Leaving CC after 2 weeks

[jens2sons]

I have joined a new Classical Conversations community and I have to say that my ds and I hate it.  We have to share a room with another class which has a painters tarp hanging from the ceiling as the divider which makes hearing our tutor extremely hard as well as hard to concentrate on the topic at hand.  The memory work is exactly the same as if I stayed home and opened up my Foundations guide.  I was expecting more "tutoring", not just introducing the weekly memory work.  As for the community, it's no different than a public school setting where the parents sit next to each other but no one wants to talk.  I could go on and on.  

I seriously want to leave but I'm holding on because of the money I have paid in to it.  I have a bad case of buyer's remorse.  What can I do?  I spoke to my director (who all of a sudden has changed from sweet and easy going to "I'm busy and don't want to talk")  and she said that if I move 100 miles or more and join another community then she will give me part of my tuition back.  What if I don't want to join a different community and just want out?  Can't I just get that money back?  I know there are no refunds, but what can I do? I feel scammed and sick to my stomach.  I almost want to report them to the BBB.  

[Kiara.I]

Yuck.  :(

 

I've never been involved with CC so I don't really know what their policies are.  But if the contract you signed (if you signed one?) states clearly that there are no refunds, then...well, there are no refunds.

 

So at that point, the money's gone.  It's merely a question of what you do with your time.  Do you go someplace you're miserable and it's not fun, or do you spend those hours at home (or the park or whatever) in more congenial company?

[blondchen]

Oh wow, what a bummer! :( If you are bound by their no-refunds policy and can't get an exception, then I guess you're stuck. Stuck losing the money, that is. Ugh. I wouldn't throw the time away along with the money, though. If you dislike it that much and don't think it will improve, cut your losses and do something worthwhile with that time. I did that with a co-op (albeit an inexpensive one) and didn't look back. The money was gone either way, and I saw no point in prolonging the misery.

[OneStepAtATime]

Well, that stinks.   :grouphug:

 

If you really are out the money, I guess your next step is to decide what you were hoping to get out of it.  Since instruction is not one of the things that looks promising, if the social interaction for you and your child were to improve, would that be enough to stay?  Since you are only 2 weeks in, there may be a chance for the social side to improve, especially if you perhaps specifically invited some of the group to go to the park or to get coffee or something, so they would get a chance to get to know you outside of CC.

 

If the social side is not that interesting to you, then you might just cut your losses, as others have said, so you aren't wasting both time and money.  Considering what you paid, though, I might give it a couple of weeks to see if they just got off to a slow start.

 

Good luck and best wishes.

[chiguirre]

Well, if you're up for a fight and don't mind burning bridges with that whole community, I'd raise a stink about the lack of appropriate classroom space. Keep after them until they fix it or give you your money just to shut you up. The BBB could be a good idea to put pressure on them.

 

If you're not up for a fight or you need to remain on good terms with your local homeschooling group, I'd just suck it up and stop going. Consider it very expensive tuition for you to learn not to be charmed by a nice presentation and a "sweet" director.

 

Don't beat yourself up over the money. You made the best decision you could with the knowledge you had at the time. Now you know better, so you'll make better choices going forward. There's value in that learning process.

[jens2sons]

Thank you everyone.  I have been so stuck on the investment that I can't see past.  I DO like using the CC curriculum at home with Ds.  He does better with it at home.  The social aspect of it is a non-issue because it's just sitting in a room with other kids and they don't have time to really interact on a personal level like other co-ops do.  

[JenniferB]

We just joined CC as well. There's lots of negative I could focus on, but I'm choosing to look at the positive. The negatives for me are mostly that I'm not used to it and there's a learning curve.

[Renochka]

I left after one day. I lost only the registration fee. My check hadn't been cashed yet. I would have walked away regardless though. It was not for me. If I had stayed, I fear we would have all been turned off to homeschooling. I say walk away. It's a loss like any other. Like a speeding ticket. To continue suffering is not worth it. 

[TheAttachedMama]

You know what?   Sticking around and doing something you hate doesn't magically "give you your money's worth".   If you do that, you will not only be out the money, you will also be out the time.   

 

It is an expensive mistake.   However, I think you need to chalk this up to lessons learned and get out while you still can.   We had a similar experience with CC.   (I went to one of the open houses and luckily did not 'sign' up officially.)   We now do parts of it at home by ourselves with success. 

[AnniePoo]

As for the social stuff, do you stay for lunch?  That's where 99% of the socialization happens for the kids (and the moms too!).

[lmrich]

I think you should do what is best for your kid. 

[Pink and Green Mom]

This might not be what you want to hear, but cut your losses and just leave now.  We did after about 5 weeks.  I know it is a lot of money (we were doing foundations and essentials) but trust me.  In my opinion, the teaching will not change.  You will not suddenly love the model.  I just got angrier as the weeks went on.

[justasque]

Another option would be to consider whether other folks there are having the same frustrations.  

 

Can you plan a park day outing before or after your class?

 

Can you create some kind of mom's gathering during the class, either in the building or in a nearby coffee shop?  

 

Can you invite some families over to your house for a meet-and-greet?  Or perhaps a fall-themed activity?

 

Sometimes building a community just takes one person creating one event to get it started.  You may still decide CC is not for you, but you could use this opportunity to meet some compatible families, with whom you can eventually create a privately-run co-op to replace the role you had hoped CC would play in your schedule.

 

 

[ErinE]

Thank you everyone.  I have been so stuck on the investment that I can't see past.  I DO like using the CC curriculum at home with Ds.  He does better with it at home.  The social aspect of it is a non-issue because it's just sitting in a room with other kids and they don't have time to really interact on a personal level like other co-ops do.  

 

The money you've put into it is gone, often called a sunk cost in economics and business. The question becomes do you want to continue to invest your time in the program. Your children and you are the only ones that can answer that question, but you need to make the decision independent of the funds you've already paid. Otherwise, three months down the road, you're lost the wasted money and the wasted time.

[tm_burriss]

If some of the other moms are having the same concerns or even if they aren't you can go to the Director and see if she will attempt to fix it. If she won't go to her support manager.  Each community is different in dynamics.  We did it for 3 years and I tutored.  We loved our community but when we moved we decided that some of the corporate policies were wrong and we didn't want to be part of the company itself anymore.  We now do memory work on our own (not CC) and are much happier.  If neither the director nor the SM will listen to your concerns then you will just have to cut your losses but that is better than being miserable all year.  The contract states that your tuition is non refundable so going to the BBB won't really do much if anything at all.  Each family's CC experience is extremely dependent on their individual community and if you are just not meshing with your community then leaving without the refund may just be your only option.

 

[Tsuga]

I'm always surprised when I see people post about Classical Conversations. It sounds to me like really cheap, formulaic private school. Like the cheapest private school you can do, such as they have in India because public schools are that bad and there are social barriers to better private schools.

 

I get the draw of social interaction, outsourcing, because I have kids in PS and paid for private (non-profit) pre-school. What I don't get is why not pay for an accredited private school, proven tutoring (like Kumon), or just if your kid needs a group, the YMCA. Or Running Start / DE in high school. Nobody seems to like CC but those who make $ off it. Sounds like MLM to me.

[HomeAgain]

I'm always surprised when I see people post about Classical Conversations. It sounds to me like really cheap, formulaic private school. Like the cheapest private school you can do, such as they have in India because public schools are that bad and there are social barriers to better private schools.

 

I get the draw of social interaction, outsourcing, because I have kids in PS and paid for private (non-profit) pre-school. What I don't get is why not pay for an accredited private school, proven tutoring (like Kumon), or just if your kid needs a group, the YMCA. Or Running Start / DE in high school. Nobody seems to like CC but those who make $ off it. Sounds like MLM to me.

 

I have to confess, I've had the same thoughts.  I always thought it was good for starting out or learning about classical, but I never saw why people stayed the whole way through.  It never had the same draw for me that it has for others.

[chiguirre]

I'm always surprised when I see people post about Classical Conversations. It sounds to me like really cheap, formulaic private school. Like the cheapest private school you can do, such as they have in India because public schools are that bad and there are social barriers to better private schools.

 

I get the draw of social interaction, outsourcing, because I have kids in PS and paid for private (non-profit) pre-school. What I don't get is why not pay for an accredited private school, proven tutoring (like Kumon), or just if your kid needs a group, the YMCA. Or Running Start / DE in high school. Nobody seems to like CC but those who make $ off it. Sounds like MLM to me.

Because CC is only one day/week. There are some 2 day/week university model schools but they're nowhere near as common or affordable as CC. CC makes it relatively easy to start a community so it can expand quickly. If you don't have other options, and lots of places don't, it's better than nothing.

[jens2sons]

As for the social stuff, do you stay for lunch?  That's where 99% of the socialization happens for the kids (and the moms too!).

 

I stayed for lunch this week to see how the social part could play out at lunch.  I had one person come talk to me.  The tables were put together in a way that we couldn't really move around and visit.  Some of the tutor's sat together but it seemed as if they were keeping to themselves.  Everyone else either left after class or was staying because they have their older kids in Essentials.  I did hear that many families were missing due to illness.  I wasn't impressed with it and so I left early.  This has been such an odd experience.

 

Another option would be to consider whether other folks there are having the same frustrations.  

 

Can you plan a park day outing before or after your class? 

 

Can you create some kind of mom's gathering during the class, either in the building or in a nearby coffee shop?  

 

Can you invite some families over to your house for a meet-and-greet?  Or perhaps a fall-themed activity?

 

Sometimes building a community just takes one person creating one event to get it started.  You may still decide CC is not for you, but you could use this opportunity to meet some compatible families, with whom you can eventually create a privately-run co-op to replace the role you had hoped CC would play in your schedule.

 

It sounds as if you may have never had experience with how CC works?  It starts early in the morning and for some families it runs all day depending on the program.  As for a meet and greet, we already had many of those during the summer.  Everything was going fine and was the reason why I decided to sign up with the group, but for some reason, many families backed out (which were the families that I had connected with) and now my son only has one maybe two boys to connect with.  One of the boys is a know-it-all and intentionally leaves Ds out.  The other is younger and he just hasn't had time to get to know him.

[jens2sons]

If some of the other moms are having the same concerns or even if they aren't you can go to the Director and see if she will attempt to fix it. If she won't go to her support manager.  Each community is different in dynamics.  We did it for 3 years and I tutored.  We loved our community but when we moved we decided that some of the corporate policies were wrong and we didn't want to be part of the company itself anymore.  We now do memory work on our own (not CC) and are much happier.  If neither the director nor the SM will listen to your concerns then you will just have to cut your losses but that is better than being miserable all year.  The contract states that your tuition is non refundable so going to the BBB won't really do much if anything at all.  Each family's CC experience is extremely dependent on their individual community and if you are just not meshing with your community then leaving without the refund may just be your only option.

 

I went to the director and her attitude has changed towards me since I had an objection to how my son's class was put together.  I was calm and gracious when I talked to her, but now she is acting like she doesn't want to even look at me.  I mean, come on!  It really is ridiculous.  I said hi to her as she was walking past me and she looked at me and gave me a snarky smile.  She had told me that it is against CC policy to take the tarp down and combine the classes (which I understand) but what is the difference if the classes are being split by a tarp and no one can hear themselves think!  They essentially are still in the same room!  

 

I'm always surprised when I see people post about Classical Conversations. It sounds to me like really cheap, formulaic private school. Like the cheapest private school you can do, such as they have in India because public schools are that bad and there are social barriers to better private schools.

 

I get the draw of social interaction, outsourcing, because I have kids in PS and paid for private (non-profit) pre-school. What I don't get is why not pay for an accredited private school, proven tutoring (like Kumon), or just if your kid needs a group, the YMCA. Or Running Start / DE in high school. Nobody seems to like CC but those who make $ off it. Sounds like MLM to me.

 

I had joined because I love homeschooling my children.  I wanted a more academic co-op for socializing and having playdates, etc.  In my mind, it was a perfect  middle point to homeschooling and private school.  Only one day a week, I still have control of what my children learn, it's Christian, and a lot less than private school.  Many communities don't have all those groups you mentioned in their communities.  We don't.  We will however be looking in to scouting.  

[Tsuga]

Because CC is only one day/week. There are some 2 day/week university model schools but they're nowhere near as common or affordable as CC. CC makes it relatively easy to start a community so it can expand quickly. If you don't have other options, and lots of places don't, it's better than nothing.

 

I see. That makes sense, the one day a week thing.

 

Regarding the prices, someone calculated it and it's actually more per hour than private school.

 

But if it's only 1x/week I could see that. Like a co-op only less popular. :)

[Chelli]

The university model school for homeschoolers that my oldest is enrolled in is MUCH cheaper than CC was with quality teachers (all have degrees in the subject they are teaching) that actually teach instead of review memory work.

[Artichoke]

The university model school for homeschoolers that my oldest is enrolled in is MUCH cheaper than CC was with quality teachers (all have degrees in the subject they are teaching) that actually teach instead of review memory work.

 

 

in our area, CC is the most expensive options for 1x week instruction for elementary.  

 

For secondary students, the homeschool tutorials with degreed instructors ( many  are college professors ) who actually teach and grade assignments is still slightly less than the CC communities.   

 

We are fortunate to live in a homeschool friendly area with lots of great teachers/tutors. 

[jens2sons]

I went and joined another co-op that is more for fun than academic and I'm going to see if adding this in will help.  I really want to leave CC on one hand, but on the other I am seeing good things coming out of it when I am working with Ds at home.  As hard as this is, maybe I will hold on for at least the semester and see how it goes.  This is such a hard decision!  I'm going to try to push through and hopefully the issues with my director and the issue with the divider will work themselves out.  Then at least i can say that I really gave it a try.  I honestly wanted to hear both sides of likes/dislikes of CC.  I hate it when these things turn in to bashes against  __(enter name here)__ .  That is not my intention.  Maybe a post like this one can help someone else some day.  I appreciate your comments.  They have really helped me in processing all this.   We'll see what happens...

[pehp]

I would probably hang in there a bit longer and just see how it goes, but that's just me.  

 

FWIW, we did CC for three years.  I never did it for academics, but instead to provide a social setting for my son that is structured yet would also include some 'free' time (lunch and rec time).  He really blossomed there.  The presentation was tough the first year--I would stand with him, we would do it 'together' as a show-and-tell...by last year, he had no wish to have me help at all and he did so well. He's also very comfortable speaking in front of our church now!  For my very shy son, I felt this was time well-invested. 

 

It took me a while to assimilate into the crowd as the 'new girl' but once I did I really enjoyed socializing with the other mothers.  

 

We opted not to do it this year b/c we need to focus more on our academics (he's in third grade this year) and I'm sending him to a science class once a week that is $$$ but amazing, so decided to invest elsewhere.  My daughter is 4 now and I haven't ruled CC out for her next year--for the same reasons I felt it benefited my son. We'll see. 

 

Like anything else, it's a tool.  Try it out.  It's not for everyone, and it's not for everyone long term (like us).  But if it's a tool that you can use at this time in life, go for it.  If you really just hate it after a trial period, chalk it up to a good lesson learned and don't feel guilty. :)  

 

Good luck!

[ebrindam]

We left after 2 weeks last year. Lost the money (did not ask for refund). No regrets.

[MerryAtHope]

If you really want to back out, the split-tarp room is probably your only chance at trying to negotiate a refund or partial refund. That's pretty ridiculous, who can learn like that? But, it's going to depend on how much you're willing to fight for it. I did know one person who got a refund from CC once, but that's definitely not the norm. In her case there was something that she felt wasn't represented accurately, and that's how she ended up getting a refund. I would probably try one or two more weeks, and then if you still want out, I'd put something in writing about how disruptive the room/situation is. I don't think you'll have grounds on things they can't control (like how social the group is, whether people interact with you at lunch etc...), but the room is something that the CC coordinator IS responsible for. Unless you were told ahead of time that the room would be like that, I'd think that was a breach.

 

Anyway--I hope adding the new co-op might prove helpful! And, if you can't get your money back or don't want to get into the tussle, I'm with the others on considering it a sunk cost and moving on. I had an expensive "sunk cost" one year, so I know it hurts! But sometimes you just don't know until you try something. The money is gone either way, so now it's a matter of whether you want the time to be spent as well. I hope it can work out for you!

[Sahamamama]

Because CC is only one day/week. There are some 2 day/week university model schools but they're nowhere near as common or affordable as CC. CC makes it relatively easy to start a community so it can expand quickly. If you don't have other options, and lots of places don't, it's better than nothing.

 

Well, from another perspective, I went to two different CC open houses (Foundations) and thought, "Anything at home is better than this. A day at the park is better than this. Watching shower mildew grow is better than this. A nap is better than this. Staring at a blank white wall is better than this." :blink:

[jens2sons]

The fight is over.  I emailed my director today about the situation and so she called me.  She pretty much was calling to let me know that she was unhappy with me going over her head (I had contacted the regional director).  I had no other choice since she wouldn't communicate with me.  She wouldn't even let me talk and then she hung up on me.  Well, that's professional.  Obviously we won't be going back.

[Sahamamama]

The fight is over.  I emailed my director today about the situation and so she called me.  She pretty much was calling to let me know that she was unhappy with me going over her head (I had contacted the regional director).  I had no other choice since she wouldn't communicate with me.  She wouldn't even let me talk and then she hung up on me.  Well, that's professional.  Obviously we won't be going back.

 

Since you already have the regional director's contact information, you might want to let her know how this particular director handled the situation.

 

But from what I have heard (in person & here) about CC, I think it's all set up that way in the first place -- seemingly sweet, friendly, smiling directors who go all Barracuda Businesswoman the moment anyone raises a legitimate objection.

 

At one open house, the director was all smiley, smiley -- but keeping an eye on me, for some reason. It was strange. IDKY? Another mom, a truly sweet and innocent new CC-er mentioned "how smart" my girls were and asked, "What do you do at home?" She didn't see that the CC director had just walked into the room. Before I could utter a word, the director cut off that conversation. Then, she made sure that during the lunch break, that mother and I had no chance to so much as pass by each other. It was so obvious that she didn't want any good educational ideas (or phone numbers) to actually be shared. God forbid, CC gets some competition from a DIY mom who doesn't mind sharing.  :001_huh:

 

OP -- Did you manage to get any phone numbers from the families at the Meet & Greets? The families you felt a connection to? If yes, then why not call them up? Not to gripe about CC, but just to meet some place? Could you find a way to connect with them?

 

 

[Tardis Girl]

I haven't commented before, but I was reading all the comments earlier today. I am so sorry to hear that it ended this way. I am not a big fan of the CC model although I have friends who love it and totally respect that. But obviously, from a business/professional standpoint (and CC is most definitely a business), this is just so sad to hear. I would definitely let the regional director know about this final interaction -- and in fact, I would even go higher than that and explain how you were treated to someone "higher up" if you don't get a decent response (and you want to spend the time). I doubt they'd give you your money back; that's not the point.  That's just wrong. Totally unprofessional.

 

Or, take a long deep breath, slowly exhale, and let all your frustrations just melt away. And don't look back. Good luck with your new co-op and here's to a WONDERFUL year!!  :grouphug:

[MerryAtHope]

The fight is over.  I emailed my director today about the situation and so she called me.  She pretty much was calling to let me know that she was unhappy with me going over her head (I had contacted the regional director).  I had no other choice since she wouldn't communicate with me.  She wouldn't even let me talk and then she hung up on me.  Well, that's professional.  Obviously we won't be going back.

 

Did you tell the regional director about the room situation? Just curious if you got anywhere with that. 

 

Sorry the local director was so unprofessional. Conflict is never pleasant but to not even let you talk and hang up on you--wow. Sorry that happened. 

[jens2sons]

Did you tell the regional director about the room situation? Just curious if you got anywhere with that. 

 

Sorry the local director was so unprofessional. Conflict is never pleasant but to not even let you talk and hang up on you--wow. Sorry that happened. 

 

I was able to speak to my regional director tonight and the call was so very pleasant :)  Finding out that the reason why my director may have hung up on me was because of a silly misunderstanding.  However, she still should not have hung up on me.  I have no interest in going back, but I would like to reconcile with my director.  We are all supposed to be loving one another, right?  

[kagmypts]

I was able to speak to my regional director tonight and the call was so very pleasant :)  Finding out that the reason why my director may have hung up on me was because of a silly misunderstanding.  However, she still should not have hung up on me.  I have no interest in going back, but I would like to reconcile with my director.  We are all supposed to be loving one another, right?  

 

I am glad that the call with the regional director went well, but I cannot imagine any situation that would justify hanging up on a client.  It's all so bizarre to me.  By the way, how did you leave things with the regional director?

 

I have briefly considered CC for one of my kids, but your experience makes me want to run away from it.

[ZeldaRules]

We have our co-op at a Buddhist Temple. Some of the classes have their own classroom. We don't have enough individual classrooms for all classes to have their own space, so some classes have to share the banquet hall. Usually science or art-the messes are easier to clean in there. It gets loud and can be distracting, but learning was/is still done in there. It's unconventional, but so is homeschooling.

 

On Mondays we have a BizTown class at someone's house that can house 70 students. I subbed last week. A few have their own closed space, but it's pretty much just groups in open spaces. It is distracting at first, but I found it easy to drown out once we get going.

 

I know CC is different than some co-ops because they (CC) make the parents stay in the room to learn with the children. So it makes it hard to connect with other moms with the lack of time given to socialize.

 

With that said...and I know you aren't going back...I have found (from many moves) that it takes a good year in any new situation to comfortably acclimate. It's natural for those who know each other to hang together. If a new person approaches a group I am in, I welcome it, but I don't search out new people because I have my set friends. If my friends aren't there, then I will talk to whomever. I just do what is easy because I don't have to search out new friends. Others may be like that. They likely aren't trying to ignore newbies, they are doing what is comfortable. I find the newbies join together and become friends. Or people become friends with parents of kids their kids play with. When I was in co-op, there were some moms that would just join the group of moms sitting and talking. It was welcomed and I made new friends every year.

 

We have families that come to our park days and get upset their children didn't make a BFF by the second week. My kids have been going to park day for years, see the same kids all.the.time, and they still get shy and won't go talk to someone new...or someone they see all the time. It takes time to feel comfortable with new people and new situations. You have to go out of your comfort zone at the start of new situations. Don't be afraid to approach a set group and introduce yourself. My kids are getting better at approaching friends/acquaintances. And we have been active in this group for 5 years. I can only help them so much. They are on their own at park day. ;)

 

I have never looked into CC, but I have issues with requiring me to stay in the classroom. And I like to work at my own pace.

 

In our co-op money was not reimbursed, but it also is not high cost. They would lose maybe $30-$40 a child for supply fees plus a $15/annual family fee that goes to the Temple as a love offering.

 

I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I hope the new co-op works great for you. I can't believe you were able to join a co-op in Sept. Ours is all set/scheduled by July. ;)

[jens2sons]

We have our co-op at a Buddhist Temple. Some of the classes have their own classroom. We don't have enough individual classrooms for all classes to have their own space, so some classes have to share the banquet hall. Usually science or art-the messes are easier to clean in there. It gets loud and can be distracting, but learning was/is still done in there. It's unconventional, but so is homeschooling.

 

On Mondays we have a BizTown class at someone's house that can house 70 students. I subbed last week. A few have their own closed space, but it's pretty much just groups in open spaces. It is distracting at first, but I found it easy to drown out once we get going.

 

I know CC is different than some co-ops because they (CC) make the parents stay in the room to learn with the children. So it makes it hard to connect with other moms with the lack of time given to socialize.

 

With that said...and I know you aren't going back...I have found (from many moves) that it takes a good year in any new situation to comfortably acclimate. It's natural for those who know each other to hang together. If a new person approaches a group I am in, I welcome it, but I don't search out new people because I have my set friends. If my friends aren't there, then I will talk to whomever. I just do what is easy because I don't have to search out new friends. Others may be like that. They likely aren't trying to ignore newbies, they are doing what is comfortable. I find the newbies join together and become friends. Or people become friends with parents of kids their kids play with. When I was in co-op, there were some moms that would just join the group of moms sitting and talking. It was welcomed and I made new friends every year.

 

We have families that come to our park days and get upset their children didn't make a BFF by the second week. My kids have been going to park day for years, see the same kids all.the.time, and they still get shy and won't go talk to someone new...or someone they see all the time. It takes time to feel comfortable with new people and new situations. You have to go out of your comfort zone at the start of new situations. Don't be afraid to approach a set group and introduce yourself. My kids are getting better at approaching friends/acquaintances. And we have been active in this group for 5 years. I can only help them so much. They are on their own at park day. ;)

 

I have never looked into CC, but I have issues with requiring me to stay in the classroom. And I like to work at my own pace.

 

In our co-op money was not reimbursed, but it also is not high cost. They would lose maybe $30-$40 a child for supply fees plus a $15/annual family fee that goes to the Temple as a love offering.

 

I'm sorry it didn't work for you. I hope the new co-op works great for you. I can't believe you were able to join a co-op in Sept. Ours is all set/scheduled by July. ;)

 

I know the co-op situation, I've been in one for years (my oldest is in college now).  This is specific to CC.  CC is "not a co-op" they say because they have tutors.  Supposedly, the "tutors" are there to show the parents how to go over the CC curriculum and not really for the kids (according to my director).  

I spent the summer getting to know the other moms and kids.  Everything was going great and then a large amount of those families backed out of the group by the time community day started up in September.  The majority of the other parents that remained in the group were not the "newbies".  So, they are sticking to themselves and not really reaching out and helping the small amount of new families get acquainted.  I think it is a problem when people stick to themselves in a co-op.  The whole idea of a co-op is to share with other families, not do what's easy.  The easy thing IS to stick to yourself.  Most people that are joining a co-op are looking for relationships for both themselves and their children.  As a person that has been placed in leadership before, I find that it shows lack of leadership in an individual when the group is disjointed.  A good leader leads by example and will do what it takes to help others feel welcome and supported (as much as the individuals allow them to).  My director was not one to reach out.  

As for the noise, some families can handle it.  We can't.  I have a very distractible child and borders ADHD when he gets in to gluten, so it's a struggle for us.  With CC it has been assumed (and presented that way) that the classes are divided by physical walls.  I have looked back and have found that, just as others have stated, much that is spoken is sheer marketing and exaggerated information.  

The co-op I joined is the same co-op that I have used for years and I am glad to be back.  Our first day was wonderful and it was good to see familiar faces, and get to talk with new families.  My son was much happier.

 

[jens2sons]

I am glad that the call with the regional director went well, but I cannot imagine any situation that would justify hanging up on a client.  It's all so bizarre to me.  By the way, how did you leave things with the regional director?

 

I have briefly considered CC for one of my kids, but your experience makes me want to run away from it.

 

I really researched CC and had decided to ignore the negative feedback of CC since I had met such "wonderful people".  If I could do it all over again, I probably would not sign up.  I felt hesitation when I went to practicum but I had already signed up and paid.  Had I paid attention to my gut feeling, I would have lost my registration but not all of the years tuition.  I should have paid more attention.  If you aren't sure, then don't do it.  Of course, I'd say that about any decision though.

[Caviar]

So sorry to hear of your situation with CC.  My two older sisters and I homeschool.  All of us live in different regions, and all of us have been approached by those sweet, smiley, congenial faces.  Fortunately we all researched it (in different times and places), and all decided it was not what we wanted for our homeschooling.

I found it odd that the very first week a new family came to our church, and the mother found out that I homeschooled, she came up to me right away and asked if I had every heard of CC, and that she and her family just "loved it," and that I should come to an informational meeting, etc., etc., etc....  When I asked her how much it cost, I got an odd reaction to the tune of, "Oh, I don't know, all I know is that it's well worth whatever we are paying, because it has done such wonders for our children."  And, they have all five children enrolled - wow! how much are they paying!  The cost alone made me turn away quickly, once I investigated it a bit online, but there were plenty of other reasons too.  Such as, I didn't want to spend so much of my time having to be with the children! 

[AmyinMD]

So much with CC depends on the director, tutor,  and community.   This is our 5th year doing CC programs.   Our community as a whole is very good.  There are field trips planned, Mom's night out, Dad's group, planned get together activities in the Challenge group.   With joining a new group it can take awhile to get to know people but if there are a lot of red flags from the start it is probably a bad fit.  I would have a fit about a tarp between classes when I am paying for a class.  I have lost some money on CC especially for registration fees because it is nonrefundable.  This year we were going to do Foundations and backed out the week the final money was due.  I had only paid registration at that point but I knew I was out almost $200.  I do like aspects of CC but I also feel like it is not what a lot of people think it is when they sign up.   I would suggest visiting at least twice to sit through classes before signing up.   I am not a fan of the Practicums or the Window to Challenge and would not recommend signing up based on visiting either of those.  

 

Our director likes to tell people that CC is so much cheaper than private school and if she hadn't found CC she would be paying for private school.  While that is true CC is only one day a week for 24 weeks and it is very expensive for the little time it actually meets.   It is an extremely expensive program especially if you have multiple children in it.   Last year I had 2 kids do Challenge and 3 do Foundations which was a lot.  I couldn't even think of trying to do Essentials on top of how much that already cost.  This year I just have one child in Challenge and two doing Essentials.  It is our first time doing Essentials and while I do like it we won't do it again.  They tend to repeat a lot each year.  The grammar appears that they go through the same thing each year which is fine but I'm not going to pay for the kids to sit through working on the same sentences each year.  Same for the 3 year cycle with Foundations. We completed the cycle but I just couldn't bring myself to pay for the identical class my kids did 3 years ago.   They may have learned more than their last time through but I do not think they should repeat so much.  Every year they do the same drawing lessons for example and it is just too repetitive.  My son really wanted to do Memory Master again but it wasn't enough reason to do it.  

 

My 15 yo dd's Challenge group is good but it is so dependent on the tutor and group of kids in there.  Her class is 10 kids and many of them have been together since Challenge A.  There are 5 girls in there and those 5 get together all the time outside of class.  This week alone she's been to the mall with the girls and to Bible study.   Most weeks they get together outside of class at least once but a couple of the other Challenge groups only have 3 kids in them.  Those classes don't seem to plan much outside of class and the planned activities for the Challenge kids are usually primarily attended by my dd's class and on other class.  Most of the kids in other classes don't even show up for them.   After seeing how hit and miss it is with getting a good class in Challenge we've already decided our younger kids will not be doing it.   There are other reasons (cost, lack of flexibility, quality of instruction so dependent on tutor, weak science program, etc).   I pulled my 17 yo this year because I was not happy with the tutor for Challenge III.  She has been totally fine doing other stuff but I am spending every bit as much as I did on Challenge.   So much for saving money.  

 

As far as getting money back I think CC takes all of the registration fees and none go to the community.  Building fees and supply fees may have already been spent.  I think the director keeps around 30% of the tuition with the other 70% distributed among the tutors.  It seems like some of that should be refundable but I would probably just consider it an expensive mistake.  I know of people that have pulled kids out of private school and are out the tuition for the rest of the year.  

 

[jens2sons]

So much with CC depends on the director, tutor,  and community.   This is our 5th year doing CC programs.   Our community as a whole is very good.  There are field trips planned, Mom's night out, Dad's group, planned get together activities in the Challenge group.   With joining a new group it can take awhile to get to know people but if there are a lot of red flags from the start it is probably a bad fit.  I would have a fit about a tarp between classes when I am paying for a class.  I have lost some money on CC especially for registration fees because it is nonrefundable.  This year we were going to do Foundations and backed out the week the final money was due.  I had only paid registration at that point but I knew I was out almost $200.  I do like aspects of CC but I also feel like it is not what a lot of people think it is when they sign up.   I would suggest visiting at least twice to sit through classes before signing up.   I am not a fan of the Practicums or the Window to Challenge and would not recommend signing up based on visiting either of those.  

 

Our director likes to tell people that CC is so much cheaper than private school and if she hadn't found CC she would be paying for private school.  While that is true CC is only one day a week for 24 weeks and it is very expensive for the little time it actually meets.   It is an extremely expensive program especially if you have multiple children in it.   Last year I had 2 kids do Challenge and 3 do Foundations which was a lot.  I couldn't even think of trying to do Essentials on top of how much that already cost.  This year I just have one child in Challenge and two doing Essentials.  It is our first time doing Essentials and while I do like it we won't do it again.  They tend to repeat a lot each year.  The grammar appears that they go through the same thing each year which is fine but I'm not going to pay for the kids to sit through working on the same sentences each year.  Same for the 3 year cycle with Foundations. We completed the cycle but I just couldn't bring myself to pay for the identical class my kids did 3 years ago.   They may have learned more than their last time through but I do not think they should repeat so much.  Every year they do the same drawing lessons for example and it is just too repetitive.  My son really wanted to do Memory Master again but it wasn't enough reason to do it.  

 

My 15 yo dd's Challenge group is good but it is so dependent on the tutor and group of kids in there.  Her class is 10 kids and many of them have been together since Challenge A.  There are 5 girls in there and those 5 get together all the time outside of class.  This week alone she's been to the mall with the girls and to Bible study.   Most weeks they get together outside of class at least once but a couple of the other Challenge groups only have 3 kids in them.  Those classes don't seem to plan much outside of class and the planned activities for the Challenge kids are usually primarily attended by my dd's class and on other class.  Most of the kids in other classes don't even show up for them.   After seeing how hit and miss it is with getting a good class in Challenge we've already decided our younger kids will not be doing it.   There are other reasons (cost, lack of flexibility, quality of instruction so dependent on tutor, weak science program, etc).   I pulled my 17 yo this year because I was not happy with the tutor for Challenge III.  She has been totally fine doing other stuff but I am spending every bit as much as I did on Challenge.   So much for saving money.  

 

As far as getting money back I think CC takes all of the registration fees and none go to the community.  Building fees and supply fees may have already been spent.  I think the director keeps around 30% of the tuition with the other 70% distributed among the tutors.  It seems like some of that should be refundable but I would probably just consider it an expensive mistake.  I know of people that have pulled kids out of private school and are out the tuition for the rest of the year.  

 

This is a good point.

[MeganW]

So much of CC is dependent on the community you are in.  I absolutely loved our CC community, and we got so much out of it!  But I know that if I had been at the one 10 minutes north of here, or the other one 10 minutes south, I wouldn't have been nearly as happy, because I/ we wouldn't have fit in nearly as well with the director and other families, as well as the group dynamic.  Our director was awesome, tutors were great, parents really encouraged kids to go for Memory Master, presentations were all well-researched and expanded on memory work, etc.  We got a ton out of it.  The time came to move on to a 2 day a week university model (I have one kid who needed a teacher who wasn't me!), but it was with genuine sadness that we left.  

I would really encourage anyone considering CC to visit a few different campuses BEFORE signing up.  One in our area is VERY conservative Christian, one is hard-core academic, and one is really new-age-hippy-ish.  You have to find a group you fit with.  Our group was mostly families who focused on math & language arts at home (at least in the K-2 age range, which is when we were involved).  Most of us did a few readalouds weekly based on the memory work, and called it done.  With the presentations, though, my kids at least had an inkling of what the memory work was about.  

We met a ton of people who had similar values and focus areas.  It was awesome!  CC, though, would NOT be a good experience if you didn't fit with your group and their goals.
 

[kristin0713]

I am so sorry that you had this awful experience.  I feel the need to reply because we have had such a fabulous experience in CC and it has been such a great fit for our family.  I would hate for others to miss out based on this thread alone.

 

I want to be clear that in your situation, I absolutely would have left, and I would do everything I possibly could to get my money back, going as far up as possible.  The tarp situation and the behavior of the director is totally unacceptable. 

 

I also want to be clear that I am not a director, or even a tutor.  I am not getting paid by CC at all.  Furthermore, our community does not push the marketing the way some other communities do. 

 

For others wondering about CC, I just want to say that not all communities are like the one in the OP.  I might not have tried CC if I had read all the bad press about it and we would have really missed out.  Our community is awesome.  The families are supportive, kind, encouraging.  For us, it is not so much the academic content (I would certainly change some things if I could) but coming together with awesome people who share the same goals to experience learning in a group environment that is structured and predictable.  The presentations have been so great for my kids.  Our community really pushes developing public speaking skills each week with the presentations.  We are provided with topics for ideas, as well as one skill to focus on each week such as confidence, volume, articulation, eye contact, etc.  We also do field trips as a group on days other than our CC days (optional.)  My kids have made wonderful friends that they get to spend time with every week without hassling me for extra play dates. The moms in our group are just incredible.  They are people that I am thrilled to have my kids look up to. 

 

We have done unstructured co-ops where everything is basically a free-for-all, it is like pulling teeth to get people to help out, and the children run around unsupervised without accountability.  That is just not for me.  Honestly, I am having heart palpitations thinking about our co-op experiences!!  While I would absolutely change the Foundations guide in many ways if I could, the structure and predictability makes it worth it for me.  But it truly is all about the specific group of people in any one community, and I believe that the director sets the tone for everyone.  We are fortunate that our director is amazing.  She is kind and gentle but a great leader, and she looks to the tutors and moms to help make decisions about our community. 

 

So again, I am so sorry to read about this experience.  I just wanted to share another perspective. 

[pehp]

My experience was positive in the same ways as well.  We're not doing it now, but not for any negative reasons--we just got too busy and it no longer fit our needs.  But it was a very good experience.  Community makes all the difference, I think.  

 

I am so sorry that you had this awful experience.  I feel the need to reply because we have had such a fabulous experience in CC and it has been such a great fit for our family.  I would hate for others to miss out based on this thread alone.

 

I want to be clear that in your situation, I absolutely would have left, and I would do everything I possibly could to get my money back, going as far up as possible.  The tarp situation and the behavior of the director is totally unacceptable. 

 

I also want to be clear that I am not a director, or even a tutor.  I am not getting paid by CC at all.  Furthermore, our community does not push the marketing the way some other communities do. 

 

For others wondering about CC, I just want to say that not all communities are like the one in the OP.  I might not have tried CC if I had read all the bad press about it and we would have really missed out.  Our community is awesome.  The families are supportive, kind, encouraging.  For us, it is not so much the academic content (I would certainly change some things if I could) but coming together with awesome people who share the same goals to experience learning in a group environment that is structured and predictable.  The presentations have been so great for my kids.  Our community really pushes developing public speaking skills each week with the presentations.  We are provided with topics for ideas, as well as one skill to focus on each week such as confidence, volume, articulation, eye contact, etc.  We also do field trips as a group on days other than our CC days (optional.)  My kids have made wonderful friends that they get to spend time with every week without hassling me for extra play dates. The moms in our group are just incredible.  They are people that I am thrilled to have my kids look up to. 

 

We have done unstructured co-ops where everything is basically a free-for-all, it is like pulling teeth to get people to help out, and the children run around unsupervised without accountability.  That is just not for me.  Honestly, I am having heart palpitations thinking about our co-op experiences!!  While I would absolutely change the Foundations guide in many ways if I could, the structure and predictability makes it worth it for me.  But it truly is all about the specific group of people in any one community, and I believe that the director sets the tone for everyone.  We are fortunate that our director is amazing.  She is kind and gentle but a great leader, and she looks to the tutors and moms to help make decisions about our community. 

 

So again, I am so sorry to read about this experience.  I just wanted to share another perspective. 

 

[jens2sons]

I am so sorry that you had this awful experience.  I feel the need to reply because we have had such a fabulous experience in CC and it has been such a great fit for our family.  I would hate for others to miss out based on this thread alone.

 

I want to be clear that in your situation, I absolutely would have left, and I would do everything I possibly could to get my money back, going as far up as possible.  The tarp situation and the behavior of the director is totally unacceptable. 

 

I also want to be clear that I am not a director, or even a tutor.  I am not getting paid by CC at all.  Furthermore, our community does not push the marketing the way some other communities do. 

 

For others wondering about CC, I just want to say that not all communities are like the one in the OP.  I might not have tried CC if I had read all the bad press about it and we would have really missed out.  Our community is awesome.  The families are supportive, kind, encouraging.  For us, it is not so much the academic content (I would certainly change some things if I could) but coming together with awesome people who share the same goals to experience learning in a group environment that is structured and predictable.  The presentations have been so great for my kids.  Our community really pushes developing public speaking skills each week with the presentations.  We are provided with topics for ideas, as well as one skill to focus on each week such as confidence, volume, articulation, eye contact, etc.  We also do field trips as a group on days other than our CC days (optional.)  My kids have made wonderful friends that they get to spend time with every week without hassling me for extra play dates. The moms in our group are just incredible.  They are people that I am thrilled to have my kids look up to. 

 

We have done unstructured co-ops where everything is basically a free-for-all, it is like pulling teeth to get people to help out, and the children run around unsupervised without accountability.  That is just not for me.  Honestly, I am having heart palpitations thinking about our co-op experiences!!  While I would absolutely change the Foundations guide in many ways if I could, the structure and predictability makes it worth it for me.  But it truly is all about the specific group of people in any one community, and I believe that the director sets the tone for everyone.  We are fortunate that our director is amazing.  She is kind and gentle but a great leader, and she looks to the tutors and moms to help make decisions about our community. 

 

So again, I am so sorry to read about this experience.  I just wanted to share another perspective. 

 

 

My experience was positive in the same ways as well.  We're not doing it now, but not for any negative reasons--we just got too busy and it no longer fit our needs.  But it was a very good experience.  Community makes all the difference, I think.  

 

I completely understand and I am glad that you both had good experiences.  My sister is in a CC group on the other side of town and she loves her group.  This is her second year and she loves that CC gives her the support and accountability.  I may have been able to join in with her group but it is just too far of a drive for me and also the community idea for me needs to be in my community (I live 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic). Otherwise, again, we don't fit in because of distance.  We have done long distance groups in the past and was always the odd-ball out.  Our family needs to have something closer to home so that we can fully participate.

[pehp]

I completely understand and I am glad that you both had good experiences.  My sister is in a CC group on the other side of town and she loves her group.  This is her second year and she loves that CC gives her the support and accountability.  I may have been able to join in with her group but it is just too far of a drive for me and also the community idea for me needs to be in my community (I live 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic). Otherwise, again, we don't fit in because of distance.  We have done long distance groups in the past and was always the odd-ball out.  Our family needs to have something closer to home so that we can fully participate.

 Yeah, definitely--being close to home is so helpful, both with convenience and friendships!!

 

In your shoes, w/ the classroom issue, I would be miserable.  We had separate classrooms, fully walled-in, closed doors, the words, and could sometimes faintly hear another class reciting or singing or whatever. It was never enough to be distracting, but certainly made me think of how loud a class of kids can get at times (that timeline song....gotta sing it loudly....)  I can't IMAGINE trying to do it in a situation where the classes are not separated by real walls.  That's extremely poor planning and poor directing, IMO.