How much does the geometry course through Wilson Hill cost? I can't find tuition listed on their website. Also, my daughter has taken creative writing from Mr. Hummel and absolutely loves him. I would enroll her in his geometry class in a second, but I just can't go with the Saxon text.

Amira! That's her! Oh, thank you so very much!

Long shot, I know, but there used to be a mom who posted here who also maintained a blog, where she reviewed books that she'd read. I can't remember her name. Here's what I can remember: 1. She was Mormon. 2. She was an avid reader. 3. She had a sharp wit. 4. She could review a book in such a way that made you: a) not able to resist reading it or B) never pick it up. Ring a bell with anyone? I really miss her reviews and can't stand the thought of another summer of reading without her advice. Many thanks!!

I've heard that a strong knowledge of English grammar aids in the study of Latin and vice versa. Is this true? And if so, how? Thank you!

I'm convinced many homeschool moms spend way more time planning, scheduling, organizing, and investigating curriculum than they do actually teaching it. I selected my curriculum and haven't looked back. I just keep plugging away... once it's graded, it goes in the trash. :)

Mama, Thanks for your kind words. Believe me, I'm no exception when it comes to directing a CC community or hosting an information meeting. I've learned from watching some of the most dedicated, hard-working, committed home-educators I know. I don't know what state you're in, but if you check the national CC website, you will find your state's manager. If you're not able to get your questions answered by the director of your local community, contact your state manager. She is an invaluable resource and can answer any questions you may have regarding CC. Also, look to see when your state is offering a 3-day free parent practicum. Part of the money CC collects in fees is spent to provide these seminars to home-educators each summer. They cost you nothing. You do not have to be enrolled in a CC community. The purpose of the summer practicum is to learn more about the classical model of education; practice being the student and tackling different subjects: this summer it's logic. Oy! The fellowship is unbelievable and rejuvenates me for the upcoming school year. Whether or not CC is for you, I really think you'd enjoy the practicum. The tutors for the Foundations program (K4 - 6th) aren't "teaching" you or your children anything; they're modeling how to memorize large amounts of material. I agree with the people you know who say "Kids don't need to learn the facts in context or understand them during the grammar stage." But, I disagree that merely knowing a collection of facts constitutes being "educated" at any stage of life. The memorization of facts in the grammar stage lays the foundation upon which an education can be built. Another poster mentioned the grammar stage is more about the "how" of memorizing than the "what". Yes, it is. There is any number of things you could memorize to train your brain for this skill, but Leigh Bortins has selected the basic grammar or vocabulary of 7 subjects in which to learn this task. Theoretically, you could teach the skill of memorization by having your children memorize anything! I prefer the useful facts CC has accumulated and sorted into 24 week cycles. As to your question regarding what does a tutor have to offer your son that you can't at home? My answer: nothing and a lot. The tutors don't have any materials that you don't have access to and they're supposed to present the materials each week in class, not go into an in-depth study of any topics. So, if you like the CC materials and don't want to or can't afford to join a community, don't. Do it at home within your own family. Get a few friends together and create your own informal group. Participants are paying the tutors to be prepared to present the material each week. They're not paying for expertise in any particular subject in the Foundations program. In the Essentials program (4th - 6th grade), the writing curriculum used is IEW. The grammar curriculum is Essentials of the English Language, which was written by Leigh Bortins, the founder of CC. You can find numerous samples of IEW writing products on their website and plenty of reviews on this board as well as others. Again, you are certainly capable of teaching IEW independently at home -- thousands do. The benefit to doing it in a group setting like CC is the accountability of "getting it done each week." And, this is where positive peer pressure can work to our benefit as home-school moms. The students read part of their papers aloud in class each week. I've seen amazing improvements in writing (especially with boys) when they know they're going to get to share their creativity with their peers. As for the EEL guide, I don't think there is a sample anywhere that I know of. Excellent idea! I will pass it along to my state manager and see if CC can get a sample posted on their website. From my perspective, EEL is most similar to Shurley English, except even more intense. It covers in 3 years what Shurley covers in 7. And lastly, the Challenge programs for 7th - 12th grade are simply the best I've ever seen at preparing a child for college and the world beyond. The CC catalog lists every book they read and all curriculum so you can decide for yourself if it meets the needs of your family. And no offense taken whatsoever. I left the world of content-area specialists and respected educators behind a few years ago when I brought my children home from a high-priced, private school FULL of educators with multiple degrees and credentials. Perhaps it's arrogance, but I truly believe I'm doing a better job. The only credentials I have are those given to me by God when he blessed me with children. Leigh Bortins and countless other women have empowered me to educate my children and I suppose I'm just dumb enough to believe I can. Whether or not CC is a good-fit for your family, I wish you an amazingly blessed home-school journey. We are so fortunate to be traveling this path! Thanks for allowing me to share my understanding of CC with you.

MamaBlessedThrice... a couple of observations regarding your post and hopefully some satisfactory answers to your questions. You state that you don't necessarily want to alter the way you approach educating your children. I wonder.. what it is you DO want? What brought you to a CC info. meeting in the first place? You say you wanted more information and your questions taken seriously. Sounds like a logical and reasonable request to me. It also sounds like the director did not explain the purpose of an information meeting. I'm a director for CC and I conduct many information meetings. The purpose of an information meeting is to provide a general overview of the entire program in two hours. My typical audience consists of: moms who have never home-schooled; moms who are currently home-schooling, but have never heard of the classical model of education; moms who have heard of classical education, but don't really understand it; and moms of 4 year olds to moms of teens. My job is to effectively communicate what a classical, Christian education is, what CC is, the structure of the program, the logistics of the program, and the benefits of the program to a very diverse audience in two hours. Now, I received my B.A. in public speaking and I think an extemporaneous speech on just about any topic is easier to deliver than an information meeting! I understand clearly what you wanted from the director. I also understand why she wasn't able to answer your questions in detail. There is generally more than one attendee at an information meeting and as the speaker, the director is expected to present a survey of CC in consideration of all those in the audience. I can assure you your role was not to sit and be amazed at how much information kids could "drink in" and "be educated." I know many classical educators and none would say a mere memorization and recitation of facts constituted being educated. Most however, would say it was a good start to a quality education. Again, I believe the director focused on conveying a child's ability to memorize large quanitities of information since it's such an integral part of classical education and virtually non-existent in modern education. As for your wariness of being educated by tutors whose credentials are either sketchy or unknown... I think that fear alone would eliminate CC as a good choice for you and your family. Here's why: Leigh Bortins, the founder of CC, is a huge proponent of convincing moms (or dads) that they CAN educate their children through high-school. CC doesn't use "master" teachers for specific subjects... our tutors are home-school moms or dads. Although I have a bachelor's degree, my state manager never asked for it when I applied to become a director. She asked me why I home-school, whether I plan to go the distance with it, and about my faith. They also required a background check. So, as far as "credentials".... there you have it. Kind of "sketchy" perhaps, but genuine and real. And our qualifications aren't much either: just the desire to build a community of classical, Christian home-educators, a love for learning, and an abiding faith in God. In CC, we're all expected to learn together. Kids, parents, tutors, directors, alike. Many of my friends believe God is redeeming our own education through our children. I don't know how else you can advocate life-long learning if you're not learning too. Classical Conversations has a national website: http://www.classicalconversations.com/. I give all the attendees at my information meetings a copy of CC's full-color catalog which explains much about the programs. I also give out my email and phone number and have spent countless hours answering more in-depth questions such as yours in addition to just helping moms determine the best phonics program for their 5 year-old. You'll find the scope and sequence, philosophy, teaching methods, etc... on the website. And the founder, the woman who actually designed the entire program and wrote the Essentials of the English Language (grammar text) has a blog you might enjoy: http://1smartmama.blogspot.com/. I'm sorry your experience at the information meeting was so disappointing for you. I'll bet the director recognized by your questions what a gifted individual you are and hoped you would share your passion and enthusiasm through tutoring. Peace be with you!

Betty, Option 1: Speak with the director of your local CC. If your daughter is capable of handing Challenge A, that would be ideal for your situation. Parents do not have to attend with their children and the student is in class from 8:30 - 3:00 p.m. one day per week for 30 weeks. Option 2: If she's not quite ready for Challenge A, is there another adult (dad, grandparent, sister) who could attend Foundations & Essentials with her? As long as she has an adult on campus with her, it doesn't necessarily have to be you. You would have to familiarize yourself with the material well enough to help her with the assignments at home if needed. If you're really interested, definitely speak with the director of your campus. She'll be able to offer the best advice pertaining to your specific situation. Best of luck to you!

The purpose of phonics is to teach reading; your son is reading so you don't need more phonics instruction. I used Alpha-Phonics w/ my 4 year old dd and she read BOB books, Mr. Putter & Tabby, Poppleton, etc... along the way. Once she completed AP, I bought her the hard back set of 4 books "Pooh's Library" by A.A. Milne. She loved them. And so did I. Of course, she stumbled now and then on a word and still does, but she loves to read and that's the goal. She's currently reading A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith. Anything by Dick King-Smith is good. My point is: don't extend phonics instruction because of his age. You've done an excellent job teaching him. Now kick back and enjoy listening to him read the good stuff. :)

Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know I'm hosting an information meeting Monday, March 23rd at the Owasso Public Library if anyone is interested. We're meeting from 6 - 8 p.m. If you have any friends in the Owasso area that are interested in CC, please let them know! Thanks, Linda :)

I was really excited to get this email. It looks like MAFA-Tulsa will be a GO after all. I'm so glad -- it has the potential to be a great program! I'm hoping to be able to swing it financially along with CC.

I remember you! I just heard there was going to be a new group in B-ville next year and wondered who the director might be... now I know! I'm excited for you and I'm looking forward to working with such a great group of directors! Feel free to email me if you have any questions before the open house at lschmeeckle @ cox.net (no spaces). Otherwise, I'll see you there! I'm glad you guys are coming to watch the program in action because I think our Asbury group is amazing -- especially considering it's only the 2nd year!

Just in case you're interested... the Tulsa Asbury CC group is FULL. However, 3 of us who are currently in the group are going to direct additional campuses for next year. This will open up several slots in the Asbury group (which is awesome!) I don't know where you live, but I'm going to direct a campus in Owasso (not sure of the day we'll meet yet.) There will be a campus in Broken Arrow and another one in the SW Tulsa area. I don't think those directors have established a date yet either, but if you'd like the email address of the directors, just let me know.