Homeschooling parents form co-op to help each other

When Jenny McCord began homeschooling her daughter about a year ago she starting looking for a support group to help her with the new endeavor.

"I was very intimidated by the whole idea," she said.

Her daughter was in the third grade at the time, and she wanted to make sure she was taking advantage of all the available resources. She found the Southeast Missouri Homeschoolers organization.

While homeschooling families have come together for activities like field trips and physical education, it was always a loose arrangement, said Misty Arthur of Cape Girardeau.

Arthur, the mother of seven children between the ages of 1 and 17, has been homeschooling for eight years. She said the homeschoolers organization has grown to include 100 families, but she and other families decided to form a more structured group.

About 14 families came together to start the Southeast Missouri Homeschoolers Co-op in June. They discussed their ideas for the organization and elected a five-member board.

"It's going to be a lot more structured," said Arthur, a board member. "We just think it will bring a little more knowledge of homeschooling."

Families will pay $25 per year to participate. The group is also working to coordinate weekly classes to join forces in subjects like Spanish, physical education, art, music and math.

"You can't have a kickball game with three children," said board member Krista Baker of Cape Girardeau.

Baker, a mother of three children ages 9, 7 and 4, has been homeschooling for five years. She said the group hopes to include teachers and experts from the community.

"Obviously every individual has their strengths and weaknesses," she said. "Some of us are better at English and writing papers."

She said the the weekly classes will reach beyond the curriculum.

"We also are doing it just because our kids don't get to each lunch with other kids," she said.

The co-op will have classes at Mount Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau starting Sept. 4. The course offerings will change, but the first round of classes include art, physical education and music. Arthur said the students will also put on a Christmas musical.

"It teaches them structure, and it teaches them to be responsible and show up," she said.

The classes will give the children a chance to interact and receive more specialized instruction, she said. When her 17-year-old son reached high school, she said it was harder to keep up with the curriculum.

"I found that I had to Google math for three hours the night before so that I could teach him," Arthur said.

The group will hold registration for interested families in Arena Park in Cape Girardeau from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 7. Arthur said she already expects about 30 students to join, not including those who have not registered.

McCord said she will join the group because it will help ensure her children receive a well-rounded education.

"The hardest part about homeschooling would be what the co-op is there to provide," she said.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

Arena Park, Cape Girardeau, MO