Co-op Corner: Wise Eagles

“Community” This is how 60% of the moms described the Wise Eagles Co-op. It rings very true. If you are not familiar with the homeschool world, you may be wondering, what is a co-op? It is short for cooperation, which is “the process of working together to the same end,” according to Dictionary.com. In homeschool co-ops, the moms work together to teach each other's children. The kids are usually separated by grades and one mom will teach a specific subject for a grade level that she feels comfortable with. Homeschool families join co-ops for the purpose of having other parents help/teach their children subjects that they may not be confident in teaching. This is the way it works for Wise Eagles. Dixie Benson, who has been a part of Wise Eagles for 13 years, summed it up perfectly: “Students have the opportunity to interact in a group setting with other believing families. Participating moms & dads have a variety of skills and backgrounds which they are willing to share in a classroom setting: nursing, art, homemaking, forensics, car maintenance, etc.” 

  For this piece, I sent out a questionnaire to the parents of Wise Eagles. One of the questions I asked was, “What are the advantages to being a part of a co-op that you would not have otherwise?” All of the mom’s answers had something to do with being able to receive council from more experienced homeschool parents and how it benefits their homeschooling. Katie Hardie, a homeschool mom of 13 years, stated this: I have always said, I need to have a few clones to get all the jobs I have done. Being part of Wise Eagles is as close as I can get! While I teach one subject, my kids are learning in multiple different areas. So, the advantage is efficiency.” Kimberly Kraven, homeschooler of 8 years, said: “I love feeling like we are a part of a giant homeschool family!” The beauty of Wise Eagles is that it provides this space for homeschool families to work together for the education of their children. 

The Wise Eagles group meets every two weeks, taking a large break for the holidays, then repeats the same frequency again, beginning of January. Every once and a while I’ll hear someone say they wish we could meet up every week instead of every other week. So, I asked the moms if they appreciated the frequency of the co-op meets and if they thought it gave their families the freedom needed to analyze how their children are learning. 100% of the mothers who took my survey said “Yes.” Marsha Morris, homeschool mom of 11 years, said “It allows academic accountability, but still allows the parents to be the primary ones in charge of their child’s education.” This is the point of homeschooling, being able to have the freedom to teach your children in the way you see fit while also having a supportive community around you. 

Wise Eagles is a second home for its members. It is a beautiful thing to have a village to raise and teach your children with. This is what the co op provides. I attended Wise Eagles from fifth grade all the way until graduation. I made lifelong friendships, and it’s akin to having many aunts, uncles, and cousins. The concept for a co-op like Wise Eagles is to create a way to share teaching methods, ideas, and build meaningful relationships. 

-Shelby Gwinn

"Definition of Cooperation | Dictionary.com.” Www.dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/cooperation