Gloria Deo Co-op
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The Gloria Deo Co-op is a collaboration of homeschooling parents in the United States seeking to ensure a quality education for their children in a Christian, classical tradition. In 2006 the co-operative held around twenty homeschooling families. Gloria Deo Co-op has become fairly well known among homeschooling families in the Rochester, New York area.
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[edit] Basic reasons for founding
[edit] Homeschooling in general
Home schooling, while creating potential benefits for those who ascribe to it (such as flexibility of schedule and academic interests), presents its own set of unique problems. One of the most basic is this: How can the teaching parent adequately provide instruction in subjects that are difficult to himself/herself? For example, if a parent does not know calculus, but still desires his or her child to learn the subject, how is the parent to instruct?
To counteract this problem, home schooling parents often join together with other home schooling parents to form a Co-op. In a Co-op, home schooled kids meet every week, month, or other period of time for classes taught by parents who have knowledge in a given field. In this way, home schoolers form a "tutoring center" which teaches subjects not easily taught by the average parent.
[edit] Christian education
Another defining characteristic and reason for the founding of the Gloria Deo Co-op is its Christian base and mindset. All families applying for entrance to the co-op must submit an application (including references) that show that a "vital Christian walk" is inherent in the family.
[edit] Classical philosophy
The last characteristic and reason for founding is the classical approach that the co-op engenders. The classical philosophy of education stresses the learning of ancient languages, especially Latin and Greek, and a diverse liberal arts education. The Gloria Deo Co-op derives much of its education philosophy from Jesse Wise Bauer and Susan Wise Bauer's book, the The Well Trained Mind
The classical education that Gloria Deo Co-op uses involves three stages:
The Grammar Stage (kindergarten-4th grade
In the Grammar Stage, students are taught memorization and data incorporation skills. This stage seeks to give students much of the pure knowledge that they will need for their education, taking advantage of the memorization abilities of young children.
The Logic Stage (5th grade-8th grade)
In the Logic Stage, students are taught how to correctly, logically evaluate the information that they received at the Grammar stage. Using the logic given by this stage, students are expected to come to conclusions about the world that they live in using the knowledge that they have and continue to receive.
The Rhetoric Stage (9th grade-12th grade)
In the Rhetoric Stage, Students are taught to express in writing, speech and other means of communication the ideas and conclusions that they were and are receiving in the Logic Stage. Writing and Public Speaking are essential parts to this curriculum.
[edit] Gloria Deo Co-op Alumni
- Clara Geibel (2005)
- Caleb Stacy (2005)
- Jacob Stacy (2006)
- Joanna Stewart (2006)
[edit] Progress
On December 12, 2006 the cooperative held an historically important meeting in which key documents essential to the expression of the cooperative relationships, procedures and philosophies were presented, reviewed and voted on. Kelly, part of the planning team, expressed after the meeting that, "Major progress was made tonight for the long-term stability of the cooperative that will enhance our mutual relationships as we seek to educate our children in the rich classical traditions of Christendom."
[edit] Sources
- The Gloria Deo Co-op constitution (unpublished)
- The Gloria Deo Co-op handbook (unpublished)
- Bauer, S (1999). The well trained mind. New York City, New York: W.W. Norton.
