Happy Thursday!
This week I sat down with Becky Wilmoth, a self-described reluctant homeschooler from Southern Oregon who almost quit more than once. Somewhere along the way, she grew a small co-op into a hybrid program serving 300 students.
After building all that, her own family is going back to full-time homeschooling next year. The program she built is still thriving, but her family’s season changed.
Before we dive in, two quick announcements:
1) A research team from Brown and Stanford is giving 80 elementary students a free year of daily one-on-one tutoring this fall, plus an iPad or MacBook for the family. Applications close July 1.
2) If you’re near Indianapolis, the Midwest Homeschool Expo is this Saturday, June 13, at Ivy Tech Community College. OpenEd is sponsoring - code MHE2026OPENED gets one of 25 free session tickets!
And now, onto the show.
Homeschool, co-op, or hybrid? It depends on the season.
Becky has done all of it: full homeschool, co-op, hybrid, a little public school along the way. Ask her which model is right and she won't give you a ranking. She'll ask what season of life your family is in. Whether it’s a new baby, a job change, or a kid who needs something different this year - the answer that worked last September might be the wrong one next fall.
"We would have families join our hybrid program not confident in their ability to homeschool. After a year or two they'd realize, 'I really want to own my child's education 100%.' They would leave the program - and we would consider that a win. Because parents being involved in their children's education, by far, is the goal."
Highlights & Further Reading:
"A reluctant homeschooler" — how a new baby, a private-school bill, and a nine-year gap pushed her in against her plan
Why "classroom at home" almost ended it that first year
Co-op vs. hybrid vs. full homeschool — and why the right model changes by season of life
The National Hybrid Schools Project: academic research, policy tracking, national convening
Public-school districts building hybrid models inside their own buildings
How to start a hybrid program: mission first, plus the National Microschooling Center and KaiPod.
If you’re interested in the hybrid model, connect with Becky through her website: NonprofitEdSolutions.com.
And if you’re consider what a hybrid approach to open education might look like, check out our article.
That’s it for today!
– Ela (your sometimes OpenEd podcast host)
