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Our family has had a very nomadic lifestyle as a ministry family. We have served as missionaries who lived out of the country, as lay people in the church, and as pastor and family to a church. We have homeschooled our 3 children for 15 years and have moved 12 times in those years. Adjustments always happen when you move, which can cause stress, especially for children. However, since we homeschool, we have been able to maintain consistency with flexibility that has helped our kids adapt to new surroundings and embrace making new friends without the added stress of being the "new kids" in school. Instead, the hub of activity has been our home where the kids are inviting new people to our home where everyone becomes family. Even though our children have not been involved in any extracurricular activities outside of the church, they are quick to get involved where they can and make new friends wherever we are. Homeschooling definitely has its challenges, but the benefits and blessings far outweigh the difficult moments.
LIGHT has been such a blessing to our family. We were a little lonely before finding this group, but now we have so many friends. The classes are great, but the friendly interaction between the families makes our family so thankful for LIGHT.
— The Collins Family
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Due to the pandemic, our kids, like so many others, were thrust into home learning, with video teaching, online lessons, and a serious lack of nurturing academic achievement. This new chaos in the school system caused us to discuss the option of homeschooling our girls, but we always worried about our ability to give the girls everything we wanted them to have in learning and school. We decided to give it a go.
Since this new endeavor has begun, we learned that one of our girls was very behind in several subjects, which led us to believe that she had been given passing grades without knowing the material. Through homeschooling, we have been able to help her discover a new way to learn that led to a greater understanding, and over the course of 1 year, she was able to catch up on 2 1/2 years of skills and knowledge.
While originally not a factor we considered much, the curriculums and material we hear are being introduced by some educators were alarming. We now know, both at home and at Co-op, who is teaching our kids exactly what they are teaching them, and they are learning at their own pace. We couldn't be happier with our decision to homeschool, as it was the best decision we could have made for our family, and we are so thankful that we found the Light Homeschool Support Group.
— The Fenton Family
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Aiden Morris
When Aidan was two, he put on a pair of tap shoes, picked up a hat, and struck a perfect Fosse-style pose. At 5 he started choreographing dances for our high school dance students. They were very good sports and did every step he gave them! We knew that he had a gift for dance and performance, but we did not know where it would take him. He also excelled in math, reading, and writing. He memorized science and history facts with ease. He could talk for hours about his favorite video games.
We decided to start homeschooling him for kindergarten when he would have been in pre-k at public school. We figured that if we messed it all up, we could just put him in kindergarten the next year and he would be on track. He did so well with homeschooling that he surpassed even the first grade in some topics. We decided that homeschooling was working for him and our family, so we stuck with it.
Homeschooling afforded us the flexibility to let him pursue dance, theater, and robotics through middle school. When he decided to pursue dance more seriously, we continued his rigorous course of study in our homeschool, dancing for nearly 4 hours each evening without giving up family time and rest.
His hard work has paid off. He earned generous scholarships to UMKC for dance and academics. He was also named a Horatio Alger Scholar, a huge honor that comes with an additional college scholarship. He will enter his freshmen year with 30 credit hours completed.
— The Morris Family
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As first-time co-op parents, Light Co-Op has been a joy for my wife and I. It has been an opportunity to make every Friday morning a special adventure that I share with my two children.
I have enjoyed watching my kids socialize and make new friends. They have developed quality relationships with the other kids they meet who have shared interests and similar values.
Driving them to and from every Friday has allowed me to have deep, strong relationships with each of my kids. I enjoy their conversation as they discuss the highlights of their day. We have fun together and enjoy each other’s company.
I appreciate the opportunity to teach some of the things I enjoy and watch the kids get valuable one-on-one instruction from a parent with a vested interest in their success. Because they are not taught just to pass a test but are taught for the best life possible. They are taught using methods that help them learn best and ensure their full potential is realized.
It's been a fascinating occasion to have someone besides mom teach them
As a father it's refreshing to see how as a parent I got to spend time with my kids when they are fresh and energetic, rather than tired after a long day, and also the option of trading teaching skills with other like-minded parents, our children receive instructions in a variety of subjects while I only teach a few.
The environment at Light Co-op group is a family affair and a more relaxed learning environment and it is incredible connecting with other homeschooling parents.
— The Owino Family
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Our 19 y/o daughter, Sydney, began displaying an exceptional love for animals, especially horses, at a very early age. When she was only 3 ½ years old, we began rewarding her with time at the barn and a horseback riding lesson upon exemplary completion of her chores and schoolwork. These incentives developed over the years into volunteering at the barn at the age of 12, and eventually being hired as barn manager at the age of 16. Little did we know at the time, that being able to work her homeschooling schedule around her job at the barn, would provide her with so many learning experiences and open up so many future opportunities for her! Her desire to care for animals continued to intensify and resulted in her being hired at a local veterinary hospital where she has enjoyed working since 2019. She was recently accepted into the rigorous Early Admission program at Oklahoma State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine where she has the opportunity, upon completion, to become a member of OSU’s class of 2028! For Sydney, homeschooling was the ideal situation for her specific areas of interest and learning style, a decision we will never regret.
— The Swafford Family