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Theresa
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Since last September it has been in my heart to begin a Charlotte Mason co-op in my area. In January of this year I attended a CM co-op about 90 miles from my home. I was able to sit in on the 3 hour co-op, which comprised of 4 different families and I believe 10-12 children. It was truly a beautiful thing.
Last weekend my daughter and I attended the 4th annual Living Education Retreat (my second). Another mother and I had planned to begin a CM co-op this fall but she has since backed out because her children are going to be participating in Classical Conversations. I really didn't want to step out on my own to begin the co-op but I really don't want to go another year without giving it a try either.
I typed up a letter to send to some families that I think might be interested and I thought perhaps some of you could read it and share your thoughts?
If you pm me your e-mail address I can send out the letter as an attachment for you to read.
Thanks!
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Theresa
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No one?  The letter is quite long but maybe I could post it here? I just want to make sure that is not offensive to anyone. Because I do not have children that will be affected by the age requirements I would like to hear from others who might and get their feelings on it.
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Martha
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I'll take a look at it for you. either here or you can PM me with it.
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Martha
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Theresa
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Dear Fellow Educators,
I am in the process of setting up a Charlotte Mason Co-op and am looking for about four other families who might be interested in learning the Fine Arts through the CM philosophy and method of teaching.
If this is something that you think your family might be interested in I ask that you prayerfully consider the following guidelines and discern carefully how this may or may not work for your family.
~ Does this fit into my schedule? I am looking for families who will joyfully make the time for this co-op.
~Will I be willing to drive? The co-op is being planned so that each family will take turns hosting at their home. This scheduling has been considered so that no one family is responsible for our gathering each time. Sharing the honor of hosting between us will also give our families the opportunity to learn about hospitality, generosity and serving.
~Am I willing to put in the time to teach? Every mom will take a different duty/subject (or two) to be determined at our planning meeting. This will include your studying and becoming familiar with the CM methods in the area you will be in charge of.
~Am I willing to invest in others’ children? Relationships are key with this idea. So often we come and go and just barely make sure our own children get what they need. Since this co-op will truly be “for the children’s sake”, I am asking that you consider and invest in all of the children participating. What a privilege it is to sow into the lives of not only our own children but others.
~Age requirement. This co-op will be for ages 5 years and older. Because we have only twelve co-op dates scheduled for the year, I am asking that you find alternate care for your younger children. The decision to not have younger siblings present was not an easy one to make nor was it made lightly but was bathed in prayer. Please know that my heart is not to exclude any family with this requirement. It basically comes down to the fact that we can not fully teach or be available to all of the needs of the students participating in the co-op if we are distracted with the care of little ones or if the younger ones become a distraction to the students during teaching time. Because the co-op will also be held in a different home each time we meet, we need to be respectful of our host family by not having the younger children wandering the home without supervision.
~Cost. There will be a small material cost for each family. This will be discussed further at the planning meeting.
~Co-op dates. The co-op will run every other Friday morning beginning in September. We will meet 6 times and end our first term with a family presentation night and potluck meal (those younger children are invited to this family night as well as grandparents, a favorite aunt, etc.). There will be a break during the months of November and December and we will resume in January for our second term, ending the year with another family presentation night and potluck.
At present I am looking at the following areas of study for the co-op.
1. Shakespeare
2. Hymn
3. Folksong
4. Artist
5. Composer
6. Poet
7. Nature study
8. Handicrafts
I have set August 13th as the planning meeting for the first term. Because we need to keep the co-op small and intimate with no more than 15 co-op students participating, please reply to me as soon as possible after honestly and prayerfully considering the above guidelines.
Thank you and God bless,
Theresa
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DominaCaeli
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Theresa wrote:
| ~Age requirement. This co-op will be for ages 5 years and older. Because we have only twelve co-op dates scheduled for the year, I am asking that you find alternate care for your younger children. The decision to not have younger siblings present was not an easy one to make nor was it made lightly but was bathed in prayer. Please know that my heart is not to exclude any family with this requirement. It basically comes down to the fact that we can not fully teach or be available to all of the needs of the students participating in the co-op if we are distracted with the care of little ones or if the younger ones become a distraction to the students during teaching time. Because the co-op will also be held in a different home each time we meet, we need to be respectful of our host family by not having the younger children wandering the home without supervision. |
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Just a thought, Theresa, but would it be possible for one of the other mothers to watch the little ones somewhere else in the home while the other children are being schooled?
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Celeste
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Theresa
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Celeste, I did think about this but I am wanting the mothers to be fully involved as well. Taking the time to invest in the other children. If they just come and do their teaching area and then walk off to watch their other children in another area then they aren't really there... This was by far the hardest conclusion to come to but since we are only meeting 12 times throughout the entire school year I didn't think that it an impossible requirement. I know for myself over the last few years I have chosen not to participate in some activities because of my youngest son who was very busy. It just wasn't the right time for our family and I was o.kay with that. This is why I am asking that they truly and honestly look at whether this is something that will work for their family at this time.
Because the co-op is small (4-5 families) obviously everyone can't be involved (we have over 50 homeschooling families in our area). If this is something that families feel passionate about for their older students I think that something could be worked out and if not then perhaps this isn't the year for them to participate. This really has been a decision I have personally made before for our family. Was I sad not to be able to participate? Sure, but when it came down to it I can't be involved in every co-op and support group just for being involved sake.
Any further thoughts on this from anyone?
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Martha
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alrighty, I'll take a stab at it.
Theresa wrote:
Dear Fellow Educators,
looking for about four other families
> My expereince is that you should not go out the start gate already limiting yourself. I doubt you'll get more than 4 families to begin with, so I'd leave that part out.
~ Does this fit into my schedule? I am looking for families who will joyfully make the time for this co-op.
> They can't really discern that unless you give a clear date and time. I'd suggest that you look at YOUR schedule, set a date and time frame and offer that information. Then make it clear that these will NOT be drop off events and that the commitment is to all dates barring illness. edited: oops I see that down at the bottom. I'd move this above the dates information for easy flow of information.
~Will I be willing to drive? The co-op is being planned so that each family will take turns hosting at their home. This scheduling has been considered so that no one family is responsible for our gathering each time. Sharing the honor of hosting between us will also give our families the opportunity to learn about hospitality, generosity and serving.
> Personally, I'm not a fan of this. One location means everything. *I* tend to always offer my home b/c that works for me. Although I'm absolutely certain you don't intend it this way, it also comes off as implying they need to learn hospitality, generosity, and serving. - IOW, are we saying they are not hospitable, generous and serving people? 
~Am I willing to put in the time to teach? Every mom will take a different duty/subject (or two) to be determined at our planning meeting. This will include your studying and becoming familiar with the CM methods in the area you will be in charge of.
> And who will help them to do that? Will they already know it? If they are newbies to this, that sounds very scary.
> about the relationships with other children. I'd phrase it as, "Are you looking to build relationships with other families?"
~Age requirement. This co-op will be for ages 5 years and older.
> I truely understand this. Yet I think it will remove any family that has younger children. What are they expected to do with their younger kids, esp when it's in their own home? What about nursing moms? Given that most of the moms I know who are CMers are also very crunchy APers, I think this is goign to greatly reduce the pool you can fish families from.
~Cost. There will be a small material cost for each family. This will be discussed further at the planning meeting.
> pending their finances, they might have enough funds to not worry about it. Personally, I'd prefer to know a ballback $ figure before even going to the meeting. To ME, when I read something like this, my first reaction is, "It's too expensive."
I'd put all of this at the time beneath time commitment. This is the heart of what you will be doing and this is what they need to know the most and what they need to keep in mind they will be getting if they can meet all your other requirements.
~Co-op dates. The co-op will run every other Friday morning beginning in September. We will meet 6 times and end our first term with a family presentation night and potluck meal (those younger children are invited to this family night as well as grandparents, a favorite aunt, etc.). There will be a break during the months of November and December and we will resume in January for our second term, ending the year with another family presentation night and potluck.
At present I am looking at the following areas of study for the co-op.
1. Shakespeare
2. Hymn
3. Folksong
4. Artist
5. Composer
6. Poet
7. Nature study
8. Handicrafts
I have set August 13th as the planning meeting for the first term. Because we need to keep the co-op small and intimate with no more than 15 co-op students participating, please reply to me as soon as possible after honestly and prayerfully considering the above guidelines.
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hth
and I hope God blesses with some great families to do this with! 
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Martha
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Theresa
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Martha, thank you so much for your thoughts! This is exactly why I wanted to run it by a few moms first. 
Martha wrote:
alrighty, I'll take a stab at it.
Theresa wrote:
Dear Fellow Educators,
looking for about four other families
> My expereince is that you should not go out the start gate already limiting yourself. I doubt you'll get more than 4 families to begin with, so I'd leave that part out.
~ Does this fit into my schedule? I am looking for families who will joyfully make the time for this co-op.
> They can't really discern that unless you give a clear date and time. I'd suggest that you look at YOUR schedule, set a date and time frame and offer that information. Then make it clear that these will NOT be drop off events and that the commitment is to all dates barring illness. edited: oops I see that down at the bottom. I'd move this above the dates information for easy flow of information. I'll arrange this part for a better flow.
~Will I be willing to drive? The co-op is being planned so that each family will take turns hosting at their home. This scheduling has been considered so that no one family is responsible for our gathering each time. Sharing the honor of hosting between us will also give our families the opportunity to learn about hospitality, generosity and serving.
> Personally, I'm not a fan of this. One location means everything. *I* tend to always offer my home b/c that works for me. Although I'm absolutely certain you don't intend it this way, it also comes off as implying they need to learn hospitality, generosity, and serving. - IOW, are we saying they are not hospitable, generous and serving people? Martha, having the meeting at the homes of other partcipants is so that it doesn't become a burden to just one family. I have been in this position before and so I am wanting to keep this as is. I did not in anyway mean to imply that others aren't generous but I think exposure to these areas are always a positive. Plus, my own children need training in these areas and in the area of being a good guest while at others homes.
~Am I willing to put in the time to teach? Every mom will take a different duty/subject (or two) to be determined at our planning meeting. This will include your studying and becoming familiar with the CM methods in the area you will be in charge of.
> And who will help them to do that? Will they already know it? If they are newbies to this, that sounds very scary. They do not need to be CM enthusiasts or be currently teaching CM but if this is something that interests them then all I ask is that they would be willing to learn and if the idea is appealing to them then I believe that natural desire to learn will follow.
> about the relationships with other children. I'd phrase it as, "Are you looking to build relationships with other families?" Thanks!
~Age requirement. This co-op will be for ages 5 years and older.
> I truely understand this. Yet I think it will remove any family that has younger children. What are they expected to do with their younger kids, esp when it's in their own home? What about nursing moms? Given that most of the moms I know who are CMers are also very crunchy APers, I think this is goign to greatly reduce the pool you can fish families from. I am truly o.kay with this. I know that it will remove some families who may wish to participate but I cannot possibly be accomodating to everyone. Would I love to have younger children there? Absolutely but because narration is a backbone of CM, children will most likely have a hard time concentrating with the activities of other children. I understand that it will reduce the number of families but this is something that THEY will need to pray about. I would also be more than willing to help others set up a co-op in which they could run it differently. Perhaps at a church with a hired sitter for the litles?
~Cost. There will be a small material cost for each family. This will be discussed further at the planning meeting.
> pending their finances, they might have enough funds to not worry about it. Personally, I'd prefer to know a ballback $ figure before even going to the meeting. To ME, when I read something like this, my first reaction is, "It's too expensive." Nature study notebook, the cost of a cd for composer study and for a Folgers Shakespear book on the play we are studying. Very minimal and yet again families will need to discern wether this is something they can afford. I can't make that decision for them. I know one thing... it will be a lot more affordable than the Classical Conversations co-op that seems to be all the rage around here right now. 
I'd put all of this at the time beneath time commitment. This is the heart of what you will be doing and this is what they need to know the most and what they need to keep in mind they will be getting if they can meet all your other requirements.
~Co-op dates. The co-op will run every other Friday morning beginning in September. We will meet 6 times and end our first term with a family presentation night and potluck meal (those younger children are invited to this family night as well as grandparents, a favorite aunt, etc.). There will be a break during the months of November and December and we will resume in January for our second term, ending the year with another family presentation night and potluck.
At present I am looking at the following areas of study for the co-op.
1. Shakespeare
2. Hymn
3. Folksong
4. Artist
5. Composer
6. Poet
7. Nature study
8. Handicrafts
I have set August 13th as the planning meeting for the first term. Because we need to keep the co-op small and intimate with no more than 15 co-op students participating, please reply to me as soon as possible after honestly and prayerfully considering the above guidelines.
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hth
and I hope God blesses with some great families to do this with! |
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Martha
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Might I suggest you start by only sending the invite to those who meet your requirements for only having children over the age of 5? And maybe only live within a certain mile range?
I would replace what you wrote about learning CM with what you wrote me above:
They do not need to be CM enthusiasts or be currently teaching CM but if this is something that interests them then all I ask is that they would be willing to learn and if the idea is appealing to them then I believe that natural desire to learn will follow.
That sounds MUCH more inviting and doable, even fun!
Could you figure up the most likely cost of things and add $10 to it for a more exact dollar amount? Really, with our finances, I skip everythign and look at the dollar amount. If it's nt clear or too much, then I don't bother to read further. I'm totally with you on the whole CC thing. 
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Theresa
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Martha, I will replace the above mentioned and try to the best of my ability to come up with a cost. Some of the families may even already have nature notebooks that they use or even the cd's of the composer being studied.
I see the cost and child care decision as one and the same. I really don't want to limit it but in all reality not everyone in my area could participate and I believe that with the aid of guidelines families will be better able to look at it and say yes or no to the benefit of the co-op to their family. They'll be able to discuss the specifics with their spouse and pray about it.
Thank you so much for your help.
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Martha
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OH I agree, cost and childcare are the same non-negotiables in most cases. Either they can do it or they can't.
My reasoning was that clearer you are on cost, the better able they will be to decide.
Good luck with it. It sounds wonderful!
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Theresa
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Thanks again. I re-wrote the letter. I'm going to pray about it over the weekend and for the possible future families and then send it out Sunday evening.
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folklaur
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my only suggestion is that you don't rotate homes - in fact, i MUCH prefer when our co-ops and meetings were in some place other than people's homes. asking your parish if you can use a room or whatnot could be an idea, as could using a room at a library.
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Paula in MN
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Can you move closer to me so I can belong??
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 Paula
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Could you read something for me?
