I volunteered to take on the role of organizing our PE co-op this year. I didn't think it would be that big of a job and my kids really enjoy it, so I wanted to make sure that it continued.
Boy has it been an interesting journey!
We started with adding a number of families and the group getting huge. AND, in addition to being large, the demographic has gotten OLDER so we starting discussing how to change the focus a little.
Then a few families dropped out, making the size much more manageable but still needing a slight change in focus due to the age.
Then a couple more families have dropped out and now the size is a bit on the small size. This is mainly a problem because it means that the moms each have to commit to more weeks of teaching lessons. Not many of us are real interested in that.
So, now we are brainstorming our next step. A call to the local Rec Center yielded a potential for having them teach a PE class weekly for us. Some families are interested in that. Another person suggested turning PE into Recess and just planning time to get together and play games. Not a bad idea but 1) someone has to make some decisions about when and what games; and 2) these games aren't as fun if people don't show up. The bad thing about having it more informal is that its easier for people to NOT come. There were lots of instances where folks didn't come when it was organized.
So, we have two ideas floating around and I am suspecting that in the end, we'll do some of both. We are close to having enough people to have a class at the Rec Center, so I'm going to call them back tomorrow to discuss a couple of younger kids and see how they feel. We may take on the "Recess co-op" idea as well, as just getting out and playing some games with other kids is equally fun.
Boy, this is so much more than I expected and the pressure to try and make as many of the families happy is tough. | 