I love my kids. Really, I do. And we work from home. We see them a lot. In order for us to not strangle get some time to refresh, we need a break from them during the week. We don’t, however, need a 40-hour/week break (sometimes, it does sound nice). We need a two day break where they are in an enriching environment away from our care so we can get our work completed and do those all so important adult tasks that aren’t kid friendly (and yes, that could include some um, recreational fun as well).
When kids are young, this is easy – there are preschools and mother’s day out programs all over the place. Once they hit age 5, though, you’re SOL. That’s what school is for! For those of us that venture beyond the brick walls, we’ve got to find some help!
Enter in the homeschool co-op. There are quite a few variations on this, but the one we’re looking for offers 1-3 days a week with teachers leading different subjects. Here is a great example of one I’m looking at: The Center for Homeschool Enrichment Tutorial (CHET). This may be an option for us.
The fifteen other awesome options in my area? Perfect. Except for one thing. Here in the Bible Belt, right after someone asks you your name, the very next question is “where do you go to church?” Thus it makes perfect sense that when I am looking to educate my children outside of the traditional school setting, the assumption is it is for spiritual reasons, I’m going to take them to a church, and in order to get into said church/co-op, I must have a pastoral recommendation.
That has been our biggest roadblock. Out of all the legalese and things that could be a pain with non-traditional school, here I am not even allowed to take a tour of a co-op facility in the churches because I don’t have a pastoral recommendation. They want to know what our worship attendance is, what our involvement in a church is, and exactly how much we put into the offering bucket every Sunday (okay, made that last one up).
I have been appalled by the “Christian Homeschoolers” – wow – the stereotype has been confirmed. Homeschoolers are ultra conservative Christians who choose to only allow their children to connect with people who think exactly as they do unless it is an evangelical mission, which then allows for mingling with the “sinners.”
Yes, yes, that is a gross generalization and cruel judgement on my part. It is, however, the exact thoughts going on in my head when I hit the same roadblock with six great co-ops in the area. I have to say, last week I was frustrated and pissed off at the lack of openness to a non-church-goer. So, I’m coming here to vent, to say my piece, and then find the people that we can connect with.
If you are a Christian or if you are not, that’s not my focus here. I want to connect with people eager for their kids to open their minds and hearts to the beauty the world has to offer, and all the people in it. Give me like-mindedness in that alone, and the details on where (or if) we go to church are inconsequential. If the word “homeschooler” puts me into the stereotype that the reason is only for religious purposes, then homeschooling is not what we’re doing. Hmmm, more on that in the next post.
Omg, Ashley i am so glad you are blazing this trail! With the state of public schools and the astronimical prices of private, homeschooling is definitly something we will be considering when that time comes. I definitly knew some of those steriotypical home-schooled kids and their families when i was in school! I am wishing and hoping that somewhere out there is a network of people with open minds, creative spirits, and high standards for educating! Good Luck!
Lol We are secular homeschoolers in rural central Missouri. We have sort of “snuck” into our homeschool group. They advertise themselves as a secular group, but the word “believers” is used a lot, the evils of the secular world are discussed often, events often include prayers, Bible studies and/ or devotionals, etc.. Our family first reacted with “HIDE the fact that we don’t attend church,” then we moved onto the “we haven’t found the correct church for our family yet” (BIG mistake since that opened the “visit our church” Niagra Fall reaction). Now my kids seem to have moved into the “let’s shock them all with our secular ways and views.” They have let it “slip” that we read Harry Potter, we listen to rock music, we use phrases such as “Dang it!” My daughter let some of the other teenage girls know that she researched palm reading for a character in one of her stories, and the creme de la creme: my kids play D&D!! ;o) We lived in the Seattle are for close to six years, and it was sooooo relaxing. We could be us with no fear of being shunned by our fellow homeschoolers.