Decisions, decisions...

We've made it through another week! 

 

I've done two things that I hope I won't regret later on.  The first is pretty easy - showing some of the curriculum we use at my group's curriculum show and fair next Saturday.  The second could come back to haunt me later on - I have offered my help in coordinating co-op classes for next spring, and possibly even teaching, in the event that we need another class. 

 

Curriculum fair thoughts:  I belong to a fellowship and support group for homeschoolers in this area, which is separate from my oversight group.  The support group provides many of the extracurricular type activities for students and mothers - field trips, art shows, classes, fellowship opportunities,  etc.  In the spring the group usually sponsors a local curriculum fair where our members come and display materials we've used and are available to answer questions about it.  Also we can sell second-hand materials and some local booksellers (like the member who is also an Usborne dealer and owns a consignment book store) show and sell.  When they started looking for families willing to display their curriculum I kind of dismissed it because we have that so-called "eclectic" style of mixing and matching and writing some of our own.  Well, the coordinator emailed me and asked me specifically to show something and my reply was along the lines of "but what would I show, my library card?"  Anyway, long story short - I am going to pull together the main "textbook" sources I use for History and Science as well as some of the kids' work and display it.  I'm also taking the Math and Reading books that I use for the younger kids.  I guess it's quite possible that there will be someone there that might want to pull together their own curriculum but needs some idea of how it would work.  And I'm by no means an expert, but my thinking on that is: If I can pull that off, anyone can.  LOL  So I think that will be a fun day!

 

Co-op Class thoughts:  The co-op classes are something that my oversight group has been doing for several years.  It has always been very well organized, and we've been able to offer some neat classes - art, hands-on science, geography, journalism, and many other things.  The mom that has been coordinator the last couple of years is expecting a baby this summer and isn't sure she'll be able to handle the initial planning process that starts in August/September - the planning meetings and all of that.  I was asked if I'd consider taking on the coordinator position, but I am sooooooo NOT an administrator that I had to say No to that!  But I did offer to assist, and to pick up the slack for the current coordinator during those early months with her new baby.   So I may wind up being the person that sets up those planning meetings and does the mailings and phone calls to get the thing started.  I think I can handle that.  LOL  The other issue with co-op is finding teachers, and it seems like it's the oldest age group class that is the challenge.  Not in being hard to teach, but in finding subjects that are challenging and appealing to them.  I found one of my books that I think would lend itself pretty well to a co-op appropriate unit study type of class, and I'd be willing to teach it if I had a partner to teach with me.  Although honestly, I am still hoping that other teachers will step up so that I don't have to do that.   It's not that I don't want to, it's more that I fear it will be far more time-consuming than I'll be able to handle.  But there's plenty of time between now and then, so I'm going to just wait and see.