Would you join a *very* expensive classical co-op if

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

the introductory email from the director contained many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

[Snickerdoodle]

Is this a trick question? ;)

[Mommy22alyns]

:lol: Um, no.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

This is not a trick question! :lol:

 

The coop is Classical Conversations. Is it possible to visit one of those to scope out the tutors? (I don't think the director teaches, but I may be wrong.) I certainly don't want to pay a zillion dollars upfront only to find that they aren't qualified.

 

I can't find rigorous homeschooling friends for my dc. They have ps friends and cousins, thankfully, but they would like to meet other homeschoolers now.

[chadzwife]

i think i wouldnt join, no

wow

[Truscifi]

No.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

:lol: Um, no.

 

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

[i.love.lucy]

I would NOT judge the whole program based on one email from the director. She doesn't produce the materials. And odds are she doesn't even tutor. She just might have been having a bad day, in a hurry and didn't even mean to send out that draft. All of us make mistakes. Can you attend an open house to get a better feel for the parents and tutors there?

[TechWife]

No way.

[JVA]

The Director is a homeschool mom just like the rest of us- it is a shame her grammar is poor- but it will most likely improve over time. I know my MATH has improved in the 20-odd years I've been homeschooling!

I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water just yet. The CC materials are produced by the CC staff and edited for errors. The curriculum is well-conceptualized, planned and implemented. We've been involved for 4 years and think it's great. It would be worth it even if our Director had literacy issues! Don't give up on it. Oh- and it IS worth paying for in many aspects.

I second the idea of going and visiting at an Open House if there is one nearby. Another great way to get an idea about what CC offers is to attend one of their Parent Practicums. They're free for moms and FULL of information and help. I highly recommend one. Check out their website and your state page to see where the closest one to you will be this spring/summer.

Edited April 5, 2010 by JVA

[newlifemom]

The Director is a homeschool mom just like the rest of us- it is a shame her grammar is poor- but it will most likely improve over time. I know my MATH has improved in the 20-odd years I've been homeschooling!

I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water just yet. The CC materials are produced by the CC staff and edited for errors. The curriculum is well-conceptualized, planned and implemented. We've been involved for 4 years and think it's great. It would be worth it even if our Director had literacy issues! Don't give up on it. Oh- and it IS worth paying for in many aspects.

 

:iagree: Although, not everyone's cuppa.:001_smile:

[EKS]

No. I would not.

[LizzyBee]

I have a lot of friends in CC who are intelligent and well-educated. If the director isn't teaching, maybe it would be fine.

[Karis]

the introductory email from the director contained many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

 

 

NO

 

(But I would be curious. Who typed the e-mail? A child? )

 

Still someone HAD to have proofread before hitting "Send."

[SonshineLearner]

the introductory email from the director contained many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

 

Well, I no that I don,t tiep much, and I'm knot much in2 spellin' but I thinck that wiff some pratis I will git better.?! *Eye no it's won of theze!

 

That beeing sed, Eye wuld go and cee how it luks in persun. You juzt cann't tell how itz goinng to bee until ewe due!!

 

Guud Lukk!!

 

But, seriously, you might find your favorite friends there! I'd love to have someone who could check my grammar and spelling for me!!

:)

[LibraryLover]

Is she running it, or just sending emails about it?

Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover

[dangermom]

I'd ask to come see it in person.

[PiCO]

This is not a trick question! :lol:

 

The coop is Classical Conversations. Is it possible to visit one of those to scope out the tutors? (I don't think the director teaches, but I may be wrong.) I certainly don't want to pay a zillion dollars upfront only to find that they aren't qualified.

 

I can't find rigorous homeschooling friends for my dc. They have ps friends and cousins, thankfully, but they would like to meet other homeschoolers now.

 

Hmmm. The director in my state has the state name spelled wrong on her home page. Not a good sign.

[Margo out of lurking]

Hmmm. The director in my state has the state name spelled wrong on her home page. Not a good sign.

 

I'm wondering HOW IN THE WORLD does one misspell Colorado?:001_huh:

[cathmom]

I would investigate further. This person could have dyslexia or some other issue.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

:lol: Um, no.

 

:iagree: Especially since spell check is available everywhere now. The grammar is a whole other thing. ;)

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I didn't know the Practicums were free. That changes everything, because I can use that opportunity to snoop. One is coming up early this summer, so I guess I'll be there.

 

Even though the expense is out of my comfort range, I do want this to work out! I've been unable to find WTM-type homeschoolers in my area. CC's are suddenly really booming here, which leads me to believe that there are indeed non-unschooling homeschoolers here but one must join a CC to meet them.

[Mommyof4ks]

I didn't know the Practicums were free. That changes everything, because I can use that opportunity to snoop. One is coming up early this summer, so I guess I'll be there.

 

Even though the expense is out of my comfort range, I do want this to work out! I've been unable to find WTM-type homeschoolers in my area. CC's are suddenly really booming here, which leads me to believe that there are indeed non-unschooling homeschoolers here but one must join a CC to meet them.

 

I just visited a CC campus last week, and I was amazed at what my kids learned in one 3 hour session! At that campus the director does teach, but the material is provided for the tutors and the bulk of the teaching is still on us as parents and not the tutors. We are doing this over University Model School because it is much cheaper! Those are our only options here for a classical education.

[lovemyboys]

the introductory email from the director contained many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

 

There is a woman in our area who offers homeschool classes for a popular writing program. For one class, a friend forwarded this woman's resume with cover letter. It was a mess with misspelling, grammatical errors, poor writing and organization.

 

But people continue to rave about this person! They say she's enthusiastic, organized, encouraging and successful. They are quite pleased with what their children are writing and the progress they've made.

 

So, my advice for you would be to research it further. If there are other red flags, I'd probably look elsewhere. But if you find, like I have, that the communication was an anomaly or there are enough offsetting factors, you may decide it's worth it.

[G5052]

I've seen some things in CC that I didn't like and/or were not done professionally, but the overall experience has been very positive. You don't say how old your kids are, but in our area it's not uncommon to charge $300 for a one-hour class for 30 weeks in science or writing and the price is more for online classes from Veritas Academy or Memoria. So really CC is not bad in comparison, although it's a stretch for us every year. And co-ops are not for everyone by any means.

 

Do visit and look carefully at the director, tutors, and other families. For a Foundations director, I want organizational skills and values foremost. For tutors at the Challenge level, I want that plus teaching and writing skills.

[Jen in PA]

Well, I no that I don,t tiep much, and I'm knot much in2 spellin' but I thinck that wiff some pratis I will git better.?! *Eye no it's won of theze!

 

That beeing sed, Eye wuld go and cee how it luks in persun. You juzt cann't tell how itz goinng to bee until ewe due!!

 

Guud Lukk!!

 

But, seriously, you might find your favorite friends there! I'd love to have someone who could check my grammar and spelling for me!!

:)

 

I need more coffee to help me read this....

[Gratia271]

I don't know. These organizations should want to project an educated image if they intend to attract people to their programs. Regardless of this person's grammar, though, the program's effectiveness is really based on the quality of the tutors. I have had friends in CC coops with great results and others who left the program because the tutors did not know what they were doing. The curriculum may be outstanding, but hiring and retaining people who can teach it well is a completely different matter.

[Ester Maria]

Without getting into names of organizations and details, I'll share my very bad experience with a supposedly good co-op.

I completely ignored the initial signs that something might be wrong. Pretty much the same story - misspellings, odd grammar, intolerable mistakes in general knowledge (which I always thought I misread, or misheard - because people wouldn't seriously say such nonsense, right? well, it appeared they DID) and, when it started, my kids' frustrations and referring to their tutors later at home as "undereducated" (I addressed that as a discipline and a respect issue, though it puzzled me that kids might actually get what I was trying not to see). Everybody was very nice and dear, tolerant of our worldview which didn't necessarily fully match theirs (we agreed in advance on what not to bring up and how to address some things with kids), the kids had some fun with other kids, BUT, they weren't really learning anything. As a matter of fact, the impression I got after some time was that they should be the ones paying us for working with them and not the other way round, given that they could profit from my daughters far, far more than my daughters could profit from the co-op. What I was particularly shocked by was the level of superficiality in just. about. everything. they taught. It ended up with us pulling them out of the co-op.

 

It might be tons of things. It might be that their educational sequence and philosophy didn't match mine, it might be that our expectations and standards weren't the same, it might be cultural differences and, at the end of the day, it might simply be that it was a good co-op that just wasn't for us, BUT, it also might be that I simply got into a group of sloppy, undereducated and borderline illiterate staff which didn't teach my kids anything, and that I ignored the initial signs of that because I really wanted a co-op experience for my kids (needless to say, after that experience I was totally turned off from co-ops of any kind and realized that our approach doesn't quite match things other people do). Which is why I advise you to check things before deciding to definitely join them. It might be somebody's bad day, but it might also be that the quality of the co-op is significantly lower than what you expect. It's your money and, more importantly, your kids' education in question. Don't agree to mediocrity (you might as well simply send your kids to school then :D), and check in advance what exactly you're paying and what's the "intellectual profile" of the tutors.

 

Good luck, I hope you'll have a great experience. :)

Edited April 5, 2010 by Ester Maria

[Desert Rat]

Nope.

[74Heaven]

I wouldn't pay much attention to the errors unless I found it pervasive throughout the co op.

 

Lisaj, mom to 5

[Kari C in SC]

Yes, if she wasn't teaching writing/grammar/ etc. If she was teaching science or art history or something like that. There are very intelligent people in the world that are not the best at spelling or grammar. It would be a shame to lose out on that talent because of one of their weaknesses. JMHO.

[AFwife Claire]

One of my very good friends here is absolutely brilliant--she has a PhD in economics, used to work in the CIA, etc.--and she can't type worth a darn. And she NEVER proofreads! Just hits send and immediately moves on! Now when she writes, it is a completely different matter--no spelling errors at all--but she can't type and doesn't really seem to care. She was the leader for our local hs support group, so she sent out many emails in that capacity, full of typos. She was also a tutor in our CC group, and an excellent one. So while I would certainly be wary of the director, poor typing does not necessarly mean anything except she's a poor typist who is busy and moving on to other fires, LOL.

[kelfro]

I agree with JVA

[Laurie4b]

I'd email back and ask what the director is teaching, what the qualifications of the other staff are, etc. If she's teaching writing, then no, I wouldn't join. If she's teaching science, well okay.

 

Dyslexia can cause the spelling & punctuation problems. Dyslexia also affects grammar in the sense that dyslexics have a tendency to leave off word endings when they write, which affects subject-verb agreement and can look like a grammar mistake. A brilliant person with dyslexia can look uneducated on paper. However, I would expect an adult who is dyslexic to be compensating for that by having someone else edit an important email they send out. There are also software programs that can perform these functions.

[RegGuheert]

Would you join a *very* expensive classical co-op if the introductory email from the director contained many errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

No!

 

Such an email sends a clear message that this organization does NOT value grammar, spelling, punctuation or attention to detail. You should expect your child to learn similar values from this organization.

 

Regardless of any limitations this director may have, including dyslexia, poor spelling, poor grammar, etc., this email represents the education-focused organization which she directs. As such, she should be aware of her personal limitations and should take steps to ensure that such an important email properly reflects the values of the organization.

 

IMO, our local co-ops do not have education as their primary focus. Instead, they seem to focus on providing social experiences for the children. They have no problem signing up homeschooling families by focusing on FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) that all homeschooling moms have regarding their ability to adequately teach certain subjects and to properly socialize their children. Frankly, I do not see real differences in graduates from these co-ops compared with graduates from the local public schools.

[kelouis75]

I would NOT judge the whole program based on one email from the director. She doesn't produce the materials. And odds are she doesn't even tutor. She just might have been having a bad day, in a hurry and didn't even mean to send out that draft. All of us make mistakes. Can you attend an open house to get a better feel for the parents and tutors there?

 

Good point. If email was the means of communication, I cut some slack. We don't participate for other reasons, but don't let something so small deter you...

[ciyates]

Let me just say that if you wanted someone to teach your child about the impact the oleochemical impact has had on South East Asia I am your gal..I have a degree in Economics and a Masters in Business. If you want to know when to use who or whom you are out of luck! :confused: I don't know much about CC but I am a horrible proofreader and often make mistakes in written communication. That is not my forte. To me personally this is an area where I need a lot of grace and I am more than willing to give it.

[AuntieM]

I would base my decision more on the reaction of the proper person in authority when I (very privately and gracefully) expressed my concerns about a writing co-op issuing such a document.

 

If they think it's no big deal, well, that might clue you in on the standards they'll expect of the students.

[Charles Wallace]

I would NOT judge the whole program based on one email from the director. She doesn't produce the materials. And odds are she doesn't even tutor. She just might have been having a bad day, in a hurry and didn't even mean to send out that draft. All of us make mistakes. Can you attend an open house to get a better feel for the parents and tutors there?

 

I would not necessarily judge the whole program, but I would experience significant skepticism about it. Being in a hurry, etc., are all human events, of course, but there is a difference between a typographical error made in a hastily-written email (and how professional is it not to read those over?) and an error in grammar.

[BeckyFL]

No, no, no

[RegGuheert]

I guess I do not understand why anyone would equate "email" with "hastily-written" in this case. The OP characterized this as "the introductory email from the director." Given that this is an "expensive classical co-op" which is likely for-profit, does it make sense that each email would be an individually hand-crafted piece of prose? For that purpose, I would say it is much more appropriate to use a boilerplate piece of text which has been thoroughly vetted by several people before it is sent to anyone outside the organization. If the director wanted to include a personal message in the email, they could easily add that to the top or bottom of the message and then thoroughly check that small bit that was added.