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A Homeschooling Co-op Convert

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 4: Co-op Core Leaders Matter

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Co-op core leaders was an area of concern that held me back from becoming a co-op convert. You don’t have to homeschool for any length of time to figure out that a clash of personalities among leaders can break the spirit of a co-op.

Having a co–op that I cherish, I want to share some pointers and tips on what to look for in individuals who want to help lead a co-op.

Though a willing spirit is certainly a positive, it is not the only thing to look for if you want to successfully lead a co-op. There is no other way to say it except that I look for individuals that are there to “serve” instead of being looked to as “Leader” or looking at the co-op as a way to benefit their family only. The dogged determination to plan even when a leader is feeling a bit ill, her kids have been sick or other pressures of life have caught her feeling swamped is a beautiful quality. It is inherent or part of her make-up. In this world where folks only look after themselves, I place a high priority on persons who give of themselves willingly year after year.

I have known more leaders who at the first sign of stress, throw in the planning towel without a consideration to the rest of the leaders.

One of the leaders I ask to join was actually hesitant, which is a good quality. This means she is thinking seriously about this role and how to preserve the co-op.  Instead of jumping willy nilly into it, it shows maturity on her part.

It is natural to want to look competent always in front of other homeschoolers, but a leader can set herself up for a big disappointment.  Any successful co-op is always the work of a group.

Do not look for the laughing- we can do this–probably has no clue mom who shows up at all the events having suggestions. You don’t need flighty leaders. It is easy to suggest change, but quite a different thing to roll your sleeves up and do something about it yourself. Look at individuals with a realistic sense of what can be accomplished instead of idealistic.

Look for individuals who are not like you because they can bring another whole set of strengths to the group. You need to ask yourself: What qualities do I bring to the co-op? Answer truthfully and not something that you think other people want to hear.

For me, though I like crafts sometimes, I know I will never be Artsy Craftsy Tina. I do love to create things hands-on for my kids, but if you have a true friend like I do that is naturally crafty, you see her value. The creative ideas she has that brings an element of fun to your co-op  are true treasures. I value her. In the same vein, she can appreciate my ability to organize an agenda and mind the details that are needed for a co-op. It is a much needed partnership based on mutual respect and cooperating with each other.

The third co-op leader in our group, Kelley, loves the technical aspect of things and knows how to draft a “mean what I say email” when one is needed as a group reminder. She works well with details that are laid out and goes over any spots other leaders may have missed. She too appreciates the value of a person that has been gifted with sharing arts and crafts with the group. When she handles money or even the technical details of any function, you can bet your co-op will run smoothly because she has a natural bent for checking things like that over.

The key to a unified board is that all of the persons respect each other and their strengths. It goes further too. They need to see that though they may have a different opinion about a matter that falls squarely into somebody else’s expertise, they have to yield to the person who has a natural bent that way.

That is not easy to do in a world that touts how important you are. However, none of the leaders can forget the reason for joining our hands and voices together. We do this for the children. It goes without saying that co-op leaders though not free of hurt feelings can not wear them on their sleeves. A group cannot survive if the co-op leaders quarrel too because it is sure to happen among the members.

It is not just the moms who say they want to help, but it is the moms who say they want to work, serve and help preserve peace.

The last important thing is to present a united front. No leader wants to be disliked in a group. So when you have rules, it is important to present a united front on the rules and not make only one person do this. That means to take the not so fun part of a co-op, rule enforcing, along with the fun interactive part of a co-op.

Look at a list of these things below that helps us in our co-op to present a united front.

  • Share one common email so that all leaders get the same message.
  • Discuss the issues presented at any co-op or field trips privately.
  • When releasing rules to the group, do that with the group email so the group sees it is a united front.
  • Agree on a few rules. You won’t be able to cover everything, but if a family sees a few rules like 10 or so and not pages and pages, they are more likely to feel warm and welcomed. As issues come up that have not been listed, you can discuss privately and let that individual know.
  • As the leader, be sure your family sticks to the rules too. Become a co-op model member too.

It helps to have a balance of personalities though they may clash with you at times because a co-op is much more healthier and energized. It will grow if you have done your jobs well. We grew from 6 families to well over 100, then had to cut it in half because it was too many families for us to manage without adding more core leaders.

Look at this list below of what each type of leader would do in a co-op.

Crafty person

Always has the best ideas for decorating the co-op.

She is very good at gathering games that are appropriate for each level and leading the games.  She is very fun and warm and the children like her.

She is the decorator for the co–op and normally has ideas for making it easier to decorate.

She can come up with plays if you incorporate that into your co-op.

Technical Person

Good at coming up with how the duties need to be balanced among the leaders when it comes to the “behind the scenes” duties.

Excellent at keeping up with the group’s money.

Excellent at answering email to the group.

Could help in any technical matter related to putting on the co-op.

She works well with the crafty and organizer person both to help and give a hand if needed for finishing any tasks.

Organizer

Good at setting the co-op, time and dates and reminds the group.

Good emcee who keeps the co-op running smoothly along and keeps it moving along so that the co-op starts and ends on time. There is nothing more frustrating than leaders who do not start/stop on time.

A great resource for finding things in the community like speakers to line up for the group.

Can obtain a location and coordinate with persons or business that they rent a location from.

What do you think? Do you know a person or two like this that could form part of your co-op core board?

Hugs and love ya,

If you missed the other days, grab them here.

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 1:Who needs one anyway?

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 2:What are the basics?

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 3: Coordinating the Co-op

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 3: Coordinating the Co-op

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

 

Nobody wants to read about a boring homeschool co-op much less attend one. A this point in the co-op process, you need to coordinate it so that all your hard work pays off. Attention needs to be given to the details and I have some tidbits to help you.

 

 

 

I created this acronym above to help you remember some of the basics to ask about a co-op. Things to cover like finding a place to have it, what activities to include and how to get members of the homeschooling community to your co-op, determining if your group will be inclusive or not to the homeschooling community, and how expenses will be handled gets the basics out of the way.

The type of co-op that I will share about from here on has to do with enrichment and an emphasis on socialization and fun.  Again, there are many co-ops that are created for academic purposes only but I happen to not be interested in them because I prefer to teach my kids the basic subjects. That is not to say we won’t take advantage of a class here or there for something that is unique, but as a general rule I don’t go to co-ops that teach my kids how to write, do math or teach them to read. In my humble opinion academic co-ops can border on private school status and it takes some finesse to keep them from being set up like a mini public school day.

My focus is how to coordinate a co-op that is for enrichment, has plenty of fellowship, and is hands-on for all ages.

Here are a few key tips.

  • Subject matters.

The best co-ops focus on science or history topics. Those topics seem to lend themselves to finding a lot of hands-on activities that can be done by multiple ages of children.

Too, I learned along the way that this is a good time to consider a time period in history that is more expansive if you have not had time to cover it or to even consider a narrow topic. It doesn’t really matter if the topic is narrow or general, it just matters that you find enough games and projects to do. When we did the Westward Ho Co-op, it covered a longer time period and we covered many topics from Mountain Men to the Oregon Trail and the Gold Rush. Any one of those topics could be a whole unit itself. Then, when we covered  Reptiles/Amphibians and it was a much more narrow subject. Either way, try to vary your topics throughout the year.

  • Prep the learning environment.

Appearance matters at our co-ops. When members arrive, we always try to do some visual presentations about what the kids will be learning or decorations so they understand the theme.

If you have highschool kids, preparing boards is a great  project for them to do. If your group has all small kids when starting out like ours did then have your moms in the group do the presentation and learning boards. You will learn right alongside the kids and the kids will appreciate having the information boards to learn from during the day or weeks you use it.

Too, I am not surprised anymore by what a bunch of hard working parents that ban together can do. I never did any of these co-ops by myself. For the rainforest co-op, one mom made “trees” complete with leaves that she stood behind the table. We used green netting to show the forest canopy and draped animals inside the canopy for the younger kids. She even made a bridge you can see between the trees and put animals on pieces of “steps” or cardboard. I used banana leaves that I ordered to drape the table in and we also used the banana leaves as “plates” to eat off. One family made food that came from the rainforest. In addition I made fruit skewers that had fruits from the rainforest. We ordered a chocolate fountain and scattered bubblegum throughout the table and used bromeliads as decorations. It was a joint effort but when time is taken to coordinate a co-op, all benefit from not only the fun but the rich learning environment.

  • Plenty of hands-on activities is the key.

Contrary to popular belief, learning is about doing and not always telling. Even things that may be boring to learn about, like an ecosystem, can come alive when it’s done with others. The key to a successful co-op is choosing hands-on activities and having those activities ready to go when the members arrive. The leaders do not have to shoulder all the work. For example, if there is a lot of cutting involved because you will be making crafts, then an experienced leader will have some of the prep work done ahead of time. She will not use the time at the co-op when together to do something boring like cutting. Doing small things ahead of time so the hands-on projects move along and don’t get bogged down by tedious things adds to being more productive.

Try to determine how much work can be done ahead of time, but don’t rush the hands-on projects at the co-op either. I have learned that projects that I planned on doing, we did not get to do because we had so much fun doing the few we had done. I always plan for more activities than we have time to do because it is good to have a “fall back” plan if one or two activities don’t go over so well.

Let the children lead and dictate and they will. We were surprised at some of the things they found satisfaction in doing. As long as they are together, most of the time they will savor the time and learning.

  • An end they will remember and cherish.

Whether you meet one day or several, we try to do something the whole group can do that not only signals the end of the event but is something they will remember and cherish.

Whether you choose to play games, learn a new dance, sing a time period song, perform a Shakespeare Play, or have a Renaissance group perform for your group, make a memorable and lasting ending to your co-op.

There is no need to do this by yourself but you could if you don’t choose the right leaders. Next post I will share what I feel are qualities to look for in a fearless leader.

Hugs and love ya,

If you missed the other posts in this series, here they are for you.

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 1:Who needs one anyway?

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 2:What are the basics?

 

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 2:What are the basics?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Co-ops vary in style from place to place and even in the same city. There are no set guidelines and the very basic meaning is that more than one family meets together for a set period.  That’s it. However, that is not all there is to a functioning happy co-op that meets the needs of all the members. There are several things you should know before you decide to join one or if you want to start one.

The most fundamental idea to any co-op is the purpose of it. What you may think of as a co-op and what some of your closest homeschooling friends think of as a co-op can be completely different. Communication is the lifeblood of any healthy co-op and at the core is the very purpose of why you will be meeting together. There are basically two types of co-ops. One is an academic co-op which functions more like a mini-private school. The other kind of co-op is more like a social or enrichment gathering. If your leaders and members are not on the same page so to speak about the purpose of the co-op there may be disappointment and frustration. The nature or type of co-op will guide the leaders in determining what activities are appropriate for their group or not. For example, if the group is set up for the purpose of socialization and camaraderie then would an all day science workshop with a lecture be the kind of activity that would interest the group? Probably not. However, if the day was planned to include only 30 minutes of a science lecture and the balance of the time was spent with each other while you do an activity like watch marine life then no doubt the group would enjoy that.

I prefer and am part of a group that meets regularly for social outings. The emphasis in our group is on the teens, young children and moms being able to spend time together while we enjoy some activity.  When looking for members, the purpose of your group needs to be clear so that the expectation for the group is the same with each member. That will go a long way in getting your co-op off the ground.

Using acronyms helps me to remember key points and so I put one together to help you address other significant issues at the start up of your co-op or to ask about prior to joining. PACE helps you ask or address these issues in your co-op.

A place to meet when you first start is key. Most fledgling co-ops start off in homes and if the members wish that the co-op grow they will need to look for other facilities. Our co-op started off with 2 other moms, Kelley and myself. At the time, we had only 7 kids between us so it was pretty doable. My sister provided her home since her home was the most centrally located.

As the co-op gets larger then you need to look for other places. Personally, I like meeting at places like community centers that had a play area and nice kitchen. Too, a lot of places that normally rent on the weekend for special occasions like weddings and anniversary parties, I called to ask if we could use it during the week. Since the building is normally empty during the week because nobody wants those days for special occasions, the owner and manager I find are agreeable most of the time for a significant discount in the fee. When I tell them it’s for education, most managers gladly negotiate with me. Like I mentioned, the building would be empty otherwise and I make that point in my negotiations. This is a way for them to make a little extra money. Libraries, community centers, parks and even local camp grounds have facilities that they will rent. I find it’s all negotiable on the price because I won’t pay full price since we are not meeting on Friday nights or Saturday nights but during the week.

The next thing to think about is the ages of the children that will be attending and activities that are appropriate for them. Since our co-op started off with most of our kids young like 9 years old or younger, we focused on that age. Our co-op is an enrichment co-op and our topics are history or science related. I find those topics suited for things to do that are fun and hands-on for a group. Some of the co-op themes we have had are Native Americans (our first one), Amazon Rain Forest, Westward Ho, Bible Characters, Early American History, Renaissance and  Amphibians/Reptiles.

We found it was very helpful to meet in the summer for one day or so at a park and write out the plans for the years. As long as we had a topic and who was in charge, then we could work out the rest of the details emailing each other.

Another concern is how to attract others in the homeschooling community. I think our group was real fortunate that way because we grew by word of mouth. But I have also posted flyers at the library, books stores and craft stores. Any place that homeschoolers hang out, you want to post a flyer to contact them. If your area is big enough to have a local yahoo group that is a plus too so you can make some contacts online.

At the beginning when our co-op was small, it was easier to manage expenses. As the co-op grew to well over 100 families, we had expenses obviously. The best way for us was to charge a small annual fee like $10.00. This basically guaranteed a spot in the co-op and helped cover expenses like paper towels and trash bags when we rented rooms.

Charging for each event during the year at it came up was better for us because our group was not hit with such high costs at one time. The expense is spread out throughout the year and that is good for larger families. We cover the cost of the building by dividing it by the members for each event. If we needed a deposit for a facility, then we could cover that with the $10.00 annual fee we had collected at the first of the year from all the members. For each event we would have somebody different in charge of money and by collecting money prior to the event instead of at the event saved us a LOT of time. We were able to get started promptly.

However, all of this can be futile if you don’t get it all coordinated. Next post I will share with you how we bring all of this together to make a happy harmonious co-op.

Hugs and love ya,

If you missed the first post in this series, click below.

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 1:Who needs one anyway?

 

5 Days of A Homeschooling Co-op Convert – Day 1:Who needs one anyway?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

 

My homeschool journey has felt like a revolving door at certain times. One point that I kept circling back around to was the need to be part of a co-op. Now before you think I am a social butterfly, most of my close friends know that I love being at home and working on projects. However, because I am fully aware of my need for constant order in my life, I know I can get lop-sided if that part of my personality was left unchecked. Yes, we can grow stagnant when we are not around others.  That is not something I wanted to pass on to my kids.

Before I started a co-op what I did appreciate was that other people can enrich your life and make your homeschool journey incomparable. Yes, they can make it stink it too. But hey now I am focusing on the positives about being around other people on a regular basis.

Starting a homeschool co-op was the furthest thing from my mind. I looked around to join one, not start one. Not me. Seven or eight years later  our co-op is still strong, flourishing and not growing. (I will let you wait just a minute or so for my explanation on that.)

I’m certainly not going to talk you into joining one either because I want you to picky, very picky. All co-ops are not created equal. I do hope by the time you finish reading this series, you will be armed with a Co-op 101 Guide and then maybe decide to look for one.

Indulge the new bee teacher side of me for just a moment too as I give a definition for a co-op so that I don’t lose a new homeschooler who may be getting the glazed look in her eye about now.

Definition: Co-op – One or more families meeting together on a regular basis to enrich their children collectively about any topic. Everything is negotiable. Meeting places, costs and expenses, topics, how to run it, ages involved, whether a parent teaches or not, if the kids are dropped off or not and discipline issues, everything is determined by those who lead or are the founders. They can spring up as quickly as they fold and it all depends on the need in your area. Anybody can form one, but not all succeed.

Control freak Organized person that I am, I determined that it would be best that I be part of leadership. I started a co-op and Kelley joined, then we added one more mom to our group to balance us out. Adding Cynthia to our group, we became the dynamic trio.{She is the mom standing behind me in the first picture above. I chose that picture of us because we all look tattered, complete with painted faces after we had the BEST co-op that year.}

Now comes the honest assessment of your qualities for being part of a co-op. I knew already that I was perfectly content to be at home but realized that other educators possessed strengths that would only enrich and benefit my children. Things I do enjoy are warm conversations, hand-waving as I am speaking {yes I am rather dramatic as I talk} and I don’t have a problem getting up in a huge crowd. Yes I really do like people that are engaging and warm just like everybody else. Think about what contribution you can make to a co-op and focus on that for a start.

Sharing the benefits to my family, I hope you will see that the benefits far outweigh the drama, discipline problems and anything else negative you might think of from fees or cost to possibly driving longer than 15 minutes to get there.

  • By creating a large “family atmosphere”, my children have a sense of extended family. This is not so important when your children are 4 or 5 years old but when they are 14 and 15 years old having friends other than their siblings, stimulates their social development.
  • If some of the local educators and other parents had not taught at our co-op, my sons’ passion for certain subjects like history and geography might not be what it is today.
  • By sticking with the co-op, my sons have had a sense of “class”. They have seen others graduate and leave the co-op and will be graduating at the same time with others who started with them. This builds lifetime friendships. I cannot put a grade in my planner for life time friends.
  • The friends I too have connected with who are caring and selfless leaders year after year like Kelley and Cynthia is unmatched. I only imagined I could have such treasured and dear friends.
  • Let me not forget that my sons won’t fall short in the crafts department of homeschooling because there are plenty of other women who not only love it, but have a gift for it and share it willingly with my children.
  • Because of our attendance in a co-op, we have enjoyed perks by attending educational places that only will allow “school groups” and by our sheer numbers we have received significant discounts that we otherwise would not have received.

Our co-op swelled to over 100 families and we had to split. Now that our co-op is at the size we want and because our members tend to not leave, we have closed the co-op. Our kids will grow, but our co-op will not because we like the size of it now.

I have remembered one saying and I know I have used it before, but it really expresses my sentiment as a homeschooling co-op convert with all the years of hard work I have put into our local co-op. It is only matched with those that share this task with me.

In a full heart there is room for everything, and in an empty heart there is room for nothing.

~Antonio Porchia~

Can you share your heart in a co-op?

Hugs and love ya,