator.

You’ve put into words what is bothering me.  I don’t mind putting my child in a class with a subject matter expert, like dual enrollment for high school/college. Or a class that I am not able to teach(anything beyond geometry).  But my child is in THIRD GRADE.  The fact that I have a master’s degree in education is irrelevent; truthfully it was teaching methods and behavior management that aren’t applicable to homeschooling.  I can teach any subject at this point, and dropping him off a few days a week someplace where they teach and have chosen the curriculum just seems completely opposite of the tailored and individualized education experience I’m aiming for.  But many of the homeschooled parents I have met seem convinced that they can’t teach their kids.

[ScoutTN]

27 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

You’ve put into words what is bothering me.  I don’t mind putting my child in a class with a subject matter expert, like dual enrollment for high school/college. Or a class that I am not able to teach(anything beyond geometry).  But my child is in THIRD GRADE.  The fact that I have a master’s degree in education is irrelevent; truthfully it was teaching methods and behavior management that aren’t applicable to homeschooling.  I can teach any subject at this point, and dropping him off a few days a week someplace where they teach and have chosen the curriculum just seems completely opposite of the tailored and individualized education experience I’m aiming for.  But many of the homeschooled parents I have met seem convinced that they can’t teach their kids.

Yes, this! 
So few old school homeschoolers anymore. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by ScoutTN

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

44 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

 I don’t mind putting my child in a class with a subject matter expert, like dual enrollment for high school/college. Or a class that I am not able to teach(anything beyond geometry).

….dropping him off a few days a week someplace where they teach and have chosen the curriculum just seems completely opposite of the tailored and individualized education experience I’m aiming for.

I agree & it’s why I’ve always refused to join a Co-Op. If I wanted someone else to set our schedule, select the curricula, & keep a group moving at the same pace… I’d put DS in public school. 

He’s in 5th this year. We’ve used occasional online classes because they encouraged him to develop his typing skills / sounded fun, but never for a core subject & never more than one at a time. I considered handing off the reins for PreAlgebra - not because I couldn’t teach it, but because I thought he’d enjoy developing a mathy peer group. He looked at me like I’d sprouted a 2nd head & so we’ll be staying the course with me teaching that at home. 😅

I can see the value of participating in lab- or discussion-based classes with peers as we enter the middle school years & beyond, but have no intention of outsourcing across the board. I won’t be relearning upper-level mathematics (& DS would handily outpace me even if I tried) or setting up a proper chemistry lab in my home, but DS is a STEM kid who needs those classes provided at a high quality level so eventually I will outsource them. Not because I must, but because I choose to. 

I think it’s fine to sample widely from the options available today & haven’t experienced others who feel inept beyond the occasional momentary panic of “what the heck am I doing” or a few Covid Schoolers getting their bearings. That may simply be a matter of self-selecting our peer groups, though - we have little in common with those who outsource it all so I’m not aware of them. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

[8filltheheart]

2 hours ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

setting up a proper chemistry lab in my home, but DS is a STEM kid who needs those classes provided at a high quality level so eventually I will outsource them. Not because I must, but because I choose to. 

I outsource classes that I don't want to teach.  I hire tutors for classes where paying them for their expertise makes sense.  (Mrs. Denne for Russian is worth far more than I could ever pay her. Or Kathy math back when my ds was in high school.)  The only reason I am responding to your post is bc chemistry labs are definitely not a reason to outsource chemistry.  Chem labs are incredibly easy to do at home.  (and I have a chemE ds as well as a physics one.)  Of all the labs that are difficult to do at home, cal-based physics labs would be my answer.  Ds enrolled in a 4 yr U for physics bc of the labs.  I didn't think AP done at home would be comparable.  And, based on what he did for those labs, I was right.  Those labs were intense.

Edited August 12, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[Clarita]

2 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

Chem labs are incredibly easy to do at home.  (and I have a chemE ds as well as a physics one.)  Of all the labs that are difficult to do at home, cal-based physics labs would be my answer. 

Interesting, in my head I would have thought physics to be the easy one and chemistry to be the hard one. 

[8filltheheart]

21 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Interesting, in my head I would have thought physics to be the easy one and chemistry to be the hard one. 

It is easy to buy complete chemistry kits.  I have had a kid who did AP chem at home and another who took Connie's advanced chem class. (Both placed out of chem for science majors.  One was a physics/math major.  The other atmospheric sciences major.)  Neither of those required chem labs that were much different than I did with the rest of my kids just doing chem at home.

My ds's 4 yr U physics lab, otoh, was intense stuff.  He wrote a minimum of 10 pgs for every lab and his lab met 3 hrs every week.  (Some of his lab reports were upwards 15 pages.) They used all sorts of technical equipment for wave measurements, etc.

[wisdomandtreasures]

Everything is monetized and no one ever just shares something because it genuinely worked for them anymore. Everything is "So amazing and a total game-changer!* Oh by the way, here's my affiliate code for 15% off!"

 

[Ting Tang]

2 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:

I have seen so many fads come and go, but sadly, what I see now is something completely different than a fad.  I see the dissolution of homeschooling with parental control.  What I mean is not that parents aren't choosing what their kids are doing, but that it is very, very rare to meet a homeschool mom who hasn't been convinced that they are incapable of being their children's primary educator.  They have been mentally beaten into submission by marketing propaganda that ANYTHING and everything is better for their child than being at home with mom as teacher.  (Harsh words?  Not from my perspective.  I began homeschooling at a time when resources were scant, and parents were convicted that they could be better teachers for their kids bc they knew their kids, how they learned, and what they needed to be successful.  Now, with resource overload, more parents than ever believe they cannot teach their kids.  They need online programs that assign/teach/grade.  They need hybrids, co-ops, etc.)

I wrote a blog about this a couple of yrs ago.  I think we have progressed to the devolution of homeschooling where submission to outside authority controls the majority of homeschoolers vs. parents assuming their parental authority to be primary educator.

And the social media comments under advertising for these services can be downright nasty.  Many people do not believe in homeschooling, some former homeschoolers themselves.  Yet their arguments against it can happen in public schools, too.  Sometimes I see public school teachers commenting, and it makes me afraid to even think about sending my kids back to public school. 

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

I outsource classes that I don't want to teach.  I hire tutors for classes where paying them for their expertise makes sense.  (Mrs. Denne and Russian is worth far more than I could ever pay her. Or Kathy math back when my ds was in high school.)  The only reason I am responding to your post is bc chemistry labs are definitely not a reason to outsource chemistry.  Chem labs are incredibly easy to do at home.  (and I have a chemE ds as well as a physics one.)  Of all the labs that are difficult to do at home, cal-based physics labs would be my answer.  Ds enrolled in a 4 yr U for physics bc of the labs.  I didn't think AP done at home would be comparable.  And, based on what he did for those labs, I was right.  Those labs were intense.

Just agreeing with this. It is absolutely possible to do chem labs at home, even ones involving more than a microchem kit.  😃

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

Chem labs are incredibly easy to do at home. 

I’m more thinking from purely a practical standpoint - open burners, ample glass equipment (we have cats), proper disposal of hazardous chemicals (probably shouldn’t just go down the drain). He’s a very tactile learner so we’ve done / will do a good amount of the more approachable presentations & experiments at home already.

I’ll definitely reassess as we get closer, but for now I’m at least considering the possibility that the experience I want for him may not be one I want to replicate at home.

I wonder if there’s somewhere around here we could rent lab space without outsourcing a class… 🤔

Edited August 12, 2023 by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

[cintinative]

3 minutes ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

 

I wonder if there’s somewhere around here we could rent lab space without outsourcing a class… 🤔

You might be disappointed in what you see in classes, too.  😃

We did a bunch more labs than the local hybrid. 

I got most of my glassware used off of shopgoodwill and places like that. 

You can buy my glassware and such off of me next year.  😁  

There are some one week chemistry lab intensives, but I haven't heard about one in awhile. I assume they still exist?  

 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

10 minutes ago, cintinative said:

You might be disappointed in what you see in classes, too.

We are very fortunate to have an excellent community college that has a solid relationship with the homeschool community. They’ve even begun to offer extra sessions of common DE classes exclusively for homeschoolers, so younger students have access to the rigor without adult classmates.

I absolutely agree that the classes I’ve seen at “educational centers” & such around town targeted to homeschoolers have been… underwhelming. 

ETA: There is a laboratory glass supply store nearby, so I think we’d be fine sourcing those types of materials. 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

[cintinative]

4 minutes ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

 

ETA: There is a laboratory glass supply store nearby, so I think we’d be fine sourcing those types of materials. 

Oh, I wish we had one of those!!

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

49 minutes ago, wisdomandtreasures said:

Everything is monetized and no one ever just shares something because it genuinely worked for them anymore. Everything is "So amazing and a total game-changer!* Oh by the way, here's my affiliate code for 15% off!"

Ugh. This nonsense is why I left 90% of homeschool-related social media. I use the WTM forums, one other forum, & a very select few FB groups (one community + a couple curriculum-specific, with no affiliate links allowed). 

[Green Bean]

Remember all the hoopla about TJED years ago? I'm so glad that one died.

90% of people I meet now are using and raving over TGTB stuff. Mention classical homeschooling and you will be lectured how you are stifling your child's natural curiosity and love of learning. Good grief!

Edited August 12, 2023 by Green Bean

[Ellie]

We started hsing in California in 1982, when I took my 6yo out of a private Christian school. No co-ops--I didn't see those until some time in the late 90s, and then they were mostly KONOS co-ops--no support groups. I knew one person, a neighbor, who was hsing.  Within the next couple of years, however, a well-organized, county-wide group developed, with park days in most parts of the county. Many years later, I learned that that kind of county-wide association was rare, but to me, it remains the model. 🙂

I was surprised to learn that co-ops have outgrown support groups, such that there are few actual support groups. o_0 Someone told me that a "support group" was not for homeschoolers; it was for people in recovery, like alcoholics. WTH?!

We have a couple of hybrid schools here in my part of Texas; at least one is faith-based. AFAIK, they don't offer "tutoring" on their off days. Although they refer to themselves as "homeschooling," y'all, they aren't. 

Other things I've seen: in the early 80s, the more hands-on your hsing was, the better. Manipulatives was everything, whether your dc needed them or not. Winston Grammar and Math-It were very popular for awhile (I bought them, of course, lol, but my dd hated Winston Grammar with a fiery hot hatred; it was the only curriculum she absolutely refused to do in all the years we hsed). Unit studies like KONOS were popular (because hands-on), but today, I see people use the phrase "unit study" frequently, but they are NOT talking about actual unit studies.

In fact, I have seen more and more people looking for ways to not actually teach their children themselves; the Internet has made online classes so available that many people just assume that's how their children will learn, even at home.

Newsletters. No one does newsletters any more. We used our newsletters to actually write down the support group information (e.g., field trips, park days, etc.), so it would be in people's hands with all the information they needed. Now many co-ops want ways to disseminate information instantly, which really means that they don't have to plan ahead as much; they can just make decisions/changes on the fly. It also means that parents are tied to their devices, even though we tell new hsers to use screens with their dc as little as possible.

Yes, I am an old fuddy duddy. 🙂

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

42 minutes ago, Ellie said:

I was surprised to learn that co-ops have outgrown support groups, such that there are few actual support groups. o_0

This may be partially just a difference of terminology. What you refer to as a support group I know of more as social groups, homeschooling communities, or even social co-ops - though I dislike that last term, as I find it can be used to mean a few very different things.

We’re also in TX, but specifically chose our area because it’s known to have many homeschoolers & therefore a variety of homeschool offerings: support communities, field trip groups, discounted extracurriculars (because we can attend “off hours”), co-ops, a la carte classes at learning centers, hybrid schools. Religious options dominate, but there are a number of inclusive & secular groups, as well. 

Some events are planned many months out. Others only weeks, days, or even hours ahead of time as people find small gaps in their schedules or come across interesting goings-on. But no, we don’t do newsletters. 😉

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

The main trends I’ve noticed have been related to “shiny new curriculum” disorder. This may be particularly acute among the secular community, as there have traditionally been far fewer options available, but for a while it seemed like every time something new came out it was scooped up with no regard to the efficacy of what was already being used or whether the new products’ style suited them - & no one had better dare to say anything short of unequivocal praise of the latest thing!

We’re eclectic but when we find something we like we stick with it. I will only consider items I can physically flip through or that offer generous samples online - & almost never immediately after being released. After a year or two people’s excitement has mellowed & more nuanced discussions of a programs strengths & weaknesses are allowed to surface.  

[Shoeless]

I've got all sorts of snarky opinions about this topic. I'll try to tone down the snark. 😄 

There are a lot of hybrid options popping up near me, and yes, they read like unregistered, unregulated schools. I posted something about this on fb a few weeks ago after a new, pricy option started advertising in the homeschool groups. $11k in tuition to send your kid full time at the "homeschool partnership program".  The kids go 4 days a week for a full day. They have homeroom, scheduled class times, lunch time, gym, core classes.  That is not homeschooling.  That's school.  

Frankly, no one here has the kind of money for this sort of thing. These programs pop up and fizzle out quickly. 

Online, everyone in the secular groups chases after the new, shiny thing. BYL was popular when we started 10 years ago, but now gets side eye. MBTP was popular, but now I hear it's no longer considered secular.  Beast Academy and AOPS were mentioned frequently as "The Best", but they're really only good for a certain kind of kid.  There is a lot of gatekeeping about whether something is secular enough to be mentioned. 

I don't know if the high school groups were always this way, but I was taken aback by the intensity. No one teaches their kids themselves; everything is AP level and outsourced. No one is just a high school student learning algebra or chemistry from a book.  It's all about bullet points to put on college applications to "set yourself apart from the crowd", but everyone seems to be "setting themselves apart" in the exact same quantity vs quality kind of way. 

I'm also taken aback by how much money people are freely throwing at online courses. For what people are spending on "honors" level high school classes, I could sign my kid up for community college DE that will result in transfer credit. Maybe I'm a cheapskate, but I'm simply not convinced that the $500 "honors" chemistry online class is always worth the price. It probably is the right option for the right kid, but I'm not convinced that outsourced everything at $250-500 a class should be the default. 

Like, I see so many posts saying "I need an underwater basketweaving class to fulfil a state regulation.  It doesn't have to be rigorous, but it needs to be cheap! Who do you recommend?", and everyone suggests a $150-300 option. I'm the lone nutter saying "Just buy a book, take notes, watch some videos. Box checked for less than $25". 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Shoeless

[Shoeless]

The other thing I see a lot of is the expectation that a curriculum should meet every single need perfectly. It must be all things to all people. 

The Acme Book of History may be fantastic at explaining the role of widgets in history, but it doesn't cover the contributions of sprockets at all, so into the reject bin it goes.  No one wants to simply add in an equally great book about sprockets. 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Shoeless

[LauraClark]

This thread is making me feel less alone 🥰. I'm seeing all of the above here in rural NC: hybrid co-ops, pricey options, fewer people who want to just meet up (although everyone will say that's what they want...), CC seems to be heading out, moms want to "homeschool" without actually doing any work (although, I think a lot of that comes from the many work-at-home careers that moms can now have and the realization that you can't do it all). On the positive side: we recently started a park meetup in our area and are seeing a pretty good turn out of regulars each week. I also have lots of friends that are actively homeschooling their kids, so it's definitely not everyone. It's good to remember that these things could very well just be trends and not necessarily the direction that homeschooling is going. Fingers crossed...

[Ellie]

7 hours ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

This may be partially just a difference of terminology. What you refer to as a support group I know of more as social groups, homeschooling communities, or even social co-ops - though I dislike that last term, as I find it can be used to mean a few very different things.

We’re also in TX, but specifically chose our area because it’s known to have many homeschoolers & therefore a variety of homeschool offerings: support communities, field trip groups, discounted extracurriculars (because we can attend “off hours”), co-ops, a la carte classes at learning centers, hybrid schools. Religious options dominate, but there are a number of inclusive & secular groups, as well. 

Some events are planned many months out. Others only weeks, days, or even hours ahead of time as people find small gaps in their schedules or come across interesting goings-on. But no, we don’t do newsletters. 😉

I know that support groups have become known as "social groups," or "meet-ups," and that irks me, because it makes them seem fluffy, less important. It's also less descriptive. "Social co-op" doesn't even make sense, and it's a weird term when a perfectly good term already exists: "support group."

When it isn't possible to contact a group immediately, as through texting, then people tend to plan further ahead. For myself, I can't randomly drop everything to go off and do a field trip with a group, and I'm not going to expect others to be able to do it, either.

[lmrich]

More people using hybrid  classes as a school.  Ten years ago I saw more families who enrolled their children in one or two academic classes and a fun elective, but they still taught  subjects at home. Now I see parents are signing up for a full schedule. Several parents comment that this option and a tutor is still cheaper than private schools. Definitely  a different vibe. 

[Wheres Toto]

I forgot about pods.   Pods seem to be a thing only around here, although they seem similar to the "homeschool partnership programs" mentioned above.  They basically popped up during Covid, usually the kids go full time 5 days a week to a persons house or another location to get taught by the teacher.     We have absolutely no homeschool laws but some of these are pretty close or over the line to being illegal childcare centers.  There are a few pods that advertise themselves as co-ops but have no parent participation and it's all drop-off so they are NOT co-ops.    Pods are mostly a new homeschoolers/escaping from public school thing and seem to be dying down some as the schools get back to "normal" but there still seem to be a few out there among newer homeschoolers.  

Around here unschooling and relaxed homeschooling are easily the most popular among longer term homeschoolers.   I don't see much of the racing to AP classes, heavy schedules, etc.   I see high schoolers who are learning pre-algebra or algebra, and heading to community college.    Which IMO is a very valid choice for many kids, especially these days with anxiety so high.  

[8filltheheart]

7 hours ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

This may be partially just a difference of terminology. What you refer to as a support group I know of more as social groups, homeschooling communities, or even social co-ops - though I dislike that last term, as I find it can be used to mean a few very different things.

We’re also in TX, but specifically chose our area because it’s known to have many homeschoolers & therefore a variety of homeschool offerings: support communities, field trip groups, discounted extracurriculars (because we can attend “off hours”), co-ops, a la carte classes at learning centers, hybrid schools. Religious options dominate, but there are a number of inclusive & secular groups, as well. 

Some events are planned many months out. Others only weeks, days, or even hours ahead of time as people find small gaps in their schedules or come across interesting goings-on. But no, we don’t do newsletters. 😉

I agree with Ellie. It isnt a difference in terminology. Today's homeschoolers are clueless about what support groups did and offered. (We moved every 2 yrs back then....so it wasnt isolated. It is what I experienced everywhere we lived.)  Support groups were where moms gathered to discuss how to teach different subjects, look through books, talk about maintaining your home while teaching, how to help kids who were struggling with learning specific things, how to deal with behavioral issues, etc. Meeting in person and having a large group of people with different experiences made talking through ideas possible in a way that online communication can't. I have not seen a real support group in probably 15 yrs. With the rise in succumbing to experts, profiteers are who moms turn to. 

[freesia]

17 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

I agree with Ellie. It isnt a difference in terminology. Today's homeschoolers are clueless about what support groups did and offered. (We moved every 2 yrs back then....so it wasnt isolated. It is what I experienced everywhere we lived.)  Support groups were where moms gathered to discuss how to teach different subjects, look through books, talk about maintaining your home while teaching, how to help kids who were struggling with learning specific things, how to deal with behavioral issues, etc. Meeting in person and having a large group of people with different experiences made talking through ideas possible in a way that online communication can't. I have not seen a real support group in probably 15 yrs. With the rise in succumbing to experts, profiteers are who moms turn to. 

Yes, this. It was probably around 2015 when the other leaders of our support group, and I noticed that new homeschoolers were not coming to our mother’s meetings. Nor did most of them care to bounce ideas off those of us who had been at it for years. I learned so much from the homeschool pioneers. I think a lot has been lost. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

1 hour ago, 8filltheheart said:

Support groups were where moms gathered to discuss how to teach different subjects, look through books, talk about maintaining your home while teaching, how to help kids who were struggling with learning specific things, how to deal with behavioral issues, etc.

This is exactly the role my support / social group plays. We also organize events for the kids - play dates, recurring clubs, casual parties, field trips - but the primary focus is on supporting one another in all of the ways you listed. I’ve been able to build a community everywhere we’ve lived; across multiple states & even overseas, where homeschoolers were scarce. It seems to be the exception rather than the rule, but we keep building them & have always benefited greatly. 

I’ve seen what you’re referring to - the insecurity, the push to outsource heavily or even exclusively, the hunt for “unicorn curriculum” that can be all things to all people, the desire to pay for a magical fix. I’m not saying that doesn’t all exist - only that the alternative is still out there, as well. Thankfully.

ETA: Perhaps, as LauraClark said, the rarity of these groups is the trend that will fade & we’ll see a resurgence in more traditional methods. Until then, I’ll keep building & offering support wherever I can, for those who seek it out. The porch light is always on. ☺️

Edited August 12, 2023 by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

[Green Bean]

I was party of a support group once that was as you guys descibe. It fell apart after the moms went to CC, a few got together and made their own "school", some sent theirs back. When we moved over here, I was excited a "support group" existed of homeschool moms in my church. I was very disappointed and dropped out when after a meeting or two, I realized it was just a gab fest and no one wanted to 'talk shop'. I felt very out of place as the oldest mom with the largest age spread.

 

[Ellie]

9 hours ago, Wheres Toto said:

I forgot about pods.   Pods seem to be a thing only around here, although they seem similar to the "homeschool partnership programs" mentioned above.  They basically popped up during Covid, usually the kids go full time 5 days a week to a persons house or another location to get taught by the teacher.     We have absolutely no homeschool laws but some of these are pretty close or over the line to being illegal childcare centers.  There are a few pods that advertise themselves as co-ops but have no parent participation and it's all drop-off so they are NOT co-ops.    Pods are mostly a new homeschoolers/escaping from public school thing and seem to be dying down some as the schools get back to "normal" but there still seem to be a few out there among newer homeschoolers. 

Oh, yes...pods. My FB group staunchly refused to refer to those as "homeschooling" in any way. They are small--micro--private schools. We would get the newbies who wanted to know about pods; we told them to connect with other families in their same ISD (in Texas, Independent School District), because then all the parents there could pool their resources and start as many pods as they wanted; our FB group would be happy to help them homeschool, e.g., teach their own children in their own homes, but we couldn't help them with pods.

For some reason, the term really bugs me. IDK why.

[Ellie]

3 minutes ago, Green Bean said:

I was party of a support group once that was as you guys descibe. It fell apart after the moms went to CC, a few got together and made their own "school", some sent theirs back. When we moved over here, I was excited a "support group" existed of homeschool moms in my church. I was very disappointed and dropped out when after a meeting or two, I realized it was just a gab fest and no one wanted to 'talk shop'. I felt very out of place as the oldest mom with the largest age spread.

It was dicey when I started and there were no support groups. And then it became dicey when things like CC popped up, or ATI. In one area where I lived, most of the support groups had a magic number of people they allowed to join their support groups, and they wouldn't refer you to another one if theirs was full. Often you had to be invited. I was really offended when a few newbies at my very own church didn't want to join the already existing support group of which I was a leader but just started their own secret group (they did invite me, but I was still offended). They didn't last very long, BTW.

Moms' Night Out in my support group was often a gab fest. 🙂 It was at a different member's home each month, and each hostess decided on the agenda, which was never announced ahead of time. But we also had a monthly park day, where we often talked shop, and the month before our annual convention we all brought our curriculum to a meeting and just looked at each other's stuff (a group here calls it a "curriculum petting zoo." LOL.) So sometimes it looked like a gab fest, but since the purpose was to develop friendships and have some adult-women time, we just let that happen as it was going to happen.

[Porridge]

So many of your replies resonate.

The biggest trend I see is an increased number of outside class and activity options. These options seem to make people feel obligated to avail themselves of all the options.

We live in a place where there are so. many. options. It is a mixed blessing. Families are busier than ever (taking advantage of the options). Because there are options, everyone feels obligated to optimize. The result is that families are pulled in many different directions, leaving no deep communities - more like networks of relationships that center around whatever class or activity that kid is doing that season. When the season changes, and the kid moves on to the next carefully curated, optimized activity or class, those relationships end. 

We used to be part of a support group (the kind mentioned above) where the moms supported each other in educating at home. The kids met for regular park days.  There was a subset of core families that became pretty close.  It dissolved as folks moved out of the area (HCOL). Other folks went to Classical Conversations, or the 2 day a week hybrid. 

When people flippantly say that socialization is no problem for homeschoolers, I sigh wistfully, because it’s not been true for us.  The trend towards more options seems to somehow make it harder to build deeper relationships.  I have historically been a more “DIY homeschool at home” homeschool mom, but we are joining a full-day co-op with my younger this coming year. It is the only way to build relationships with a stable group of people. 

ETA: I’m not denigrating co-ops. I think it’s going to be really good for my child

Edited August 13, 2023 by Porridge

[Porridge]

On 8/11/2023 at 4:00 PM, 8filltheheart said:

.I hire tutors for classes where paying them for their expertise makes sense. 

In our area, good tutors start ~$80-120/hour. Unfortunately, it’s cost prohibitive for most folks, so they rely on DE (DE is free for high schoolers in our state)

[Porridge]

On 8/11/2023 at 12:06 PM, historically accurate said:

I tried the workbox thing when it was big. I ended up with 36 shoe boxes (12 boxes times 3 children) full of random crap LOL.

😂 Haha - I tried it, too. I even printed and laminated these colorful subject labels for each subject, and attached Velcro to the back of the labels so they could be moved from “not done” to “done. We never actually used it. I can’t believe I did that!!!!

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

I keep hearing the same thing—socialization isn’t a big deal for homeschoolers; the kids have more socialization than in school; there are so many things to do.  And yes, sort of.  There are a lot of classes.  But those are all structured by age/grade with very little free time to truly socialize. We did try two electives at the hybrid school last year and my son didn’t make friends because the kids aren’t given free time to talk or play.  He does gymnastics(not homeschool specific) but again, in any highly structured activity or class, it’s hard to make friends. Church seems to be the best avenue because they have free time to play in the gym. 

Maybe it’s a fundamental difference on the WHY I homeschool. I do so because my child struggles in a classroom, he needs a lot of movement and outdoor time, and I want to tailor his education to his interests and needs. None of these reasons fit well into using a highly structured hybrid or multiple day a week co-op.

The kids in our highly popular homeschool hybrid have lockers, lunch time(can even buy a hot lunch), recess and homework. they line up in hallways and eat in a cafeteria and raise their hand to use the bathroom. It’s held in a school building(the private school shut down several years ago). You have to be buzzed in and they have a full time secretary. I just feel like it is in actuality a school, but people want to keep the homeschool label while sending their kids to school.  
The class sizes in fact are larger than my daughter’s class size, who does attend a private school.  But she is taught by people with at least some kind of teaching credential, and apparently that is what makes it a “school”(as told to me by someone who works at the hybrid homeschool).

I am salty because every single enrichment co-op in my area has shut down since this hybrid school opened because of lack of enrollment. I need to find our tribe, and they have to be out there, it’s just proving harder this year than I’d expected.

[Momof4sweetkids]

The majority of homeschoolers in my area are in CC so that becomes their friend group and it's hard to find homeschoolers to hang out with outside of that.

Of the YouTubers and Instagram homeschool moms I watch, TGTB seems the most popular curriculum-wise. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

17 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

I just feel like it is in actuality a school, but people want to keep the homeschool label while sending their kids to school.  

That is bizarre & I wholly agree - that’s not at all homeschooling. 

[8filltheheart]

My kids have found friends through church, choir, orchestra, ballroom dancing, and theater.  They have made really good friends. I put a lot of effort into making sure that they get to hang out with friends (even if it means driving all the way across town (45 mins)) outside of those times, too.

53 minutes ago, Porridge said:

In our area, good tutors start ~$80-120/hour. Unfortunately, it’s cost prohibitive for most folks, so they rely on DE (DE is free for high schoolers in our state)

Yikes! I have never paid that for a tutor.  But, I also hire tutors for only very specific things.  Russian.  (DE is not free here, but even if it was, Russian wouldn't be an option.)  And AoPS math (I have only done that once and that was with a boardie who was also a friend.)   Mostly, I just find resources in order to help them succeed at home.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

6 minutes ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

That is bizarre & I wholly agree - that’s not at all homeschooling. 

See, initially I thought it was just a brand new thing locally and of course people were excited the first year it opened(last year). Then this year their enrollment has doubled. And five of my sisters, who live all over the country and are homeschooling or know many homeschoolers, report similar hybrids where they are.

it’s been quite the topic of our sister group text, and that’s when I started thinking maybe it wasn’t just a local phenomena.  We have had three private grade schools(one Catholic and two Protestant) close here in the last few years so I thought maybe it was a reaction to that, but it seems to be much more widespread.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

The only hybrid program I’ve ever heard of that seemed the least bit intriguing was one an online friend mentioned where her DD attends the local public middle school 2x/wk & only participates in electives.

She can choose from all the same classes as any other student (band, choir, theatre, programming, foreign language, studio art, robotics engineering, dance, various sports) & is eligible for after-school clubs. If DS were ever really feel he was missing out socially & I thought he would benefit from the group setting but he didn’t want to move to public school altogether… I would consider it. 

As it is, any time I’ve mentioned public school being an option his response has been a vehement “Why on Earth would I want to do that?!” so I guess we’re stuck with one another 😉

[rebcoola]

Here everyone seems to be either going online, micro schools (which arent legal) or the other way  and are wild schooling.  I see very little in between for when people with my little.  

Our meetup group with park days and just hanging out is surviving but its like 1% of local homeschooled who use it.

The public hybrid program is actually more flexible than any of the co-ops or micro schools. Classes are all fun you choose days and times. Parents choose the curriculum and teach it at home.

 

[Shoeless]

I'm out in the sticks, so the vibe is different. We had a weekly park meetup for years with a core group of families that participated. It still was only about 6 families despite having 200+ members in the FB group.

I could not pry these women out of their homes for anything. I had moms posting how desperately lonely they and their kids were, how they needed community, but they would not come out to the park. Or they'd come once and say it was too stressful because they were introverts, had anxiety, they had 12 kids and couldn't keep track of them all in public. 

Then COVID hit and there was a great reshuffling. Everyone we previously socialized with packed the kids off to school. 

In hindsight, I think most people really wanted to send their kids to Christian school but could not afford it. Homeschooling was the next best thing and it was abandoned as soon as they could afford private school. Maybe the stimulus money everyone got during the pandemic allowed them to afford private school finally.