As a Classical homeschooling family, being a part of a Classical Conversations community has been an answer to prayer. We chose Classical Conversations three years ago, and I couldn't be more thankful.
I KNEW what a Classical education should look like, but the thought of accomplishing that (through high school!) was quite daunting. After reading The Core, I was convinced this was the path for our family.
Being in a CC Community has allowed me to reclaim my OWN education - which in turn allows me to transmit knowledge and guide my children through their education, as well.
Today's Collage Friday post is dedicated to our involvement in Classical Conversations - and 10 reasons why we have chosen CC for our family.
{*I am not speaking officially for Classical Conversations in this post. All opinions and ideas are my own. Visit the Classical Conversations website to learn more. I also have a collection of posts about Classical Conversations here on the blog.}
1. Less Time Planning
I homeschooled for many years doing our own thing.
I researched all of the pieces of the curriculum, all of the lessons, etc...
In short: I grew weary. Homeschooling is a lot of work, and I just needed some of the deep thought to be done for me.
Enter Classical Conversations. The Foundations Memory Work is superbly thought out, and the Essentials writing and grammar is exceptional.
There is very little for me to plan, and I love that.
2. Room for Creativity
Even though we follow the Foundations Memory Work (three cycles) there is still plenty of room for us to be creative.
For example: this week we are learning about different types of seed plants - monocots, dicots, and conifers. My son and I went on a nature walk earlier in the week and identified seed plants in our own yard. We came across some Magnolia flowers, which we discovered were Broadleafs and NOT Conifers (as we had thought).
We took this simple piece of science memory work and explored a bit with it. We don't use a formal science "curriculum" - and that's OK. Learning all of the science facts (76 in all three cycles combined) is ENOUGH.
My son has enjoyed notebooking for years, and he continues to notebook his way through the Foundations memory work. He also loves to use LEGOS to recreate history sentences.
There is so much room for creativity in CC!
3. Community
It is such a comfort to be in a community with other like-minded families.
We all believe in CC's motto -- "To Know God and Make Him Known" -- and try to live it to the fullest.
As we dissected owl pellets in Foundations last week, the tutor stopped to point out to the boys (yes, Grant's class is ALL BOYS!) that GOD was the designer of everything - and HOW AMAZING something like an owl pellet really is.
We strive to KNOW God and to see HIM in everything we do. We strive, through an emphasis on writing and public speaking, to make HIM known.
My kids are also connected to a wonderful group of FRIENDS --- which has led to friendships for our family, as well.
4. Accountability
Whether it is having a well done presentation prepared for community day, or turning in our IEW paper to Mr. Jason (our Essentials tutor) - accountability is a GOOD thing.
The temptation before was always to put things off or be more forgiving about missing work, because no one was technically "checking".
My daughter, who is in Challenge I (9th grade equivalent) this year, craves that accountability piece. Her tutor and classmates expect her work to be done. I have seen her personal sense of accountability grow exponentially in the past year.
(Want to know more? Take a closer look at the Challenge program to see what I mean!)
5. Continuity & Consistency
So often I hear traditional school parents complain about education -- specifically MATH.
It seems that every few years public schools adopt "new math". Most recently it has been Common Core Math.
I wish that every child had the chance to experience continuity and consistency, and I'm just going to continue using math as an example.
Classical Conversations emphasizes the rigorous memorization of math FACTS from the earliest age. Our children drill their math facts until they are in the 6th grade. They learn math laws and properties. CC recommends placing your children in Saxon Math, which provides very consistent math education.
Math with CC just makes SENSE! As I watch my Challenge I daughter encounter the distributive property in Algebra I, I know that the distributive property has been memorized in the younger years and now it is being applied. This is just ONE example. I could go ON and ON!
Learning all of the geography memory work in the Foundation years is then applied in Challenge A when the children learn to draw the world freehand from memory.
The Latin memory work (declensions, etc...) comes in VERY handy as Challenge students embark upon Latin studies in Henle Latin.
I am AMAZED daily by the connections between Foundations & Challenge!
6. Struggle
A key element of the Challenge years is STRUGGLE.
Challenge students struggle with their ideas - not only forming their ideas, but also how to articulate their ideas.
I love that Challenge isn't EASY. It is VERY, VERY difficult.
And that's ok. We struggle together and often, and grow in our faith and maturity as a result!
Anna has the sweetest group of kids in her Challenge I class. They are free to disagree with each other, challenge each other, and encourage each other. You really cannot understand the dynamic until you sit in class with them.
It is a BEAUTIFUL thing.
7. Equipping
Classical Conversations does a wonderful job of EQUIPPING homeschool families.
There are webinars about many topics - in particular I appreciate the webinars for the Challenge families that deal with transcripts, graduation, and college admissions.
The CC Writer's Circle is a place where parents can read articles on a variety of topics.
Through CC Connected parents can share files and ideas.
There should never be a reason to struggle ALONE when you are part of Classical Conversations. CC has made the commitment to support families in this journey, and I am so thankful!
8. Fine Arts
I ADORE the fine arts component of Classical Conversations.
The last thing I want to do is stuff my kids full of facts and rigorous academics and neglect their artistic sides.
In Foundations the children are exposed to the essentials of drawing and art appreciation and learning to play the tin whistle and appreciation of great music. The fine arts component is simple and effective.
As kids grow into the Challenge years, they are exposed to drama, music theory, art history, and music history.
(Have you seen the scope and sequence of the Challenge years? Scroll to the bottom of the page to see - It's impressive. )
9. Control
In our neck of the woods, homeschool hybrid schools are quite popular.
Children can attend a school for one day a week, and receive all of their instruction. In many of these schools, however, the parent loses academic control.
To my knowledge, the Classical Conversations Challenge program is one of the only programs out there that provides instruction and guidance, but does NOT issue grades or usurp the parents' authority.
10. Peace of Mind
I can't tell you that I am a homeschool renegade.
I DO care about college admission requirements. I DO care about meeting some of the standards the "world" sets forth for education.
What I DO care about is giving my children a SOLID, CLASSICAL EDUCATION.
Classical Conversations gives me great peace of mind. I know the curriculum is tested, well-researched, and full of TRUTH, BEAUTY, and GOODNESS.
Are you a member of a CC Community? What is your top reason for homeschooling with CC?
Or, what homeschool method do you use and WHY?
Collage Friday
*Note: Next Friday (10.30) there will be NO Collage Friday. We will be taking a HUGE field trip to Washington, DC. Please feel free to come back here to THIS link up and link up your Collage Friday posts next week!
Join me each Friday for a wrap up of the week - or just to share pertinent thoughts that have been rambling in your head during the past week.
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