Nicholas Tonelli via Flickr, licensed cc.
Thursday morning, I will arrive at the doors of my new homeschool co-op, graciously hosted by our local Church of God. After months of planning and hours of preparation, 25 new families will start this new journey with me and my friend. Ironically, neither of us is homeschooling our own children at this new co-op. However, two of my home-grown kids are teaching, and my granddaughter is attending.
While I’m not really nervous, I am a little concerned about what this new entity will look like.
Homeschool co-op woes
I just left the group I was in for over 10 years. I saw it grow from a little group of friends meeting at a local fossil museum to many families in a huge old Catholic School with many stairs to climb and lots of hallways to roam. But it wasn’t the building’s size or the number of families that drove me out. It was the inevitable politics and divisions that seem to follow successful homeschool groups once they reach a certain size. The beloved support group that I was with broke apart over whether or not to include Protestants. There have been divisions over whether the annual graduation Mass should include a Latin Mass or the Novus Ordo. And the old co-op we attended for a decade went from a friendly place to visit every week to a constant power struggle and drive to be more like a public school. I couldn’t take it anymore.
Wherever two or three homeschool moms are gathered, particularly ones rooted in Christianity, Satan will sow seeds of discontent and the whole thing falls apart.
This new co-op could end up that way too, although the size of our space and the number of families will limit that possibility somewhat.
But there is no steering committee or tons of volunteers to help. I will be there from 9 a.m. until I close the place down at 3. I went shopping for supplies and cleaning items. All this in addition to the science class I am teaching for middle school/high schoolers!
Why I am starting over with a homeschool co-op
So despite all the work and the disruption of starting something new, there are some benefits!
- Starting over feels new and fresh. Everything that happened in the past has been a learning opportunity to do it better this time.
- Last time, we had a board or a steering committee. This time it is just my friend and me. We’re leaner and can get stuff done quicker.
- We are approachable! We won’t be hidden away in a different part of a huge building. We will be right there at the door to see moms and kids when they come in! I think that personal touch matters!
- I don’t think you should ever do anything in homeschooling unless it benefits your family. My granddaughter is an only child, and going to co-op once a week will give her a chance to make new friends and to feel more like she is learning on a team.
- This new co-op is also giving my son, the history buff, a chance to talk about his favorite topic and share his enthusiasm with high school students. My daughter, the new art graduate, also has a chance to pass on her skills to a new bunch of eager young artists.
- I’ve homeschooled 6 children successfully. At the very least, we are still very close-knit and I think that’s a big accomplishment in this day and age. Hopefully I can share some of my experiences and things I’ve learned with newer homeschool moms.
So here’s to new adventures – and a new school year.