If I knew then what I know now….(Post 1 of this series)

  If I knew then what I know now….about homeschooling and groups/co-ops….

Wow!  That is a loaded sentence. 

Seriously though, the first year I pulled my kids from public school to homeschool I met a lady at a birthday party that told me about a co-op.  From the way she described it, it seemed to be this wondrous place where the kids would take a day full of classes and I would get a breather from homeschooling.  It sounded sunshine and roses.

Note to self-if it sounds too good to be true….it probably is….

Needless to say, it was not sunshine and roses and my rose colored glasses were smashed within the first weeks of co-op.  I had a preschooler so I had to teach in the preschool class.  There were children special needs in my class that screamed the entire time.  There were children who were 4 and could not use the potty unassisted.  There were children who were 4 who were in pull-ups.  I did not sign on for that.  I was not trained for that in any way!  My own 2 year old was potty trained at the time and began to regress in this environment.

We lasted about 2 1/2 months before I dropped the co-op.  The thing is though….I felt the kids needed that class room exposure that they were missing from school.  I felt the kids needed a friend base that came from somewhere stable and dependable.

So for 6 years, we have done co-op at some point and time through the school year.  My kids have gotten a friend base from it.  they have kids galore at their b-day parties.  I have been forced to teach and help in a class so that my kids have this opportunity.  After all that is what a co-op is made up of, moms volunteering. 

Was I always the best choice to teach a class or a particular age group?  No.  Was I resentful of having to volunteer?  Yes.  Did my kids always get something from the co-op? No.  Did they always have good mom teachers for their classes?  No.  Did they sometimes have outstanding mom teachers for their classes? Yes.  Did we ever fall seriously behind in our “own” homeschool b/c of the time demands that the co-op placed on our family?  Yes, we almost always did “summer” school.  Did I avoid the pitfalls and turmoil that preteens/teens experience in school?  No, in fact I would say it was worse b/c it was such a smaller number of kids that if your child was ostracized it was by everyone not just a select few kids in a big school.

Now that I have a kid back in school.  I can look at everything from a different perspective.  Co-ops emulate school.  Whether they are academic or just fun.  They have a board in charge normally.  They have rules.  Some of them that seriously make me wonder if these people remember why they left school to home school.  We do 4H, Scouts, and sports.  We always have.  Looking back I can now see that those things would have been plenty for my kids. 

If I could go back and talk to my newbie homeschool self, I would say wait.  I wouldn’t say avoid it altogether.  Just wait.  Wait until you have older children that need that social outlet.  The birthday parties will be just fine with cousins and family.  Wait until you have your homeschool under control and in order.  Wait and see if you really need a homeschool co-op or group to round out your activities with your kids.  Wait and see if it is truly a positive through and through for your family.