Does anyone else hate co-oping?

[Anonymous]

I just co-oped for the first time today and am totally exhausted. I thought that going to a co-op preschool would be a great way to be part of a community of my son's educators...which it is. I thought that I'd meet lots of like-minded, slightly crunch moms who are cool and interesitng..which they are. What I didn't expect is that helping out for 3 hours with a bunch of almost 3 year olds is totally hard work. I'm worn out. My DS's class has 12 kids in it and its 2 teachers and 1 co-op parent. The director stops by to chat and chips in for chaos times like hand-washing before snack time, but it's still crazy to get all 12 to go to the indoor playground (it was raining today), get all their shoes off, monitor them, get their shoes back on, wash their hands, give them snacks, supervise their play and crafts, etc. etc. And because this is "Play-based" there's a lot of play where there are lots of little hands who want the "mommy co-oper" to come and play. I only have to do this once every 6 weeks this year but once DS #2 starts next year and DS #1 goes to 4 days a week, it'll be like, every other week. I don't think I can take it. Is this just me being overwhelmed from the first time or do I need to think of a non-cooping school for my kids next year??

[Anonymous]

You may want to look at alternatives. I get tired too but at least I know the progress my son is making. If I didn't co-op, I really wouldn't have any idea what was going on. It's amazing how much he has learned in one month. But I admit that I am thinking about a different type of school for next year.

[Anonymous]

Co-oping is definitely not for everyone. I started a co-op this year and yes, the first day was totally exhausting. I have gotten to know moms who have 2 children in the school and I really don't know how they manage to co-op for both classrooms. We're only a month into the school year, but I already know that I will probably not want to co-op next year. Even though I really like the school and the fellow moms/dads who co-op, I just know that I would be so burned out and unhappy if I were to continue past this year.

I think it's OK to know your limits and make the decision to send your children to a non-co-op school. No one is going to judge you for that. Just do a good job this year with the co-oping, knowing that it's the last time you will be doing this. And then apply to non co-oping schools for next year. Yes, it will be more expensive, but if you value those 3 hours/day without having to look after not only your own kids but other kids as well, then it is completely worth it.

[Anonymous]

Like any job, you have to like it to do it well. Practice also makes perfect. I suppose the problem many co-oping parents run into is that they never realized it was a "real" job before going in.

I was exhausted teaching undergrads part-time, and I imagine preschoolers are even more tiring

[Anonymous]

We were at CSACNS- I loved it but could not handle the co-oping. I was tired and grumpy for the rest of the day. Part of preschool for our family at least, is that I get a little break to recharge. We switched a few years back to a non- co-op and could not be happier.

[Anonymous]

This is why I didn't consider any co-op preschools - I just wasn't interested in doing the work! ;0)

[Anonymous]

Switch schools next year of you hate it so much. I have the opposite situation in that I really enjoy it, but I can see how some might not. It is a lot of work.

[Anonymous]

Don't try so hard.

Its easy to fall into this trap bc you feel you are being evaluated by the teachers but as a previous preschool teacher I can tell you it takes very little to keep the kids entertained. You don't need to talk to the kids in a falsetto, you don't need to comment on every little thing they do, you don't need to answer every question they ask - you can always ask the child a la "hmmm, I don't know, how do you think/want/etc " and its ok to suggest the kids decide themselves how something should be played or how it works. If you can offer to help out with arts and crafts projects - they are good bc they have a definite beginning and end.

[Anonymous]

"Don't try so hard.

Its easy to fall into this trap bc you feel you are being evaluated by the teachers but as a previous preschool teacher I can tell you it takes very little to keep the kids entertained. You don't need to talk to the kids in a falsetto, you don't need to comment on every little thing they do, you don't need to answer every question they ask "

Lovely solution. Just tune out and put in the time while expending as little effort as possible. gosh, I hope all preschool teachers aspire to such a high bar.

[Anonymous]

It is definitely not for everyone and the kids know when someone does not enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, I'm trying not to laugh at this discussion. Not as easy as it looks, huh?

[Anonymous]

Co-ops are very popular in our area. I had to search to find a non-co-op. I knew it wasn't for me.

[Anonymous]

I have done a co-op as well, and ended up switching schools (not because of the work, but for other reasons). It is a tremendous amount of work. I have nothing but the utmost respect for teachers because it is incredibly difficult to not just monitor -- but teach, do activities, and clean-up -- for so many children. I personally think that they should be paid a heck of a lot more than what they make!

[Anonymous]

OP,

I am a teacher who was on leave for 2.5 years. During that time, I also enrolled my kid in a co-op, and I HATED doing it. The night before I had to co-op, I was always cranky and complained endlessly to my husband.

There were two co-opers assigned for the twos class, and I was always paired with the slacker who either claimed she had a headache, missed her morning coffee and wasn't fully awake, or was just too tired from dealing with her kids. (I suspected she didn't take her happy pills on those days.) So I was the one doing the hard work while she passed out snacks and unpacked lunches.

Needless to say, we pulled her out put her in a montessori, and it was so worth the extra bucks. Plus, as a teacher, I now fully understand MY need to distance myself from my own children once they become acclimated to the school environment. They need their own space, in my opinion, even when they're toddlers.

My son will attend the montessori in the next year, and I am back at work.

I couldn't be happier!

Co-ops are for very special people! I am not one of them.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Just want to give everyone an update after co-oping experience #2: it was much better! I think the big difference is that, at the beginning of the year, the kids were very focused on playing with the adults in the class room and it was just relentless work. Six weeks later, the kids seem to be very into playing with each other or themselves. It was still a lot of work, but not so bad!