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Transition from classical to a non-classical curriculum: Challenges & Pitfalls


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Greetings,

 

My wife and I have a question about later transition from a classical to a non-classical curriculum.  We have a son who will be starting kindergarten this year, and we are leaning toward providing him with a classical education through a local classical private school that offers a blended classroom/homeschool option.  Our question is this: Since the trivium model seems designed to excel when completed fully (i.e., having the student progress through grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages) -- what are the consequences if a student decides at 9th grade to choose a non-classical curriculum; that is, not completing the rhetoric stage?  For those families that have experienced this, how was the transition?  How 'complete' would you say their education was by graduation?  Was the student prepared at the 9th grade level, not having gone through the same curriculum as his/her new peers?  Any other experiences and/or thoughts?

 

Just looking to gain insight into potential challenges and pitfalls.  It seems common that many students, while benefitting from the classical model in the early years, when older tend to desire schools with more offerings (population, sports, etc,) that smaller classical schools seem to struggle providing.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

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We have given a classical education at home to mine since the beginning. By the time they reach high school their own strenths and weaknesses and interests will be coming out fully. One of mine is dyslexic, so just learning the basics that comes from books after learning to read and write for most has been a challenge. She has taken much longer to master the grammar stage and is going into high school. We just slowed down. Yes, she got a lot of Latin, but she will not go as far as her older sister. Attention needs to be paid to her needs to continue working on spelling and writing and arithmetic that others usually master younger. She also has a passion for visual arts. A lot of time for my oldest went to dance and piano and art history. Visual arts are almost torture for her, though with a classical curriculum the arts are a big part, she would never choose to sit and draw or paint. She did what was asked and that was it. The next one lives and thrives with a drawing pencil or paintbrush in her hand. We make a lot more time for that. In fact, she can learn science and history a lot better if she is able to draw in her notebooks the diagrams of what she is looking at or make a painted project like a map or a beautiful family tree or timeline worthy of hanging up on her history or literature subjects. So you adjust. A kid will easily move into high school through mathematics and sciences if that is their thing. Others will be more adept at language and history or art and sports. But having the background in logic and latin and lots of rich literature and having been taught how to write will benefit them all. 

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I have one who did a classical education through 8th, and a more traditional one in high school.  He had no problems transitioning, and the classical background prepared him well for higher education.  One of the tradeoffs (benefits?) we found was that, when the reins were loosened and he chose more of his own classes, he did not stray far.  He moved into AP and DE classes by 11th, and though he missed out on more intensive logic and Latin studies, he gained in art, math, and technology. 

 

The youngest will probably be on a similar path, and I don't think it's going to serve him poorly, either.

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We’ve never been purely classical, but spent K-6 with a heavily classical focus. Even some through 7th and 8th.

Though my high schoolers are much more eclectic now, they carry those classical influences forward , thank goodness. They’re beneficial, not a hindrance.

 

Except math. Don’t ask me about math.

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I would expect a classically-educated rising ninth grader to do well in a traditional school based on what I've read on the forums over the years and what I see in my late-logic-stage child.  I'd expect more of a challenge switching around grades 4/5/6, if the child is following a classical writing model as opposed to the higher-volume output (and lower-complexity input/processing) standard model.  (This isn't meant to be dismissive of the standard model of writing; it is possible for good teachers to get children to similar places in the end, I think, but the paths are very different.)

 

The math could be extremely variable, depending on your classical school, but by ninth the child should be on a standard trajectory; I'd expect any wobbles to happen around the transition to algebra and/or be related to the timing of algebra.   You might want to look at the school's math trajectory and compare it to your vision of good math ed, and/or what will be available in the high school scenario you'd consider. 

 

ETA: completely forgot to say:  Welcome!  and, good luck!

Edited by serendipitous journey
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