bbocovert@juno.com

When I first began homeschooling in 1997, there was only one co-op in the area, and they had a waiting list. Since then, the cooperative learning movement has exploded. In last year’s homeschool yearbook I counted a total of six co-ops, and this year more have sprung up. It seems like the big trend in homeschooling is the co-op, where homeschooling families get together once a week to "do school." I have mixed emotions about co-ops.

First of all, how can it be called "home" schooling when the kids are in classrooms? I stopped by a co-op one day to pick up school photos, and I saw kids arranged by age forming lines and following their teachers to their respective classes. It looked like the traditional form of school to me, with the main difference being that it’s just once a week rather than five days. As a sold-out-on-homeschooling individual, I prefer the one-to-one attention and educational opportunities I can offer my children. A classroom setting isn’t necessary for my children’s success. I homeschool because I truly believe it is in the best interest of my children and my family. I wonder whether the co-op crowd chose homeschooling based upon their inability to pay the Christian school’s tuition, and not because they fully embrace the idea of homeschooling. They do seem anxious for their children to experience a classroom education; perhaps some of them aren’t quite confident in their abilities to teach their own children as well.

I’ve watched the co-op movement drain a lot of fine homeschoolers out of the community and into their own little co-op cliques. They no longer participate in activities that occur outside the confines of their chosen co-op. They don’t attend monthly homeschool support meetings, organize field trips, participate in national geography or spelling bees, or attend science fairs and other similar homeschool functions open to the community. They say they’re worn out from the work involved with the co-op. You see, although some co-ops only require you to pay tuition and drop off your kids, many more require babysitting duties, teaching, and more, as the parents split up the work of educating a class full of children. More preparation is required for a classroom than for a small family. Somehow, I don’t think homeschooling was meant to be so exhausting.

Now, to be fair I must admit that co-ops do have their place in the homeschool community. Because I only have two children, I can easily teach them the basics myself. I can usually afford music lessons, sports, or any other extracurricular activity my children might want to pursue. However, there are homeschool moms who–like the old woman who lived in a shoe–have so many children, they don’t know what to do. For them, a co-op is an affordable and stress-reducing way to give their children an education that is beyond their capabilities. For instance, a co-op that handles history and science will relieve the burden of two extra classes. A co-op that teaches the arts will give the children a well-rounded education that the multitasking mother just couldn’t fit into her already hectic and overwhelmed schedule.

Then there are the homeschooling moms who need to help support their family financially and must work around homeschooling. A co-op might work to reassure them that their children are keeping up with other homeschooled children, while reducing their homeschool workload.

Co-ops also attract new homeschoolers who aren’t sure how to do it, especially if they’ve pulled an older child out of school. Since my first year of homeschooling began with kindergarten, I felt confident that I could handle it. I don’t know if I’d have felt the same way with a 5th grader. A co-op can give a newbie time and ideas for teaching at home. Be careful; the co-op should be used as a tool and not a crutch. I would expect the new homeschooler to develop confidence in his or her ability to teach at home, and not rely so much on others to do it. Teacher’s manuals explain what to do for each lesson. I think it’s crazy to buy the student books without the accompanying teacher’s manual. I know some people think it’s a great way to save money, but they don’t know what tips, suggestions, and review ideas that they are missing by foregoing those manuals.

In conclusion, before you jump onto the co-op bandwagon, consider carefully why you are getting involved. Don’t do it just because everyone else is doing it. Think about the time requirement. Consider how involvement in a co-op will affect your daily schedule and whether it will prevent you from participating in other activities. Talk to homeschoolers who have at least one year of experience with a co-op, and ask them to list the pros and cons as they see them. Ideally, talk to someone with the same number of children in the same age range as you have. You may decide that you’re better off staying home with your children. Or, you may decide that a co-op is the answer to all your problems. Finally, don’t neglect your friends who opt out of the co-op movement. It makes them cranky. They might even go so far as to write a whiney article about the downside of co-ops!

Copyright 2003 by Brenda B. Covert