Anyone else on the fence about joining CC?

[Hilltop]

I have gone back and forth about joining our local Classical Conversations group next year. I have done a search and read every thread I can find on CC and talked it over with my dh and several friends. I've made a list of pros and cons, and the list is about equal. My pros include memory work, accountability/motivation, oral presentations, and friendships/community. My cons include the 3 year history cycle, having CC on Fridays (I would prefer a different day of the week), the cost, and the time commitment.

 

Is anyone else trying to make this decision too?

[mhaddon]

I am, just when I think I decided no I seem to think again. I mean at least I'm guaranteed to get to art, music, history, etc. if I slack the rest of the week. It's like a safety net, lol. But it is so expensive and I really think for that amount of money I could do other things, plus we are getting a new van this week so I have to be more strict on our budget.

 

I hope you decide!!

[moskitoe]

I am finishing my third year as a CC tutor so I think I have a pretty good idea about pros and cons. I will say that it has definitely helped me to see how much is possible when it comes to accomplishing memory work, a fine arts activity, and a science activity each week. On my own, I would find it very difficult to accomplish those things. I also appreciate having the memory work already selected for me which is something I would never get around to. Without CC, I don't believe that my son would have accomplished so much memory work nor would I have thought it was possible.

 

For the cons: It goes a little faster than I would like. I too would prefer a four year cycle. In the past I have tried to keep up but that has not worked for me. We just wrapped up cycle 3 which is an american history cycle so this year I am going to take my time going through ancient times. I have also had a hard time with wanting to spend more time on a certain science topic but then feeling I have to move on quickly in order to keep up. I am not going to do that this year either. I am going to make it a biology year. Basically, I am adapting a 5th grade WTM curriculum to my fourth grader because it happens to be where we are right now. I also feel that sometimes 30 min is not enough for a science lab and I end up feeling like my son didn't really get it. So if those are the only labs you are going to do then I would follow up with your child with some kind of review. I think that to get the most out of this program, it pays to plan ahead.

 

So if I were you I would try to decide if I am going to keep up with the whole program (which may feel like a blur) or go at my pace and trust that the mental pegs will be there when we get to that.

 

I would also be interested to know how others combine CC with WTM.

 

Hope that was helpful. To sum it up, I have benefitted enough from the program that I am sticking with it for now.

 

Carolina

[Hilltop]

I am, just when I think I decided no I seem to think again. I mean at least I'm guaranteed to get to art, music, history, etc. if I slack the rest of the week. It's like a safety net, lol. But it is so expensive and I really think for that amount of money I could do other things, plus we are getting a new van this week so I have to be more strict on our budget.

 

I hope you decide!!

 

I agree with you about the safety net. :) I also keep thinking about other things I could do with that amount of money.... I appreciate your encouragement!

[Hilltop]

I am finishing my third year as a CC tutor so I think I have a pretty good idea about pros and cons. I will say that it has definitely helped me to see how much is possible when it comes to accomplishing memory work, a fine arts activity, and a science activity each week. On my own, I would find it very difficult to accomplish those things. I also appreciate having the memory work already selected for me which is something I would never get around to. Without CC, I don't believe that my son would have accomplished so much memory work nor would I have thought it was possible.

 

For the cons: It goes a little faster than I would like. I too would prefer a four year cycle. In the past I have tried to keep up but that has not worked for me. We just wrapped up cycle 3 which is an american history cycle so this year I am going to take my time going through ancient times. I have also had a hard time with wanting to spend more time on a certain science topic but then feeling I have to move on quickly in order to keep up. I am not going to do that this year either. I am going to make it a biology year. Basically, I am adapting a 5th grade WTM curriculum to my fourth grader because it happens to be where we are right now. I also feel that sometimes 30 min is not enough for a science lab and I end up feeling like my son didn't really get it. So if those are the only labs you are going to do then I would follow up with your child with some kind of review. I think that to get the most out of this program, it pays to plan ahead.

 

So if I were you I would try to decide if I am going to keep up with the whole program (which may feel like a blur) or go at my pace and trust that the mental pegs will be there when we get to that.

 

I would also be interested to know how others combine CC with WTM.

 

Hope that was helpful. To sum it up, I have benefitted enough from the program that I am sticking with it for now.

 

Carolina

 

Thank you! This was very helpful! We are just about to finish SOTW 1, so my plan is to go ahead with SOTW 2 even if we join CC, since next year is Year 1 (Ancients) for CC.

[mommytime]

I have gone back and forth about joining our local Classical Conversations group next year. I have done a search and read every thread I can find on CC and talked it over with my dh and several friends. I've made a list of pros and cons, and the list is about equal. My pros include memory work, accountability/motivation, oral presentations, and friendships/community. My cons include the 3 year history cycle, having CC on Fridays (I would prefer a different day of the week), the cost, and the time commitment.

 

Is anyone else trying to make this decision too?

 

Yup, I feel the same way. I even started a thread awhile ago asking the same question. :001_smile: I keep going back and forth, and I really need to decide! It really is just the money and the huge time commitment that are holding me back. We enjoyed it, but there was such a feeling of freedom when we ended this year. Ours met on Tuesday, and it was such a disruption to the school week. Also, my 5 year old might have undiagnosed special needs. I'm going to have him checked out soon. He just can't function well in a group, and I had to be on him like stink on poo every moment during CC...as well as take care of my new baby. It was exhausting. It was hard trying to nurse in the classroom when dads were there, too...I couldn't leave him to go nurse her in the nursery. Of course, next year she won't be nursing as much.

 

We're joining a charter school this year, which I'm excited about (yay money!!), but it means that I have to keep up on providing the history and science stuff. So, CC was a safety net for those things.

 

Then I think of what the kids got out of it. They know the history songs, presidents song (which they sing constantly), the states & capitals, the timeline, and most of the skip counting songs. They had exposure to the fine arts, science concepts, and all the other grammar. They made friends, had GREAT teachers, lots of fun and games. I mean, they were playing candy land, musical chairs, follow the leader, etc etc, and that is just so much more fun in a big group. My oldest is such an extrovert and thrived on it.

 

But, CC is so intensive. Do I like all the memory work? No. Do I want to have to accomodate and spend so much time reviewing? No. Ack! Can't make up my mind.

 

So I guess I'm no help at all. :tongue_smilie:

[Jim]

We just completed our second year of CC and I am constantly weighing whether it is worth it or not. It is expensive, especially considering the change in the timeline for the coming year and the new investment in the guide and cards. It does disrupt the week, making our school a four day week since our oldest ds also attends Essentials in the afternoon.

 

Foundations has proved what is possible regarding memory work. Ds took ownership late in the year and easily earned the title of Memory Master. He truely knows every single piece of information from the past year. I just shake my head when I look at the stack of cards. He's already talking about matching that feat next year and the year after so he will have matered all three cycles.

 

We do treat CC as an outside activity. It does not replace anything in our schedule, though we've been slacking on history (which kills me) and it does offer a safety net and a jumping off point for many, many discusions.

 

This year, we're starting the logic stage cycle so his CC history work will follow what we're doing at home, somewhat. His presentations skills have inproved greatly, so much that he recognizes the need top prepare in advance, make eye contact, and we're working on some movement.

 

I view Essentials as a review. The math games simply bolster the math concepts we study at home. CC uses IEW writing and while we left our writing at that this year I thought it was "light." and have the B level contunation course all set for at home and will be purchasing WWS. (I want to take a good look at it and use much of it since the IEW/WWE combo has worked for us.)

 

So, yes it's expensive. It has ds answering to someone besides mom and dad. He has developed some school friends. His ability to retain information is impressive (it was always very good). It offers a review ofwhat we're doing at home in grammar, writing, etc.

 

I could see building the at home work around CC, using the weekly session as a jumping off point for several subjects at home. That would make the cost a non issue.

 

What am I saying? I see benefits. I certainly see the cost. I wonder if we could use that day at home.

 

 

Jim

[mhaddon]

I agree with you about the safety net. :) I also keep thinking about other things I could do with that amount of money.... I appreciate your encouragement!

 

I also am not sure if it is possible, but do you think you could still have the relationships with other families if you knew who they were? Ours is just starting and I know all the families joining so for me that isn't a big plus. We are in many activities with them already. Music, CYT, cub scouts, etc.

 

I think the biggest tug for me besides what I mentioned earlier is the public speaking portion. I'm just telling myself that CYT is going to help with that and am thinking about starting a speech class that meets every so often for all ages. I think it would be neat to do a topic and see what everyone comes up with maybe once a month, come as you want. Not sure if anyone has ever done such a thing, lol.

[FlyingMOm]

We did CC this year and this is an EXCELLENT blog post on the pros & cons of CC and why they eventually chose to leave cc. I can echo every single one of her issues with CC. Rather than write my own post on it, I've just saved hers and always share it with others!

 

http://accidentalhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-classical-conversations-to.html

[craftyerin]

Another one on the fence. I've almost decided no, but I can't quite work up enough decision to email the director and tell her so (we're currently on the list for next year). The big pro for me is knowing other area homeschoolers--we literally know none with kids our kids' ages. I visited it and really liked it, but I also think it's too much, too soon for my age group. My oldest will be a young 5 and my twins young 4s in the fall. My oldest is ADHD and will really struggle to behave in a structured environment for 3 hours. I dread thinking about how much I'll have to focus on him and his behavior. I don't really want to give up a full day every week to it either. Not when we're still in MOPs and my DH is off every other Friday. Plus I really want PK to be fun and outing-full, not all school. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we aren't doing it. Probably in 1st or 2nd. But not yet.

[amselby81]

We just finished our first year of CC and we liked it. But I agree it is so stinkin' expensive! I was on the fence about it for next year, but I decided to go ahead and jump back in. I've already registered DD for next year. I love the sense of community. It's different from the co-op that is run in our county. We would do the co-op if we weren't in CC, so DD would be able to socialize w/ other students. I feel that the co-op would be just as disruptive to our school week, if not more so. And I don't feel like the co-op has as much of a sense of community as CC. DD would have multiple classes at the co-op and so she'd have different kids in each hour long class and she'd also have homework! At least we can incorporate the C.C. material into our weekly schedule. At CC, she really grew close with her classmates. And since the CC community is a lot smaller than the co-op (hundreds of kids at co-op) all of us at CC are able to keep in touch and do activities outside of CC. We have cookouts, park playdates, and field trips. It's great! So yeah, CC is a whole lot more expensive than the co-op, but it is a better experience for us. I just hope we can continue to afford it. Although there are people who have quit CC, but who continue to keep in touch with the people in CC. So I think even if we have to quit, we've been able to form some good friendships through it.

[Hedgehogs4]

We did CC this year and this is an EXCELLENT blog post on the pros & cons of CC and why they eventually chose to leave cc. I can echo every single one of her issues with CC. Rather than write my own post on it, I've just saved hers and always share it with others!

 

http://accidentalhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-classical-conversations-to.html

 

wow...thanks! :blush: I'm honored.

 

I want to add something here, though...I did not do TOG the first time I pulled out of CC (I did two years, tutored and all, took a year off, then went back for an additional year). The first time was because of what a pp had mentioned. It was simply too fast. I found that as I tried to just do the memory work without it being in context with the rest of our interests, I was annoyed and frustrated with having to take the time away from what we were doing to do the memory work, and I ended up not doing it with the kids as well as we should have. This resulted in me feeling as though I had wasted my money. When CC worked best was when I was keeping pace (as best I could) with their topics, and while it was good, it was just too fast and intense, and left major gaps in the sequence.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Hedgehogs4

[mommytime]

I was thinking about it all night...and if we can afford it, I think we'll do it again. Whew...if we can get in, now, that is, and convince hubby. I just know how much my oldest needs the social time. I hear homeschoolers talk about how much socializing they get in sports, clubs, activities, etc. And I'm so jealous! We just can't afford several outside activities, and I'd be exhausted trying to do it. I'm joining the charter so they can pay for karate lessons and another enrichment day once a month. DS 7 was in CC, plus baseball, AWANA, Sunday School, Kids Choir (when they have it), and whatever other play dates we can arrange...but it's not enough for him. He would love to be with 30 other kids all day. He can go and go and not get tired. CC was a built-in social time for him...a very expensive one with tons of academic benefits. We're in a local hs group, but with a new baby and a move this year we haven't done as many field trips/activities as usual. Plus, a park day isn't the same as the dynamic of a CC classroom, where you REALLY work on the classroom social skills.

 

Sometimes I feel guilty that I can't afford all the extracurricular stuff. It's hard because, at least in our our area, everyone would love to do playdates and park days, but everyone is just too dang busy. Always always busy. No one has time to get together and play very often. Or if they can, I'm busy that day! Lol.

 

I might do the other co-op in our area since isn't as expensive as CC, but it requires the parents to teach several times, and with DS 5's needs I can't do that. I have to be with him at all times. And CC provides so much each week (the fine arts, science, songs, presentation, and a chance for someone else to be the teacher).

 

Ok, sorry, I'm just thinking out loud here. Maybe someone else can relate to my rambling. :lol:

[Hilltop]

Thank you to all who have replied! I feel so encouraged to know I am not crazy for wrestling with this decision. In many ways I feel like it may be best to wait another year because I can't make up my mind. On the other hand, I feel like this would be a good year to give it a try... starting with cycle 1, we just finished SOTW 1, and my girls will be in second grade.

 

The director of my CC group has asked for a commitment by this Friday. I very much appreciate everyone sharing their pros/cons here, as I don't have any local friends who homeschool.

[mommytime]

wow...thanks! :blush: I'm honored.

 

I want to add something here, though...I did not do TOG the first time I pulled out of CC (I did two years, tutored and all, took a year off, then went back for an additional year). The first time was because of what a pp had mentioned. It was simply too fast. I found that as I tried to just do the memory work without it being in context with the rest of our interests, I was annoyed and frustrated with having to take the time away from what we were doing to do the memory work, and I ended up not doing it with the kids as well as we should have. This resulted in me feeling as though I had wasted my money. When CC worked best was when I was keeping pace (as best I could) with their topics, and while it was good, it was just too fast and intense, and left major gaps in the sequence.

 

Hi! :seeya: I've read your blog post before, too! I so appreciated it! I just saw your post after I posted mine. I can so agree with this! I took a lot of time to review the CC memory work at home, which took away any time we had for our own history and science. I felt that if we didn't memorize the material, then I was wasting my money. But if I tried to keep up with the weekly material and really base my curriculum around it, it was waaayy too rushed. I couldn't find a middle ground. If we didn't practice at home, then when they played review games in class, my kids wouldn't know any of it, and I didn't want them to feel left out. But it took A LOT of time. I was doing my own US history, but the baby/move really interrupted us and so I still feel behind. If we do it next year, I want to do SOTW 1, learn the timeline and history songs, but just not worry about it matching up. Any info learned would be bonus.

 

Almost all of the other parents didn't do any CC review work at home, except those going for MM, but I just couldn't fathom this after spending so much money on it. But, I wanted to have the time to do our own stuff, too.

[amselby81]

Thank you to all who have replied! I feel so encouraged to know I am not crazy for wrestling with this decision. In many ways I feel like it may be best to wait another year because I can't make up my mind. On the other hand, I feel like this would be a good year to give it a try... starting with cycle 1, we just finished SOTW 1, and my girls will be in second grade.

 

The director of my CC group has asked for a commitment by this Friday. I very much appreciate everyone sharing their pros/cons here, as I don't have any local friends who homeschool.

 

Oh my! I can probably understand that she wants a good head count, so she knows how many tutors to hire and how much space she needs, but a commitment in April? That's asking a lot from people, especiall if you've never been enrolled. I'd tell her straight up that you need more time to think and pray on it. If you're not ready to say yes or no by Friday, and she's acting like you can't register after that (which is ridiculous unless she's near full capacity) then I'd either look for another campus or drop the idea of CC for this year. I'll tell you that I registered in August, and by then the director really did need to know whether I was serious or not. They were about to start! But my director was really cool about it, since I was new.

[Brenda in FL]

The director of my CC group has asked for a commitment by this Friday.

 

Oh my! I can probably understand that she wants a good head count, so she knows how many tutors to hire and how much space she needs, but a commitment in April? That's asking a lot from people, especiall if you've never been enrolled. I'd tell her straight up that you need more time to think and pray on it. If you're not ready to say yes or no by Friday, and she's acting like you can't register after that (which is ridiculous unless she's near full capacity) then I'd either look for another campus or drop the idea of CC for this year. I'll tell you that I registered in August, and by then the director really did need to know whether I was serious or not. They were about to start! But my director was really cool about it, since I was new.

 

This is not unusual. Many CC Communities have waiting lists and many communities have limited space. Our community has a very early registration for current families - by February and then it's opened up to new families.

 

I started CC late with my older kids. We had moved to a new state and i wanted an environment where we could quickly meet like-minded families who were pursuing a classical education and an environment that would enhance our classical education at home. CC Foundations is not our spine, but it is providing those pegs and reference points as we continue our 4 year cycles via TWTM.

 

We will be pursuing CC through Challenge. If you have a long-term vision for your home school, I think that it may be easier to decide if CC is the right opportunity for your family.

 

It's a different approach to classical education than TWTM, but every family's needs and approaches vary and change. If I wasn't classically educating my children, if I was only looking for a social outlet, if I didn't see the value of memory work (even out of context!) then I would not choose CC.

[momee]

I agree on Angie's point to give it some time. How can they demand a commitment in April?

 

just my personal experience with CC here:

One of the reasons I was so drawn to CC was that I felt I was unorganized and undisciplined in my own homeschool. I knew we couldn't afford it yet I justified it because of "our children's education". My dh wasn't on board and I shouldn't have pursued such a costly risk at a time when we were already struggling financially. Not only the class fees but the books required and materials as well. I think sometimes we get ourselves into this worry about school that ends up costing our families quite a bit of money. CC was that example for us.

 

in general:

I would say consider the pace and your individual children's ability to handle it and thrive under the constancy and repetitive nature of the weeks.

 

Take time to examine how you feel about the memory work being required of them with no teaching of the terms or frame of reference of the events/subjects to be memorized. There were tricks and fun things to memorize them, yes, but did my children come away with an understanding of any of it? No. I realize though this is how CC views the model of classical education, terms first, understanding later.

 

I felt our school hours weren't spent teaching, they were spent memorizing. Big difference for our family.

HTH

[thefragile7393]

I think it may be too much for my son. Plus its on Fridays which does not help me since I work Fridays. It could help him....but his memory and writing skills are not really that strong yet anyway.

[mhaddon]

That is an early commitment! I'm not sure if asked by this Friday I could decide. Eek! I would see if because you haven't done it before if you can have more time. I'm lucky in that ours is starting and I am on the list to be a tutor. Which means after all the wrestling I probably will do it because it won't be so bad. I'm thinking each child 3 years in the foundations and then no more. No way with 4 could I do it all the way through. Nor do I care to. I plan on using IEW myself so I don't see that being a big reason why to pay the extra.

[dsmama]

I really love CC for my family, in that it provides structure, science experiments, public speaking, memory work, social networking, and a host of other things.

 

That said, I'm a tutor, and so the expense is offset a lot. So I know that's a big disclaimer. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

 

Good luck with your decisions!

[jetted4]

I did one year of CC with my eldest when he was around 3rd or 4th grade. I found that the part I liked best was the Veritas Press History cards. I like the idea of memorizing "hooks"...then when you read about it in your regular cycle through history you can reference the VP history cards for a quick context.

 

The time investment for Foundations as a whole, to me, seemed to take too much time away from what I wanted to cover.

 

I still use the VP cards with my youngest and have many times referenced them as we've been studying history.

 

One concern (this is second hand information that I haven't double-checked myself, so please research before acting on this): I have 2 friends who have both said that some of the history and science facts used in the sentences/songs are incorrect. This was about 3 years ago so it is possible that the errors have since been corrected, but the feedback I got was that they had both tried to notify CC about the errors and had not been able to make any headway in being heard...

[hsbaby]

I have really been debating this. I have the opportunity to tutor, so cost isn't really factoring in. However, we have been in another tutorial for four years and I am really tired of others dictating our time and curriculum. I don't want to spend the time on memorization that CC requires. I'd rather spend that time reading good books. So, I'm leaning toward no. My only hesitation is the social aspects....for me and the kids. But, with the abundance of homeschoolers in our area, I think I can find something less intrusive.

[Hilltop]

You all are so helpful! :grouphug:

 

Right now I am leaning toward trying it for a year. I feel like the potential friendships/community would be a big benefit for our family. We really haven't connected with other homeschoolers in our area and I grow weary sometimes because I don't have any friends locally that homeschool.

[Hedgehogs4]

You all are so helpful! :grouphug:

 

Right now I am leaning toward trying it for a year. I feel like the potential friendships/community would be a big benefit for our family. We really haven't connected with other homeschoolers in our area and I grow weary sometimes because I don't have any friends locally that homeschool.

 

this is a very good reason to choose to do it...it is a good point for connection. All the moms that I now have as my very close homeschooling community were with me in CC originally. Now none of us are still there, but we still meet regularly and even have done a co-op together based on another curriculum.

[mommytime]

You all are so helpful! :grouphug:

 

Right now I am leaning toward trying it for a year. I feel like the potential friendships/community would be a big benefit for our family. We really haven't connected with other homeschoolers in our area and I grow weary sometimes because I don't have any friends locally that homeschool.

 

I agree...I think this sounds like a good reason to try it. If you can afford it, and don't mind giving up one day a week, then you'll probably love it just for the chance to connect with others. I hope you do enjoy the community if you decide to join!

[Missouri Okie]

You all are so helpful! :grouphug:

 

Right now I am leaning toward trying it for a year. I feel like the potential friendships/community would be a big benefit for our family. We really haven't connected with other homeschoolers in our area and I grow weary sometimes because I don't have any friends locally that homeschool.

 

The connections with the moms and great kids is one of the greatest benefits to our family. Also, as for giving up a day, it is only for 24 weeks, which leaves almost half the year to have that CC day all to yourself (well, yourself AND your children :)).

[Hilltop]

Okay....the decision is made! We are going to sign up for CC. :)

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. :grouphug:

[beth83]

Can anyone give me a ballpark of the cost? All I keep reading is how expensive it is. I am looking into it for next year, but I am now getting a little scared for money reasons.

 

I have to go to an informational for them to tell me how much it is here, but I might fall in love before I know the expense. I rather know how much it might be, approximately, to decide if I should go to the informational in the first place. It could save a lot of heartbreak, you know?

 

I understand it probably varies from place to place. But can anyone give me a ballpark figure?

[warriormom]

$350 a child + $100 history cards+ $50 foundations guide + $10 tin whistle ( possibly $30 for the memory CDs)

[beth83]

$350 a child + $100 history cards+ $50 foundations guide + $10 tin whistle ( possibly $30 for the memory CDs)

 

Thank you! And is that for children in the nursery program, as well? I assume they are some expense. Obviously I wouldn't have to buy the materials, but are also around $350?

[amselby81]

Tuition is $350, but then there's a registration fee, a supplies fee, and a facility fee. If you have little ones who are too small for CC you may need to pay a nursery fee as well. Our total (before buying Foundations Guide and cards) for last year was $500, then we paid an extra $100 for my youngest to stay in the nursery. The nursery fee pays for the nursery worker.

 

Keep in mind that a portion of tuition is used to pay the tutors. Tutors are paid according to how many children are enrolled. My friend tutored this year and she said she was paid about $1,100 for the year. I think they get paid quarterly. If you tutor, you can definitely offset the cost a bit.

[beth83]

Tuition is $350, but then there's a registration fee, a supplies fee, and a facility fee. If you have little ones who are too small for CC you may need to pay a nursery fee as well. Our total (before buying Foundations Guide and cards) for last year was $500, then we paid an extra $100 for my youngest to stay in the nursery. The nursery fee pays for the nursery worker.

 

Keep in mind that a portion of tuition is used to pay the tutors. Tutors are paid according to how many children are enrolled. My friend tutored this year and she said she was paid about $1,100 for the year. I think they get paid quarterly. If you tutor, you can definitely offset the cost a bit.

 

Thank you!!!

[Guest Toni]

Regarding the fees, if we also use Essentials, then we pay the tuition for Foundations AND Essentials, correct? We're also deciding (and leaning toward joining). Our greatest concern is for our oldest, who will be in 8th grade this coming year. Where will they place her, having never been in CC before? How will we (and CC) help her to adjust since she will not have had the memory work and speaking practice of the other students? (she HAS completed a 4 year history cycle plus a year of geography). Any thoughts?

[amselby81]

I can't answer how she'd do b/c I don't know much about Challenge. But as for Essentials, if you want to do both Foundations and Essentials, then yes, you will have to pay for both. Some people at my campus who have kids who are Essentials age only do Foundations or only do Essentials, just to make things more affordable. Most did do both though.

[Guest Toni]

Thank you, Angie. We are no longer on the fence. We just mailed out our registration paperwork and fees today. We'll have 3 in Foundations, 2 in Essentials, and 1 in Challenge A. Looking forward to this new journey.

[Blessedmomof4:)]

I was riding the fence post about it but I prayed and now I am 100% sure it is what I want for my kids! Not only will they have a way better education by the time they graduate but they will be able to speak in front of people with out being as afraid as I am:) and they will be able to think out of the box which is also something hard for me to do! I am hoping to learn some of these skills with them while we are on the cc journey. The best thing is that they dont just teach bible as a separate subject, they show how God is in EVERY subject. The mission is to know God and make Him known to our kids! And to teach them to measure everything against Gods Word. Yes I want my kids educated which CC will definitely do but most of all I want them to love the Lord with all their hearts and be a lady(1 girl lol) & Men of integrity and character! I am so excited about this year and the great things God will be doing in our family! It is worth the price!:iagree:

[MeganW]

We did CC this past year. The biggest benefits:

 

- in our area, most of the people who attend the homeschooling meetups are unschoolers, those who are providing a more structured education are all at CC, so we were able to connect with people we had more in common with

 

- public speaking - I can't believe how much better my kids got at speaking (in general, not just speeches) from the public speaking segment

 

- history and science kinda got dropped around here last year - I ended up reading them one or two short picture book type readalouds about each history and science fact each week, and calling it good enough - without CC, I am not sure I would have gotten ANY history or science done

 

- we spent very little time reviewing at home, but my kids knew the vast majority of the info - I printed "handouts" from the CC website for 3 ring binders each kid had in the car, and we just listened to the music and followed along whenever we drove somewhere. That was enough for them to learn it.

 

- I had one child who was unable to remember ANYTHING before CC. I'm not going to say she is sharp as a tack now, but her ability to retain has improved IMMENSELY. Unbelievably.

 

- My kids had very little self-confidence going into the program. They have some minor developmental delays, and so preschool had been a little rough. There were only 8 kids in their class, and there were always at least 2 adults but usually more. Because of that, the environment was controlled enough that the other kids were extremely supportive. Once they quit worrying about other kids thinking they were dumb, they were really able to relax and learn, and then once they began learning, they were proud, which gave them an incentive to learn more. It really was a GREAT experience.

 

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That being said, my best friend (who I met at CC) is not returning b/c she had such a bad experience. Her child's tutor was AWFUL. Awful beyond belief. Her kid absolutely hated it and cried on Tuesdays refusing to go.

 

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If I was up in the air about it, I probably wouldn't start before my oldest was in 1st grade.