Co-op... How do you decide?

[Shelly in VA]

Hello, all! Here's my dilemna. We have a co-op here in the area, and there is a possibility of enrolling the kids for the fall. The co-op is fairly large, for grades K-12.

 

On the plus side, we are new to the area, and this would give my kids, especially the older ones (7th and 9th grade next year) a chance to socialize and meet some other kids, which is hard to do when you are a new homeschooling family to an area!

 

On the negative side, I don't know that I can commit to giving up an entire day of academics for what amount to extracurricular activities (chess, brainteasers and mind games, drama) with the only academic choices being possibly speech in the fall and American government in the spring. The classes are ~30 minutes from here, and they are blocked throughout a single day so that in essence you spend the bulk of the day at co-op.

 

I need some input on how others have viewed this! One part of me says they are just going to have to wait out the friend thing, and we are involved in a church, they are taking karate, etc., so eventually the friendships will come. Another part of me says that having them feel a part of a group might go a long way towards a good attitude and work ethic, but then I worry about the fact that the older ones need the structure of middle/high school work.

 

Btw, there are also two younger kids in the mix, but I feel like they could go either with or without the co-op. They have same-age friends in the neighborhood, at church, etc., so the social aspect isn't such an issue for them.

 

Unfortunately, it's just an issue for the older ones, for whom the move was hard already! Sigh.

 

Thanks for listening to my head spin - ha!

 

Shelly

[Larissa]

We also tried an "fun" co-op. It was gym and music. There was some forensics and drama, so the older kids had some classes, but not enough to off-set losing an entire day.

We joined a different co-op which is focused on academics. We co-op for Latin, science and literature/writing. The kids also get a gym class. Now we miss a day of school, but we are doing classes and the kids are still getting time to socialize.

Not sure where you live or if that's possible.

Larissa

NJ

[Ellie]

On the negative side, I don't know that I can commit to giving up an entire day of academics for what amount to extracurricular activities (chess, brainteasers and mind games, drama) with the only academic choices being possibly speech in the fall and American government in the spring. The classes are ~30 minutes from here, and they are blocked throughout a single day so that in essence you spend the bulk of the day at co-op.

That would be a deal-breaker for me: a whole day sucked out of my week for extracurriculars.

 

I need some input on how others have viewed this! One part of me says they are just going to have to wait out the friend thing, and we are involved in a church, they are taking karate, etc., so eventually the friendships will come. Another part of me says that having them feel a part of a group might go a long way towards a good attitude and work ethic, but then I worry about the fact that the older ones need the structure of middle/high school work.

 

Btw, there are also two younger kids in the mix, but I feel like they could go either with or without the co-op. They have same-age friends in the neighborhood, at church, etc., so the social aspect isn't such an issue for them.

There you go. Your older dc are involved in social activities which will result in friendships, so a day sucked out of the week for more social activities is not really all that essential. And truly, your dc don't need to be part of a group to develop good attitudes and work ethics, nor structure. Really.

[Sharon in MD]

We are also in MD and there a many good co-op/academy types of groups in our area. But, of course, I don't know where you are in MD! We live in suburban DC in Northern Prince Georges County. If you are in the Montgomery, Howard, Western Anne Arundale, Southern Carrol, or Northern to Mid-Prince Georges, send me a pm and I'll give you more details on the oversight we are part of that is excellent.

 

All that aside, we have been part of the same academic oversight/academy group for all 11 years that we've been homeschooling. I only have one child so I can't address the issue of separate grade levels and ages and running around, but I do know that there is a significant price to pay for having to take a day out of the schedule. For us it HAS been worth it. And I know that the others in our group would agree. But, maybe that is because our group really is more than just fun or extra curricular stuff. If a co-op or academy is large enough it can be a really dynamic group for your kids to be part of. My son has made such strong, good friendships through the group. It has provided a real viable high school alternative for us. I see it as the best of both worlds....the individuality of homeschooling and the sense of belonging of a good private school experience. He has had the opportunity to be in choir, main stage productions, improv acting classes, group science, lit and composition courses, art classes of several types and they also have basketball for the guys and volleyball for the girls and a yearbook....the list goes on.

 

I basically consider what we have done, particularly for highschool to be a hybird of private school and homeschool and it has worked really well for us.

 

We do school on a compressed four day schedule for the most part and what doesn't get done during the week is your homework for the weekend. He usually takes two or three classes from the academy per year. It does mean that Thursdays are a total bust usually around here in terms of what else gets done. It is a burden, but the joy of the co-op/academy outweighs the drudgery of playing catch-up.

 

I have struggled with it, whined about it, groused with other moms about how it eats our life sometimes....but as he is a senior now and I look back, I wouldn't change a thing. It has been that valuable to him.

 

HTH

[LoriM]

I also factor into our co-op day decision whether or not *I* am benefiting from the time. For years, there were several ways I could benefit: I could get a free day to read essays, literature assignments and "catch up" on my grading; I could get some fellowship time with other homeschooling moms; or (my favorite) I could get to teach OTHER children than my own two, particularly in math.

 

If any of those three scenarios came into play, we participated. My kids are social, happy, and more than willing to do the work to earn a "free" day each week. (However, if they are participating in drama, chess, and chorus or PE, I don't consider that "free." Those are worthy pursuits, not extracurricular activities in my book!) It was a great way for them to establish relationships with others that benefitted them spiritually as well as socially. Not everything is about SAT scores (says the woman who push 10 math courses on her daughter in high school...LOL).

 

It was always a winning situation for me to get to teach math to other kids, too, because it's such a needed skill. Too many hsing kids wallow alone with their math, and just need a tutor to tell them "it's okay" and to demonstrate one or two little tricks to understanding the math they are doing. I always feel like a missionary (grin!) for those kids. Sometimes I'd teach an entire course of math, other times I'd do an ACT/SAT prep course.

 

Anyway, I'm beyond coops now. My youngest child is dual-enrolled, and I'm pretty much obsolete as a hser. GRIN. But I still say they are worth your time, if you get commitment from your children to pull their work into a four day week. I always planned a four day week anyway, so for my kids it meant giving up their free day, not gaining a free day.

 

HTH,

 

Lori

[Lori D.]

This would probably be the last year you'd be able to get away with losing a day a week for your older children. At least, it was significantly more difficult to lose that time this year for us -- our boys are 9th and 10th grades, and we lose only 2 Fridays a month (not 1 day EVERY week!) so they can be involved in our homeschool group's Student Council, youth events, and a Public Speaking class I taught this year. I do think those activities have all been very worthwhile, though. There are just some things you cannot replicate at home. :)

 

One thought is to try the co-op for a semester to see if it's worthwhile for your family. Perhaps it would lead to meeting a few families (2-6 families) who would be interested in doing a much smaller "co-op" with your family the following semester, meeting for a shorter time and in a way that doesn't cause you to have to lose an entire day. For example, you could meet every other week to do science labs together for the older children, while the younger children do their own science, art project, book club, or whatever works out.

 

Also, you could try switching to a 4-day a week schedule, and then go an extra 2-3 weeks or so into the summer (take a shortened summer vacation) to make up the academics.

 

 

The big co-op our homeschool group has had off and on in previous years. We went for one year when the boys were gr. 4 and 5; it was nice for socialization, fun supplement, and learning to sit under another person's teaching in a classroom setting -- BUT, the co-op was only one afternoon every other week. And much as they tried to have good teachers, it was not a substitute for real academics -- I'm not sure it would have been worth it for us if the boys had been in high school .

 

Our homeschool group is putting together a big co-op again for the coming school year, but it is on a different morning from the PE / Student Council / Youth activities, so I really can't participate -- we just can't afford to lose *two* days a week! (Let's face it, even though it's scheduled just for the morning, you really end up losing the entire day!) So, I may end up doing what I did this year for having an outside class that offered what I wanted and was in a time/way which worked for us -- which was to organize and lead a single class myself.

 

 

BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[MyThreeSons]

we participated in an enrichment-type of co-op one day a week. We were able to stay on top of the academics in the other four days. As they got older, however, I couldn't justify losing that one day. We are now in an academically rigorous co-op. High schoolers attend two days a week.

[momee]

Hey Shelly,

decided to check out the threads you were seeking help on and found this one.

 

You should talk to Margaret about the co-op. She absolutely loves it for her kids and think of the town time for shopping you'd get.

 

We tried it and with ds's schedule this year I don't know how we'd give up the day. There's also the expense of being out either at lunchtime or dinnertime, the gas and the shopping extra cash you'd be spending (whenever I'm out, I spend more money than at home, lack of self control I guess).

 

Anyhow, with us being so close in TOG years we should try something if co-op doesn't work:tongue_smilie:crazy idea...

[Ellie]

Yeah, a day sucked out of my life, too, and not because it's only extracurriculars. It's a day sucked out of my life for no good reason. I do things with my dc every day, not just academics, and all of them are important.

[kate in seattle]

we were in an academic co-op for five years and it was totally worth being away for a day. This last year we were in a co-op (okay, it is coop, which always makes me think of chickens orco-op?) which was less intense but still not fluff. I would not do a co-op for brainteasers and mind games, but chess and drama would be, to my mind "less academic, but not fluff". Only you can say is it worth being away from home a day. Do you have to teach? be in attendance? Can you drop your kids and do something else (now THAT would be worth a day to me - haha) Those would factor in my decision as well (like Lori I LOVE to teach so having that option fulfills something in me and usually makes our participation less expensive.

 

It is a hard decision, may the Lord lead you to the BEST, not simply the GOOD!