When biology was on the horizon for our firstborn, Ben, I wanted him to experience doing lab work with lab partners. I found that helpful in my science classes, but how to do it? I arranged for three other homeschooled students who were using the same curriculum to do labs together at our house. I put together a schedule and ordered the dissection kits. I served as the facilitator, making sure they stayed on task and helped them with questions. They did very well, although some were not as enthusiastic as others. One girl was happy that she got through all the labs without vomiting. Biology was not Ben’s favorite subject either because it was not precise enough for him. I told him, “You’ll like chemistry better next year,” which proved to be the case.
When our second student was ready to take biology, more fellow homeschoolers were interested in participating than could comfortably fit in our space. I mentioned this to a friend, the mother of one of the potential new biology lab students. She volunteered her larger home. That year we had six students doing biology labs together. This was the beginning of an informal co-op, although we didn’t call it that, in which mothers volunteered their time to teach.
At its height, we had a biology lab, a chemistry lab, an art class, an economics class, and a British literature discussion group all happening on Wednesday afternoons. I don’t know who enjoyed our co-op more, the kids or the moms who took advantage of the opportunity to fellowship with one another especially at the end of classes when snacks were served. Food is required whenever teens get together. Our basic, informal co-op provided a great way to spread the teaching load for the moms, and an opportunity for the students to learn that they needed to be prepared for the class, lab, or discussion. We used our informal co-op as a supplement to enhance our learning at home.
I have yet to meet a homeschool parent that feels that he or she can teach every subject. Granted, while our children are young, we can learn right alongside them. I loved this about homeschooling; I felt like I got my K-12 education a second time. But when we entered the high school years, I needed some help. I knew that alone I could not keep up with their studies, especially Ben’s gift for math. We began delegating by using video courses for Latin and geometry as well as Rosetta Stone software to learn Spanish.
Ben took math courses at the local community college as well as a writing course. Daniel, our second child, took math, Spanish, and Physical Education courses. I required that they both take Speech at the community college. I was a firm believer that speech class cannot be done at home. Our students needed to get up in front of people they did not know to present their speeches. They all had a little practice with Boy Scouts and 4-H, but a class with specific requirements provided that extra bit of pressure to do their very best. Our daughter took algebra 1, choir, and speech at the local public school.
Taking advantage of these away-from-home learning opportunities eased my teaching load. Our students earned credits for their transcripts, some of which were college credits, and experienced classroom settings before going on to college full-time after high school graduation.
I leave you with a photo of a scarlet-flowered cactus blooming next to a Saguaro cactus in my neighbor's yard. I'm not sure of its exact name, but it sure is pretty.