Category: General Mom Schooling: Creating Family-Based Co-ops

Mom Schooling: Creating Family-Based Co-ops


August 10, 2021

Join Granite State Home Educators for a virtual chat with Catie McLaughlin and Meg Ebba, two experienced homeschoolers to discuss Mom Schooling -- creating family-based co-ops.
This free event requires pre-registration https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdOChqj0rH9ME3js-3tjX3VUI5rnQBsFg?fbclid=IwAR1aU5GibxdOZdyq5X6POwSlGLEfTB4xxbFSk4E05AiMrXYc8juRIiOmrHo
After seeing traditional co-ops struggle, while simultaneously seeing get-togethers of kitchen-table classes led by one of the student’s moms thriving, Catie came across an article about “Mom Schools.” Their local homeschool group embraced the concepts explained in the article and were soon able to take the kitchen table classes to the next level, where more classes and kids could be accommodated but without suffering from the typical co-op struggles. Today, these Mom Schools (which can be led by Dads, grandparents, or trusted friends, besides moms) have been functioning smoothly for nearly a decade and were even able to weather most of the covid-related storms.
Background about our panelists:
Catie has just 1 year left of homeschooling her oldest and 12 years left of homeschooling her youngest. The other 3 are in between and they thrive with their Mom School classes and the eclectic mix we put together each year that utilizes online self-paced and live group classes to complement those. Her perfect vision of a rigorous classical Christian education has been replaced with what ended up working for their family and she’s grateful for the journey of discovery. When her kids aren’t busy with friends, activities, and homework, they are usually working with puppies and dogs.
Meg fell in with the homeschool community on the Seacoast when she was a single twenty-something and was impressed with how it knit families together. While she was dating her now-husband, she hoped he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea…but he had had similar experiences and was hoping she would want to homeschool! Nearly twenty years later they are homeschooling a 6th, 7th, and 10th grader. Early on, their homeschool style was “whatever people give us for free” but now they’ve adopted an eclectic style which includes Mom School as well as traditional methods. A former librarian, Meg writes novels on the side and has helped lead Christian Home Educators of NH/S.ME. Her husband, Jonathan, works for UNH Cooperative Extension and will be teaching a high school science elective at Mom School this fall.
*This discussion will be recorded and shared to our website and social media.*

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