Out of My Comfort Zone

Seemingly out of the blue, we got notice from our enrichment group that it had been dissolved.  We have been involved with PEP since Caleb was in K-4 and because of the nature of the group - the moms all know each other, the families all know each other - we felt very connected there.  So it was more than just disappointing that it could end so suddenly.  The reason given was not very defined.  I'm sure there are bigger and dearer things than PEP that have been dissolved in the process and while I'm obviously curious, I know that some things are none of my business.

Over the last few weeks some of the families began to organize a new group at a different  - much farther away - location.  All along I had not wanted to rush into a different group (there are many here) because I wanted to see if something could work out.   There are multiple things we are losing by this move, but my first and biggest pause was the drive.  It is what I sweepingly refer to as "out in west Kendall" - as if that were some distant galaxy.  I do my best never to go there.  But, they asked if I would teach the classes I had planned to teach at PEP and I decided I would.  The balance will be that we won't take the 9am class and I won't teach Botany (More about that later.)

A part of me feels like being bothered by the location is petty, but it does bother me.  It's one of those paper clip locations that you have to pass by and turn around to get to it.  The fastest route is by the turnpike, but I dislike driving on the turnpike and avoid it.  It's in a warehouse district that is industrial and ugly.  And in short, it just isn't my neighborhood.  Did I mention I never go there?

Well that is sort of not true.  The skating rink is not far from there and we've been there a few times this summer, but only on Saturday mornings.  The big girls went to a music theater camp in that area a few weeks ago.

Natalie - Live!  Onstage!

But while they enjoyed the camp, taking them convinced me to back out of another program the same organization was hosting at that location.

What I mean to say is, I don't go there if there is an option even a little bit closer.

But here we go - we are going to join this co-op at least for this year.  It will be smaller, it will be nothing like it was, but I think it will still have some good points.

I am going to teach the class on China like I had planned, but after driving by and casing out the location, I felt like Botany was not happening there.  At PEP there were lots of trees and a lot of land.  This new place there is a lot of asphalt.  So, I'm sure another person could modify the class to be all indoors, but I was really not feeling it, so the coordinators encouraged me to find another topic and immediately I remember Lewis and Clark and our home-made docu-drama.  I don't know how it will all work out, but there is no precedent, so it maybe it will be fine.  I got a Ken Burns book about Lewis and Clark and it is so interesting, I'm really glad to learn more.

In conclusion - our original homeschool group was more than 20 years old, but it was a fragile thing and I was naive to think it would always be around.  But, we aren't really alone and who knows what opportunities we may discover.