s/o CLRC's foreign language classes (esp. French)

[RootAnn]

I'm keeping my eyes out for a French class for dd#2 for next year. We'll have completed Getting Started With French. In light of the Potter's School foreign language class thread, I'm wondering if anyone has input on Classical Learning Resource Center's modern foreign language classes. It looks like the high school level classes are scheduled twice per week for an hour each time.

 

How much homework did he/she have every week in a first year course?  How much speaking did he/she have in class? Was speaking mandatory? How were the tests/quizzes administered? How efficient and useful were the class periods?

[JoJosMom]

I cannot answer your question specifically about French, but I can tell you our experiences with other languages.

 

DD took Latin 2 last year and is taking Latin 3 this year through CLRC.  These two classes meet only once per week, for 2 hours.  I schedule 60 minutes per school day for Latin homework.  I HIGHLY recommend these classes, but I would describe them as rigorous.

 

DD is taking Russian 1 this year.  The class meets twice per week for one hour.  DD is greatly enjoying the class.  Although she is finding Russian to be very foreign (pardon the pun), and therefor challenging, overall the class is no where near as rigorous as the Latin class - in my opinion, a very good thing. I am pleased with what my daughter is learning, but I am also pleased that the class is not so hard as to squash her enthusiasm.  I schedule 30 minutes per day for homework/study.

 

Overall, I am very, very pleased with our CLRC experiences and I definitely recommend the company.  Anne Van Fossen, the Latin teacher and owner of the company, is fantastic to work with.  Should you have any questions, I would encourage you to contact her by email; she's a great help.

 

EDIT:  Sorry; couldn't see your post while responding, so I left things out.  Speaking during class, both classes, is required.  We've not had tests/quizzes in Russian yet, so I cannot speak to that.  Latin tests are administered at home and proctored by a parent.  The parent is required to sign as proctor. The classes are critical to success, in my opinion.  Having live instruction and the opportunity to hear the language, though, is why I've elected to outsource.

 

HTH.

Edited September 25, 2016 by JoJosMom

[Melissa B]

I think it will depend on the professor. My dd took Japanese I and Chinese I. They were very rigorous classes. My dd studied at least an hour per day. The time in class was well spent and speaking was definitely mandatory. She was very happy with the classes. I have another dd taking Latin I now. That class doesn't seem quite as rigorous (though we are only a few weeks in.) She studies at least 30 minutes daily. She is also very happy with her class.

[OnMyOwn]

My dd is taking Latin Readings with Anne Van Fossen this year, and, so far, we've been very happy with the class. It meets for 2 hours a week and there is about an hour of homework a day. Everything is organized and feels very streamlined compared to the Latin class dd took last year with another provider. The teacher is kind and very responsive. We were having technical issues and she made arrangements to meet with my dd online outside of class to get things running properly. I also love that the class is small with about 8 students in it.