However, what I can tell you, readers, is this: CC is intellectually rigorous once you enter Challenge, and not for the faint of heart. English composition is necessary, since many of each strand include some aspects of exposition. I am unable to count how many of my fellow students have dropped out, not because of extenuating circumstances, but because of the sheer mental fortitude and diligence that this program demands. If you follow the Challenge guide to a tee, then you must be prepared for some sacrifice.
CC has worked for me, as a consequence of my natural inner-perfectionist. I am driven, focused, and thrive among mental challenges.
I adhere to CC's standards, and my mother's standards. She is a nurse anesthetist, one of the best in her field of expertise, and as such, maintains a strict code of efficiency. I am an over-achiever, a logistician, a lover of knowledge. A competitive environment provides me a thrill of satisfaction. Science, Latin, and English are the subjects at which I excel. I prefer order over chaos, logic over emotion, theories and rhetoric over hands-on practicality.
People with similar mindsets will succeed using CC, as long as their goals are to learn, and continue to learn. My mother and teacher share this. Some of my fellow peers, however, do not share that thirst for knowledge. Those that do enjoy learning are not self-motivated, and struggle to plan far ahead. This is practically a prerequisite for CC. Once your student s begin Challenge, they must be capable of prioritizing and planning for their assignments, and possess the determination to follow through with those plans.
My twin sister, whose personality deviates wildly from my own, at first struggled once she entered Challenge, since she is free-spirited and hates rule-based environments. Since then, she has learned to adapt, and has reached success via hard work. Evaluate your children's learning styles. Are they more "hands-on"? Does your student enjoy building, touching? Of course, you can supplement CC with alternative mediums, but if your student is less inclined towards a fast-paced, rigorous, and self-driven program, then CC is not for you.
It is structured and academically stimulating, each strand demanding time, effort, and commitment. If this seems too difficult, then, well, yes--it is too difficult.
Those who loath structure and organization will find themselves floundering, grasping for a metaphorical scapegoat to blame their fortunes or lack thereof : poor administrators, fickle bearucracy, mean directors, mean cliques, mean parents.
It all comes down to your learning styles, not necessarily your capacity to learn. If you don't have high educational expectations, then you immediately set yourself up for failure because of low expectations. Where do I start No accountability for leadership.
Each Director is an independent contractor so no one can actually be held accountable for actions or decisions. Issues were brought to CC Corporate but they did not ever respond because Corporate has legally separated themselves from the actual function and application of their curriculum. Several issues were brought through the chain of command and the responses were everything from lies to denial and manipulation.
Sometimes even sensing a serious pride and control that they really want over how you homeschool, even though all their literature and training says otherwise. How do I know? I was on the inside of how it all works. Please also keep in mind that if you are looking for a Christian curriculum, this is NOT it!
You actually have to purchase a separate Bible curriculum for your family. In Foundations we did 3 years , notice there really isn't anything "Christian" about what is taught. Same goes for Essentials. Based on my experience as a Director I didn't mention that most Directors don't want parents in the Challenge Class with them?
I saw way too many emails where Directors complained about parents being in class and asking for the best way to ask them to leave. Very disheartening! So, If you're looking for affordable, this isn't it This post may contain affiliate links that provide a commission to us if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you for supporting us in this way! Please see our full disclosure policy for more details. This article has been updated and republished from the archives. I wrote it right after our first year with Classical Conversations on July 21, In an effort to be as transparent as possible before you read this article, we also feel the need to note that we are no longer in Classical Conversations. Scroll towards the bottom of this post or click here to read more about that decision.
Last year was our second year to homeschool and our first year within a classical homeschool community. After all, during our first year of homeschooling all we did was Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. I figured if I added some history, geography, science, and Latin memory work along with science projects and fine arts even without adding anything extra at home , it would be a pretty good year.
If you are new to a classical education, I encourage you to read the free e-book an Introduction to Classical Education. Before I hone in on specifics, please realize that Classical Conversations is just one way to educate your children.
There are other educational methods and classical programs that equip you to provide a quality education for your children. God leads us all in different ways, and He has different purposes for each student and every family!
If you are in the Classical Conversations Foundations program, you can start with just the bare necessities: The Foundations Guide , a Tin Whistle, a Bible, and a library card along with a math and phonics program for Grades K You can build your entire curriculum around these items. You can even find free math and language arts programs on-line in addition to other resources , if you enjoy crafts and other learning activities to supplement these things. We started out our first year with the bare minimum.
Hope Chronicles. F or many families, homeschooling is a much broader reality than the designation implies. Tutoring groups, homeschool co-ops, community classes, umbrella schools, field trips, online classes — sometimes the sheer quantity of choices is staggering. And very often homeschooling families find themselves out of the home for one or more days each week. After several years without outside commitments, my family chose to join a local CC community this year and found it a perfect fit for our needs.
When I was first introduced to the program I had so many questions, and it took a while for me to decide whether it would be right for us.
I would love to share some details about Classical Conversations. Classical Conversations is a nation-wide program that helps train and equip parents to provide their children with a Christian classical education.
Individual communities hire parents to be trained as tutors through Classical Conversations practicums, who then lead small classes of children in weekly meetings. For the grammar stage grades Kth , the Foundations program meets for twenty-four weeks during the school year. The classes meet one morning each week for three hours. Leaving plenty of time during the week as well as during the year for additional studies. During the morning classes, tutors introduce the students to memory work in history, science, geography, English grammar, Latin, math, Bible, and the history time line.
Each student gives a short presentation in front of their class to learn public speaking skills. Parents are required to attend classes with their children so that they observe and learn from the teaching modeled by the tutors, which will in turn help them guide their children in reviewing the memory work at home. The memory work outlined in the Foundations classes is designed to prepare the students for the higher-level classes.
CC recommends that parents teach phonics, math, and handwriting studies at home. Beginning in 4th grade, an afternoon session is available to supplement the Foundations classes through 6th grade. During Essentials , students learn language arts and structure with The Essentials of the English Language Guide , writing through the Institute for Excellence in Writing programs, and math through challenging problems and games.
Day-long week Challenge programs for logic and rhetoric stages begin in 7th grade. These classes cover math, Latin and Spanish, literature and writing, science labs, debate, rhetoric, and geography mapping the whole world free-hand from memory! Students complete lessons and assignments at home during the remainder of the week. It felt like Christmas the day my Foundations Curriculum Guide came in the mail. I pored over it and felt my excitement growing. It contains all the memory work for all three cycles.
Every year, Foundations students memorize all of the Veritas Press History Timeline cards from ancient history to modern times. Students also memorize the U. Math memory work is also the same each cycle: skip counting numbers up to 15 and other math facts such as the formula for finding the area of a circle. Students memorize an astonishing amount of geography new material each cycle : not only countries but also mountains, bodies of water, deserts, the U. The students practice tracing and drawing maps.
Other memory work includes weekly history sentences the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Bill of Rights, Charlemagne , Latin declensions, conjugations, and Bible translation , English parts of speech, participles, irregular verb tenses, and clauses , and passages from the Bible. Each family has the flexibility of using the memory work however they wish during the week. We have used it as a spring-board for additional science and history reading and discovering, to solidify our math and grammar skills, and as a way of exploring our world through geography.
Have you participated in outside classes or homeschool groups? Have you found the experience to be a positive one?
Heidi documents Living Lovely at her blog, Mt. There she celebrates in words and images her journey as wife, homeschooling mother of three rambunctious boys, photographer, book collector, and lover of the little things. Great overview! I highly recommend it for all parents, regardless of schooling choices! Believe me, you will never regret spending more time with your child.
You will have time to not only learn but build virtue. The classical model helps lay the groundwork for lifelong learning in any environment. Don't just teach your child subjects—teach them how to learn. Classical education resonates with and has roots across many different cultures. This is not just about filling in a year for your student, it is about you growing as a parent. You can let go of a fear of teaching, it is also about you learning and growing as an educator of your child.
It offers parents such a unique perspective to be able to step outside of the normal schooling realm and parental dynamic to know their children. Meaning, the student may not learn the exact science her peers in virtual school would learn this year we will be generous and say it works out well , but they will learn fundamentals that will continue on through high school. All memory work, science and fine arts will set them up for future success.
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