Shanan Co-Op

Shanan Homeschool Co-Op

Shanan is a group of like-minded homeschool families striving for excellence in education with instructor-led tutorials for high school including a seventh-eighth grade program. 

The purpose for the learning co-op is to enrich our children’s academic experience and socialization by offering best-quality courses to students of all ages in a parent-involved cooperation that enhances the homeschool routine; all within the framework of a Christian worldview.

Shanan Classical is for families who have homeschooled for at least one school year. It is not a good fit for families who simply want to turn over responsibility of overseeing their student’s progress to someone else, nor for families that simply want to check the courses off their list. We require students to work hard and be monitored closely by their parents.

Shanan Homeschool was founded on the Christian faith and unashamedly operates as a Christian Tutorial program, centered on Christ and His unchanging Word, THE BIBLE.

Shanan has been in operation for over 20 years. We offer 2 eleven week semesters annually. We meet on Mondays from 8:15 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the fall and from 8:15 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the spring.

In the fall, we concentrate on science, writing and resource. The semester ends with a science fair/museum. During election year we cover Civics. In the spring, we concentrate on history, literature and resource and include topic related arts, crafts, music, etc. The semester ends with a drama production.

All classes will strive to embody a Biblical worldview. We believe in the Trinity: God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus Christ is the son of God  and there is no other name by which one can be saved through the work of grace achieved by His crucifixion and resurrection. Shanan encourages teaching in conjunction with the Bible, applying scripture throughout our subjects and classes, praying, worshiping, building Christian character and community.

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Our Goals

1.  To focus on godly character training for our children through respect for God, His Word, authority and peers.
2.  To encourage students to reach their God-given potential in a Christian atmosphere by providing accountability in our learning environment and an acceptable social climate.
3.  To provide essential and practical subjects for junior and senior high grades and interactive unit studies for elementary and preschool levels which will raise independent, life-long learners equipped with necessary and appropriate study skills.
4.  To assist parents in raising children for Christ who can think and reason from the Scriptures, thereby refuting error and clinging to the truth.
5.  To set high academic standards including options for honors classification, AP courses, and information to prepare students for successful collegiate or other careers.
6.  To provide a comprehensive program for preschool through junior high based on an 8-year cycle of themes.
7.  To be sensitive to students’ individual learning styles as well as those with learning disabilities.8.  To use a classical approach to education from a Christian perspective.

Benefits

For the Students

  • Learn to submit to authority other than the parents
  • Gain valuable study skills
    • Listening/being attentive
    • Sitting still
    • Note-taking
    • Test-taking
    • Organizing
    • THINKING
  • Learn important and in-depth information about a variety of useful subjects
  • Learn group skills: planning, thinking, cooperating, corroborating, having respect for one another
  • Develop practical recess skills such as throwing a good pass or practicing good chatting skills!
  • Learn and practice several character traits
  • Gain self-discipline skills:
    • following a schedule
    • meeting deadlines
    • being prompt
    • being responsible
    • responding under pressure
  • Learn patriotic songs and the pledge of allegiance – and what they really mean
  • Develop lasting and meaningful friendships and learn how to relate positively to others
  • Practice valuable clean-up or child-sitting skills
  • Have an opportunity for public speaking and being on stage
  • Practice becoming an independent life-long learner and being self-motivated
  • Develop the ability to work with others, become unselfish and learn to be satisfied
  • Gain the skills vital to success in college and career
  • Learn to be responsible for personal items

For the Teachers / “Parents”

  • Develop effective teaching skills

  • Be s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d in areas you didn’t know you could be!

  • Gain an education that you missed while growing up

  • Fill your mind with all kinds of interesting tidbits (a walking encyclopedia!)

  • Become patient, tolerant and self-controlled

  • Get to know new and exciting people

  • Develop friendships and a deeper bond of Christian sisterhood

  • Adapt to working alongside others who have differing views, ideas and strengths

  • Be challenged to be all you can be!

  • Learn to be prompt, orderly, versatile and more organized

  • Re-learn patriotic songs that you haven’t sung in a long time

  • Learn and practice character traits along with your children

  • Understand the meaning of the pledge of allegiance

  • Practice accountability, responsibility, and charity

  • Develop the ability to plan and/or do clever skits in front of an audience

  • Become a good problem-solver

  • Create exciting lesson plans and actually use them successfully

  • Self-confidence and realize your call to homeschool is a noble and worthwhile ambition

  • Gain insights into other families’ home-school philosophies and how-to’s

  • Have the opportunity to learn subjects that you are unfamiliar with or are uncomfortable teaching

  • Practice COOPERATION

  • In short, become a better teacher, a better friend, a better person

Our History

Shanan Classical was founded by Robin Hancock in 1995. Here are some thoughts from Robin’s experience on families homeschooling together….

“I knew God was leading us.  But looking back, I think even then God had something more in mind, because afterwards He dropped an idea in my heart.  I felt that other mothers were in the same situation as my friend and I, in that as our children became older, and more blessings came along, we had less time to homeschool and be so creative and energetic.  Plus, I could see gaps in homeschooling that were difficult to fill : public speaking , listening and taking notes, meeting deadlines , group skills , being accountable to another adult, having some pressure to do a better job . I wanted to make sure my children would be prepared for college/career and life itself by having these valuable skills.

So an expanded co-op idea was born.  I just knew that there was a way to meet the many needs of homeschoolers in a cooperative format, one that wouldn’t become a burden on them. Through much prayer and some persistence, the co-op came into being.   Interested families were located; schedules fell into place; diverse talents and gifts found their way to us; success occurred.  Where there was a need, then there was a solution.  God is still meeting needs and answering prayers – some even before being asked.  Call it another valuable lesson in God’s provision.

At this point, I want to encourage you as you embark with us.  Remember to adjust your life during these action-packed 11 weeks.  Do not try to do co-op on top of all your regular curriculum.  Rather, use this co-op as part of your curriculum.  It’s designed to HELP you.  Have fun with it.  Expand on it, if you like, at home.  Now with the addition of the classical approach, the co-op can coordinate especially well into your homeschool routine.”