Please tell me about LCC

[Donna A.]

Anything. The good, the bad, and the ugly, please!

 

Editing to clarify... I'm needing to simplify so much for my older girls to be able to work almost entirely independently without compromising quality. And I want to get my youngest started off on a good track where she'll be able to work independently, as well. (Once she's reading and writing well, of course.) I also have to find a way to fit Latin and French into our schedule, as right now there's just NO WAY. We have entirely too much going on, not just in our homeschool, but in our personal circumstances.

 

Thanks.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Are you thinking of getting the book or do you have it and are looking for info from people who are using it?

 

I have the book and I've read it twice but have not put it to use yet.

 

I also would love to hear from others who use this style.

[SkateLeft]

I love it, and highly recommend the book if you don't already have it.

 

Frankly, for me, LCC has made things a lot easier with multiple kids and a special needs toddler under foot. Our school schedule is a lot simpler, and when we have a crazy busy week where school gets pushed aside out of necessity, I can do Latin and Math and feel a sense of accomplishment, that we're still covering the basics. Giving Latin the best part of our day has had so many benefits.

 

This summer, my daughter has taken two writing classes at the local state university, and she's done really, really well. :D Obviously, making Latin the core of our language arts program has done great things for her.

 

And both of my girls work independently, though I think that can be taught with any method, really. We do spend a lot of time discussing the books though!

[Plaid Dad]

If you want information about the book and what is distinctive about the curriculum, you can visit the LCC web site. The FAQ and the articles page will give you a good idea of what the program's like. I'm sure other LCC folks will chime in, too. :)

[Donna A.]

Thanks! I look forward to learning more.

[Mama Lynx]

Sharon touched on why LCC has been so beneficial to us.

 

If we do nothing other than Latin and math, and work on excellent writing, and read excellent books, then my kids will have a very, very good education.

 

Of course we plan history, and modern languages, and many other things. But if we don't get to them, I *know* we're still fine. It's such a freeing mindset!

 

The ugly? You can actually make LCC complicated. You can, as with any curriculum, try to do it all. You might have a child that will simply not get through the program as written, in that amount of time, and you might let that stress you out, or cause you to feel inadequate. But the key is to always focus on the *most* important, the most worthwhile, the *best*. Then, if that's all you can do, you know your kids are well served. You use LCC as your guide, and you use the best materials and methods to go as fast as you and your child can. Heck, if you did half of what is laid out in the book - that's a fine education right there.

 

That's about all the "ugly" I can think of. Honestly. We don't follow the program as Drew has outlined it (we use more WTM techniques and recommendations in many areas), but we do follow the philosophy and prioritize Latin, math, and excellent literature. With four boys to educate, this philosophy has been a lifesaver.

 

However, LCC doesn't really lend itself to completely independent work. I think it works much better with teacher/tutor involvement. That said, for older kids, your time teaching them can be very flexible. My older sons often work independently during the morning, while I am focusing on directly teaching my younger sons. Then later, I can go over lessons with my older kids, or have discussions, or teach lessons it's necessary for me to teach. You'll want to choose your curriculum wisely. Classical Writing, for instance, is very teacher-intensive (but excellent!!); so is Lingua Latina. If independent work is very important to you, you'd want to find options that are not so demanding of your time (Galore Park Latin or Latina Christiana/Henle ... not sure about less intensive writing programs). We find Elementary Greek to be pretty independent, if you're interested in Greek.

 

HTH

[Donna A.]

Thanks for the tip about indep vs. not, Stephanie. Oh yeah, and I am the QUEEN of making things complicated. :001_rolleyes:

[Mama Lynx]

Thanks for the tip about indep vs. not, Stephanie. Oh yeah, and I am the QUEEN of making things complicated. :001_rolleyes:

 

It's okay. We can always talk you down ;-)