Sep 11, 2023Liked by Catherine Oliver, Ruth Gaskovski
I would love love love to do something like this. It also feels extremely intimidating! But I shall ruminate on the idea and who knows what may come of it. Thank you for inspiring me, Ruth, and for your clear description of exactly how your programme worked. (And we will begin learning Latin stems right away - this may well satiate my six-year old’s desperate desire for me to teach her ‘another language’ - at least for now!)
I agree, it is equal parts inspiring and intimidating! I am telling myself that Ruth didn’t go from zero to fully-fledged co-op of 25 families learning Latin stems and CPR. As she says, she started with outdoor groups for younger children, which sounds much more achievable. And as Marcus Aurelius says, ‘if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach’. Ruth has shown us that it’s humanly possible, so now we have to consider it to be within our reach!
Allyse, wonderful that you feel inspired. What you are reading about here is the product of many years of trial and failure, of small groups around the kitchen table, and larger groups in community centres. This particular group actually started because of a conversation with my friend who said, "You know it would be so nice if there were a couple of other kids to work on this biography project together". That evening I composed a message to a 'listserv' inviting families to a program that only existed conceptually so far. I started with bi-weekly four-week sessions, and things grew from there.
One thing that I had learned over time is that the chemistry of the group needed to be right (if you pair an unschoolers with a classical education adherents you won't get far...). One way of achieving this was by writing a guideline document which specified everything the program was about, what it was founded on, and what would be expected of students (and parents). This served as a wonderful sieve, and brought only families to the program that resonated with our approach to homeschooling and thus had the 'right chemistry.' In a large group this is essential to avoid headaches and promote harmony. Our joke was that groups like these (which reached up to 50-60 students) are best led by a benevolent autocrat. Everyone knew what to expect, and it helped us stay coherent. Other groups, which are not focused as much on academics can be run with a much more relaxed approach.
Start small, start with people you like, make it enjoyable. It all simply begins by inviting another homeschooler for coffee or a walk :)
What a fun look into another homeschool day & structure. We just got home from our co-op day and I am so thankful for the time that my kids get with friends, and the encouragement I get there. It’s also a chance for me to teach things I most likely would not make myself do at home, providing some added accountability.
I will agree with the point that these co-ops are a lot of work though… I know it’s a constant struggle to find teachers for classes as the average parent underestimates their ability by thinking that you need to “know how to teach”. (Having been through education school I would say that the only classes I now find useful in teaching practice are my music pedagogy classes…). Never underestimate the power of modeling engaged learning alongside your students!
As a point of curiosity we are trying to implement a “phone free” campus policy and parents have been a bit worried about emergency contact etc… How do you handle those concerns if you had them? (I.e. a husband needs to reach wife, parent wants to be available to children who aren’t participating and are at home).
Thanks for the restack and comment Annelise! As to your question: Those parents who feel that they must be available as "emergency contact" can still remain reachable, but do not need to have their phones in hand for this purpose. In all my years of organizing co-ops I have not once come across a situation where this line of contact was indeed needed, which does not mean it cannot happen. However, it is good to remember that the world used to function quite perfectly without us being reachable every minute of the day. I think we have grown into a somewhat paranoid habit of expecting emergencies. When we went to school, none of the students had a phone, and most of the parents were out working or running errands during the day. It worked. I am still without cell phone, and sometimes people just have to wait to get a hold of me:)
I would love love love to do something like this. It also feels extremely intimidating! But I shall ruminate on the idea and who knows what may come of it. Thank you for inspiring me, Ruth, and for your clear description of exactly how your programme worked. (And we will begin learning Latin stems right away - this may well satiate my six-year old’s desperate desire for me to teach her ‘another language’ - at least for now!)
I agree, it is equal parts inspiring and intimidating! I am telling myself that Ruth didn’t go from zero to fully-fledged co-op of 25 families learning Latin stems and CPR. As she says, she started with outdoor groups for younger children, which sounds much more achievable. And as Marcus Aurelius says, ‘if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach’. Ruth has shown us that it’s humanly possible, so now we have to consider it to be within our reach!
Allyse, wonderful that you feel inspired. What you are reading about here is the product of many years of trial and failure, of small groups around the kitchen table, and larger groups in community centres. This particular group actually started because of a conversation with my friend who said, "You know it would be so nice if there were a couple of other kids to work on this biography project together". That evening I composed a message to a 'listserv' inviting families to a program that only existed conceptually so far. I started with bi-weekly four-week sessions, and things grew from there.
One thing that I had learned over time is that the chemistry of the group needed to be right (if you pair an unschoolers with a classical education adherents you won't get far...). One way of achieving this was by writing a guideline document which specified everything the program was about, what it was founded on, and what would be expected of students (and parents). This served as a wonderful sieve, and brought only families to the program that resonated with our approach to homeschooling and thus had the 'right chemistry.' In a large group this is essential to avoid headaches and promote harmony. Our joke was that groups like these (which reached up to 50-60 students) are best led by a benevolent autocrat. Everyone knew what to expect, and it helped us stay coherent. Other groups, which are not focused as much on academics can be run with a much more relaxed approach.
Start small, start with people you like, make it enjoyable. It all simply begins by inviting another homeschooler for coffee or a walk :)
Thank you, this is such good advice!
Terrific! Many thanks to both of you.
So pleased you enjoyed it!
What a fun look into another homeschool day & structure. We just got home from our co-op day and I am so thankful for the time that my kids get with friends, and the encouragement I get there. It’s also a chance for me to teach things I most likely would not make myself do at home, providing some added accountability.
I will agree with the point that these co-ops are a lot of work though… I know it’s a constant struggle to find teachers for classes as the average parent underestimates their ability by thinking that you need to “know how to teach”. (Having been through education school I would say that the only classes I now find useful in teaching practice are my music pedagogy classes…). Never underestimate the power of modeling engaged learning alongside your students!
As a point of curiosity we are trying to implement a “phone free” campus policy and parents have been a bit worried about emergency contact etc… How do you handle those concerns if you had them? (I.e. a husband needs to reach wife, parent wants to be available to children who aren’t participating and are at home).
Thanks for the restack and comment Annelise! As to your question: Those parents who feel that they must be available as "emergency contact" can still remain reachable, but do not need to have their phones in hand for this purpose. In all my years of organizing co-ops I have not once come across a situation where this line of contact was indeed needed, which does not mean it cannot happen. However, it is good to remember that the world used to function quite perfectly without us being reachable every minute of the day. I think we have grown into a somewhat paranoid habit of expecting emergencies. When we went to school, none of the students had a phone, and most of the parents were out working or running errands during the day. It worked. I am still without cell phone, and sometimes people just have to wait to get a hold of me:)