Making It Work for Me

Today I had the first meeting for those people interested in my new AAHE Cooperative.  Oddly enough, or maybe not so much, I knew 3/4 of the women and children there well.  All of us are looking for something a little different either in place of or in addition to what we have now.  Presently I belong to a co-op that has served me well for three years.  I have made many friends there, as has my son.  It has given me the opportunity to teach, which is my passion, and the children that I have taught there have a special place in my heart.  On the downside, I have chosen to teach two classes and I am serious about my lessons so the planning can be very time consuming.  Dakota and I are exhausted by the lunch break and we choose to go home instead of staying for lunch and socializing.  I just don't have anything left by that time.  Looking ahead, I know that my life will be very different for the next school year.  My granddaughter to be, Natalie, is due May 31st and by the end of August she will join us all day in our homeschooling lifestyle.  When I look at my life now, I know I cannot keep up the schedule I have set for myself and give enough time and attention to both Dakota and Natalie.  So something has to give.  And in true Cindy form, I have chosen to make a new limited co-op that will work for me.  In my new venture, which is five minutes from my house, I will oversee a group of women and children who will be learning geography and science together each Wednesday morning.  We mothers will teach in rotation, meaning that each one of us will only teach once every few months.  On the other weeks, we will be sitting in the hall socializing and relaxing and sharing mommy stories over coffee or whatever is our beverage of choice....within reason!  While I worry that I may not be satisfying my love of teaching, I know that I will be giving myself the time needed to adjust to having a newborn in my life again and I will be lessening the load that I am carrying.  I'm making it work for me and in the process, I hope that I am making it work for other women and children as well. 

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