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Classical Conversations--Am I crazy to consider this?


snickelfritz
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I was very close to doing CC 2 years ago. I decided that my dd's were a little young to justify the cost. Since then, I've shifted a bit in my school philosophy and become much more relaxed. We do math, reading, writing, violin, outside drawing, and library books. I'm looking at it for my 3rd and kindy for next year (she's a September birthday.....but will technically be a K).

 

So, I'm considering it as:

 

1. A way to get in some history/science/geography. We read lots of library books. Do random things. But this would be something organized and regular. I'm not convinced that history is so all-important, but I think it would be interesting to them.

 

2. A way for them to meet other kids their age and be introduced to being in a class. dd wants to go to school, so I think this would be a good compromise for her.

 

3. Regular art & music. They already do violin and older is in a drawing class. We would probably stop the outside drawing class if we do CC, but I think the CC would complement the violin.

 

4. We are TTC. Nothing yet, but I'm considering CC while assuming we will be successful (no past issues). I have visions of CC being a nice stable place for them to keep going forward in school during some time when I might be overwhelmed at home. I figure they can go to class and I will have baby in a carrier with me in their class, able to slip out when I need to. The classes around here tend to fill up, so I will probably need to sign up before we might know for sure.

 

5. I'm not convinced that memory work is all-important, but I don't have a problem with it. And we tend to rise to outside-expectations. So, we would do the memory work that is expected of us.

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If there was a CC group nearby, I would consider at least going to visit for more information. I don't know what TTC stands for, but if that's something that might be consideration then you will have to decide. The fees can be expensive, at least from what I've read. All that said, if I had the chance to go and at least check it out, I would.

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consider at least going to visit for more information. I don't know what TTC stands for, but if that's something that might be consideration then you will have to decide.

We are trying for a third child. :) So, will the consistency be nice during a busy time? Or will it be an intrusion?

 

I actually did observe at a CC, when I considered it before. The stuff they focus on isn't my focus, but I don't think it's bad.

 

I just can't decide if I'll appreciate the structure or resent having that time committed.

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I have done CC with a kindergartner this year and really enjoyed it. I will put my four year old in it in the fall (and he will be barely four). I think a lot of it depends on having a good tutor and a good director. We joined for many of the reasons you mentioned... wanted dd to get to "go" to school, experience a classroom setting, I wanted a community of other homeschooling moms.

 

Some of the memory work I love. Other parts I think are ridiculous. However, you decide how much review and what you review during the week. We've focused on history, science, and math facts and not so much on latin and grammar. Personally, I think it's A LOT for a k'er to try to learn everything. So, we're picking and choosing our focus. I think in her second year, she will be able to learn it all because some stuff is repeated year to year.

 

We've really enjoyed the art and music and science experiments. It's been nice to get that stuff done each week and not worry about trying to do it on my own. DD can't wait for classes to start back. I have been shocked at what she has learned (with very little review) and the connections she has made when we've run across timeline events.

 

Overall, I think it's a great, well organized, fun day. I don't know that I think it's the end all be all of classical education, but it's been a good decision for our family and I'd definitely recommend it.

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We are trying for a third child. :) So, will the consistency be nice during a busy time? Or will it be an intrusion?

 

I actually did observe at a CC, when I considered it before. The stuff they focus on isn't my focus, but I don't think it's bad.

 

I just can't decide if I'll appreciate the structure or resent having that time committed.[/QUOTE]

 

I have a friend doing a similar co-op experience and she is experiencing both. There's a lot of work involved that they have to keep up on in time for their co-op on Fridays and it can be overwhelming at times. Thursdays get stressful trying to get everything ready for Friday. But the kids are enjoying it a lot. She did end up getting roped into working in the morning with one child's class and teaching logic to 7th and 8th graders, so that can be a concern.

 

I'd have the same concerns as you, so I don't know what to tell you.

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I enjoy CC for the accountability, the social aspect, and also the science and art/music, which I am not good at providing at home.

 

I have a different distraction -- a child w/a disability that requires a lot of attention, appointments, etc. -- and so I am grateful that, at least one day a week, I know that my kids have consistent structure. We listen to the memory work CD in the car and follow some of the science and history along at home.

 

For us, it is a good balance of home and school!

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If you don't resent the $$$, you'll like it. For the baby thing, under about a year is pretty easy in class. The time when they start to walk... not so great. It's also kinda distracting when they are trying to get into everything. I think that financially, it's a good investment. When your kids hit Challenge... (7th) I think it's hard to be involved with Challenge... while not being there. At that point, I think it'd be great to have one parent/gma whatever... do Foundations with your youngers... and sit in on Challenge with your oldest.... That's just me :)

I Direct a program... so there's my disclaimer. I'm not money hungry :) I've told people to not let the money be the stopping factor... Lots of work to go around... and if you wanna swap out some work... for coming... I'll try to make a way :) Most directors want good families more than the $$$. Gotta tell you that the $$$ makes it so people feel committed :)

 

The memory work is sometimes very out of context, but I have to tell ya that my son pulls it right in... as he comes into contact with other material. Math facts have been a breeze, as he skip counted.. then explained to me what multiplication is. He's mathy... but I attribute some of this to doing the skip counting.

 

Classical Conversations "CC" does help form communities that are (hopefully) serious about schooling. Some families more structured than others... I have high hopes for my son... but if compared to some in the group... look like an unschooler ;) To each their own :)

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I was very close to doing CC 2 years ago. I decided that my dd's were a little young to justify the cost. Since then, I've shifted a bit in my school philosophy and become much more relaxed. We do math, reading, writing, violin, outside drawing, and library books. I'm looking at it for my 3rd and kindy for next year (she's a September birthday.....but will technically be a K).

 

So, I'm considering it as:

 

1. A way to get in some history/science/geography. We read lots of library books. Do random things. But this would be something organized and regular. I'm not convinced that history is so all-important, but I think it would be interesting to them.

 

2. A way for them to meet other kids their age and be introduced to being in a class. dd wants to go to school, so I think this would be a good compromise for her.

 

3. Regular art & music. They already do violin and older is in a drawing class. We would probably stop the outside drawing class if we do CC, but I think the CC would complement the violin.

 

4. We are TTC. Nothing yet, but I'm considering CC while assuming we will be successful (no past issues). I have visions of CC being a nice stable place for them to keep going forward in school during some time when I might be overwhelmed at home. I figure they can go to class and I will have baby in a carrier with me in their class, able to slip out when I need to. The classes around here tend to fill up, so I will probably need to sign up before we might know for sure.

 

5. I'm not convinced that memory work is all-important, but I don't have a problem with it. And we tend to rise to outside-expectations. So, we would do the memory work that is expected of us.

 

not crazy at all. I would encourage you to consider attending an open-house if there is a campus nearby, and then in the summer attend one of the free three-day practicums. they are helpful in deciding. I know for many people who have new babies, CC ends up being a life-saver because it is one thing that is very easy to stay on track with when everything at home gets turned topsy-turvy with a new baby. I wrote an article in my blog called "Coming full-circle with CC." I'll be the first to tell you that it's not for everyone, it's not a magic bullet, and it may not even be the BEST way to do classical education. HOWEVER, it does work for many, many people, and so far this has been our best school year yet. (third year CC, after taking last year off for various reasons).

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I just can't decide if I'll appreciate the structure or resent having that time committed.

 

I didn't read all the replies before giving my answer above...sorry...but this is a really good question to ask. at first for us it was an intrusion. this is where the "coming full circle" thing comes in. I saw it as more of a supplement, vs. the spine. Now I see it more as a spine and I use it as a very good springboard to go much deeper into the topics we are covering in CC.

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I skimmed everyone else's responses, and I agree with all of it. I didn't see anyone stress the social bonus for mom, though. Truly, it is such a great thing to meet women just like you who live nearby. Of course having all the moms there all the time has a bad side too, as sometimes the momma bear comes out.

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My family is in its third year doing CC and overall its been a very positive experience. I've done both the Challenge (junior and high school programs) and Foundations so I'll offer my perspective on both.

 

My dd started in the 6th grade(last year of Foundations) so we used CC as our spine - but many families don't. She is a social butterfly and enjoyed the interaction with the other students in the class. It really helped her to want to be prepared for class. That year I was pregnant with my third child, so CC really helped keep us on track although so weeks were harder than others. However, I was never pressured to keep up with the group from week to week. CC really emphasizes each family going at their own pace. The students went at different paces in each subject. That year my daughter also did Essentials, which is a separate program for Language Arts, Writing, and Mental Math. This was EXCELLENT! My daughter came in a struggling writing with very basic language arts skills and by the end of the year, she no longer cried when she had to write a paper and her Standford 10 scores in Language Arts were in the upper 90th percentile.

 

The Challenge program I've learned to pick and chose what we will do because unlike the Foundations program, it actually uses various curriculum that may or may not work well for your child. For example, my daughter and I hated Latin's Not So Tough in Challenge A, so we dropped that class and I bought First Form Latin to us at home. But CC Challenge is flexible, like most other co-ops you can choose which courses you want to do there and which you'll do at home or elsewhere. But the opportunity for my dialect/rhetoric child to interact, discuss novels, present papers and debate

with other students is something I can't replicate at home and I like the structure that CC provides. Now honestly, I do believe that TOG is a more rigorous program and that will be our spine next year for history and maybe literature, but my daughter will still do some CC Challenges classes - Science, Economics, Latin (Henle 1), etc, for the reasons I stated above.

 

This year my ds5 is doing foundations and he loves it! Although our spine is now Tapestry of Grace, I find that CC introduces him to topics that we touch on later on in TOG. CC gives us a peg of knowledge that he can later hang more information on. I don't stress connections with him because thats not the purpose of CC at his level although sometimes he makes them on his own later on in the year as we study CC topics in TOG. I'm interested in immersing him with facts of information, which CC does well. He also does Science experiments and art activities there, which is a plus for us.

 

I have found that THe Story of the World on Audio has tremendous benefits for CC users because the CC History Sentences are also topics in SOTW. My son has reached many of his connections that way. Example, a few weeks ago we learn a memory sentence about The French Revolution and Reign of Terror. It didn't mean much to my son then, but when he heard the references on SOTW audio book, he head perked up, he smiled and said, "Oh, I know about this and broke into a rendition of his CC History Sentence. Then he had me replay the STOW chapter and listened intently to the story. As we progress through CC he'll learn more and more. This has happened time and time again with CC - hanging pegs of knowledge helps the students make connections later on. That moment when things click is priceless.

 

Hope this helps - this is just one homeschool mom's perspective :)

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