Placement of 5th grade and Co-op option

[Mamafin08]

Happy Mother’s Day! I have been working through and trying to make a plan for next year. My 10 yr old did 3rd grade full core 17-18 and this past he finished up LC, Greek Myths and geography. This year he did something else for reading and writing this year and did ancient history this year as a family. I am planning on putting him into 5th grade core but struggling between moderate and accelerated. Part of me wanted to have him do Middle Ages literature and Famous Men of Middle Ages which would put him in 5A but I would sub out Second Form for 1st plus grammar and composition. He has the option to do a Co-op that would be doing 5A but I’m not sure we will do it. It’s a 30 minute drive and I’m not sure how much time it would save but it would put him with other kids.

My other thought is just staying with 5M not worrying about doing history chronology and having history and literature match on era. I wouldn’t have to sub anything out and he would get to do Famous Men of Rome! He likes insects and birds so either would be fine but I think the history of medicine would be fun!

Really either option would work and I don’t want to change my plan just for a co-op but it could also be a good tool and it was my original though for him to do Middle Ages. Any advice would be great!

[enbateau]

Is the co-op not doing Latin on pace with 5A? Also, what about Geography I material? EGRII? Are you comfortable skipping that or fitting it in over the summer? Are they covering Geo III and EGR III? Math? I suppose that would be my only concern, but I think having access to a once-a-week co-op using MP would be amazing. We have access to others doing MP's Latin, but we are not at the Forms yet, so we're still doing it all at home with no other kids to speak to and share joy about it. 30 minutes each way isn't bad once a week. Every day wouldn't be my preference.

[Mamafin08]

The co-op will be doing second form for 5th and six graders but my sons will do first form with the fourth grader since he hasn’t done First Form yet. He would EGR 2 to match up with First Form and I believe they aren’t doing geography at the co-op so I can do whichever. The co-op just does Christian Studies, Latin, Literature, birds/history of medicine and famous men of Middle Ages. It would cover 1st grade enrichment, science, poetry, penmanship and for my second grader her literature. Math is on our own so I can do whatever there. I just wish we didn’t have to alter any plan and could follow it 100% but I know it’s not a big deal to customize.

[enbateau]

That's a pretty nice co-op, but my kids' feelings about it would sway the decision more. Are they incredibly social? Do they feel like they're missing out on friends or in-class discussions of literature? Do you have a reticent or unmotivated learner who would benefit from seeing other kids actively engaged in the material? Would having another teacher submit deadlines be a relief or help? If I didn't want to go and be off manual, but one of those reasons could help, that would push me over the edge.

[Mamafin08]

My oldest doesn’t want to go. He is nervous of all new situations even though he has a friend in the class. My next two are more social and said they are excited to meet friends so they would enjoy it and it would get the enrichment done each week! I rarely got that in when we did full core two years ago and this year I’ll have three... which is causing me to panic a little wondering how I’ll get it all done. My husbands big concern is will it save me time and be beneficial. Part of me doesn’t want to have a place to be every week or having to stick to their schedule. I normally start school end of July and take breaks when needed. On the other hand I would love my son to have the discussion for literature and my daughters to have a chance to meet more people. We are involved in church and have friends through that but it’s always nice to have more social outlets!

[enbateau]

We committed to a year-long class that wound up being way more work considering all the deadlines and reading requirements. We stuck it out as a means to show commitment and perseverance, but we've dropped it for next year. Sometimes there are good virtues wrought by doing something on someone else's time table. Sometimes it's good to push boundaries for shy kids. Sometimes it's good to just know yourself and pick peace and low commitment. This fall will be my first year with no other commitments besides PE twice a week. I wish I had hindsight to let you know how all that goes, but I have a feeling it's all very individual. Praying for the Lord's leading as you seek Him for His best this coming year.

[KF2000]

Enbateau has given you good perspective, which I will tag into by echoing that you need to judge each year as it comes and decide what your biggest needs are. This has been on my mind this week as well, and I have been asking for advice from trusted advisors as well. It is always tough, and it is NEVER what I would consider “my perfect plan.” It seems I am always trying to “make the best of what we’ve got.”. But the reflection (and yes, frustrated restlessness) is always good because it prompts you to take a good hard look at what is working, what is not, and what you value most.

I will tell you that while there are years where it is good for families to take a break from too many activities if they are struggling to get schoolwork done, my experience has proven to me that if you have an opportunity to have a community that supports your commitment to classically Homeschool with MP - take it! Praise God for it! Don’t even give it a second thought! Make whatever concessions you need to. You never know what will be in the cards a year, two, or three down the road. It’s available now, so I would take advantage of it. We seem to be perpetual loners because of all our moving around, and it’s really hard, so I am pretty clearly biased toward encouraging you to do it.

AMDG,
Sarah