One of the most popular homeschooling programs currently available is Classical Conversations (CC). When CC came to our area a few years ago, I explored it as an option even though we are relaxed homeschoolers. I taught for a year in a Classical Christian school and therefore was very familiar with classical education. CC offers a number of features that interested me including the advertised community aspect. In fact, I checked it out two years in a row because I really wanted to like it and I wanted it to be a good fit for our family. In the end, we opted not to participate in CC.
There are several reasons why we chose not to join Classical Conversations. I am sharing what I see as some of the Classical Conversations negatives. This review is for parents who are exploring CC, but may be doubting their own research or perspective. I’m listing my reasons in roughly the order of importance for our particular family, starting with the most important.
It is my hope this overview of our thoughts will be helpful for other parents as they seek to make decisions for their particular child and family. Many people enthusiastically participate and current members can be very persuasive when inviting people to join. However, every family is different and not every opportunity is a good fit, no matter how much someone else may like it and recommend it.
Rigidity Of Classical Conversations Program
The rigidity of the program was one of the first red flags that Classical Conversations would not work with our child. I think CC can probably be a very positive experience for kids if they have a learning style that fits well with the program. For others, it will be disastrous.
For example, it became clear to me that if your child needs legitimate accommodations due to real learning differences or challenges, it isn’t going to be a good fit. Classical Conversations is a tightly controlled program with a clear hierarchy. They have very definite ways of doing things handed down from the corporate entity. While some families might find this rigidity a source of accountability, other families will find the rigidity stifling. We are in the latter group.
If I’m going to be perfectly honest, I would have had fewer qualms about this before I became the parent of a gifted/2e child. When you are parenting a child who doesn’t fit the normal parameters, you look at everything very differently. The tight structure I would have seen as a positive before I became a mother became a huge negative. A tight schedule with very definite parameters and very little room for rabbit trails would frustrate my child. There is a reason we became relaxed homeschoolers bordering at times on unschoolers. Classical Conversations would not fit my child at all however much I might like about the classical approach.
Performing and Perfection
There is definitely a strong performance component to Classical Conversations. One of the things people say they love about it is how amazing it is to hear the kids recite or perform all of the facts they have learned. Again, before becoming a mother I would have loved that aspect of it. I now have a child who does not like to perform in any way, shape, or form. She backed out of being a flower girl because she didn’t want people looking at her. She is not a performer. She’s not interested in singing or chanting what she is learning. She’s also not interested in recalling facts or information under pressure.
So for example, there is the Memory Masters program which rewards students who master everything and demonstrate it through multiple “proofings.” When I met with someone from CC a few years ago, she made it very clear that perfection was the standard. A memorization competition that demands perfection? I would have totally rocked that when I was a kid. I was brilliant at everything memorization – school, AWANA, VBS, etc. However, it would be a terrible fit for my daughter. Many gifted/2e kids already struggle with perfectionism. The last thing I need to do is add more fuel to the fire by putting her into a situation where the line between excellence and perfection is razor-thin to non-existent.
(I looked up Memory Masters Guide to make sure I was remembering this correctly and it appears there is some wiggle room now. They apparently do allow for a teeny teeny tiny bit of room for Mastery versus Perfection.)
However, as I said before, there is no accommodation for kids who have learning differences. From the Guide:
Can directors change the requirements for Memory Masters for students with special needs, especially those who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, or are on the autism spectrum?
Classical Conversations is honored that families who have children with different kinds of special needs like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or autism participate in the Foundations program. Students with many different abilities and capabilities enjoy, benefit from, and are valuable members of our local CC communities. We celebrate each achievement. The Memory Master title is set aside for those who are able to meet the required objectives. The director should be aware of physical limitations and may extend time and offer a break during proofing. The Memory Master requirements should remain the same for all subjects. Memory Master is not for every child, and that is really OK! If your child cannot meet the requirements for mastery, we recommend that you create your own special “Memory Master” rules and reward system for your home school.
While I believe that CC has every right to set the standards they wish, I would not feel comfortable taking my child into a situation where she would always feel “less” for not being able to do what is put out there as something to achieve, even if it is not required.
Classical Conversations Cost
Classical Conversations is not cheap. We live in a fairly affluent area, but we are not well-to-do ourselves relative to a significant portion of the population around us. I felt a distinct subtle shaming when I expressed my concern about the total cost (which I don’t think I knew about before I attended a one-on-one informational meeting). The reason I remember the feeling of shame so vividly is because it completely blindsided me. I wasn’t expecting it.
For families where money isn’t a concern, the cost of CC might not be a big deal. But I felt the cost outweighed any potential benefits Caroline might have derived from it. It was explained to me that I could become a tutor to pay for it, but I did not want to take that on for a number of reasons (including the last reason we didn’t do CC).
Parents Must Stay For Classical Conversations Sessions
Although this is last on my list here, it was perhaps most important to me individually. To Caroline? No. But for me as the mom, this was a big negative.
Classical Conversations requires that parents stay for the entire time. At that time, we were participating in a Christian drop-off co-op which we really liked (and still do to this day). I’m not going to lie. We love being able to drop Caroline off for a few hours and get some time to ourselves. It’s the only time we get a parenting break ever.
I found the idea that parents had to stay off-putting. But I especially found the reason they gave made no sense. The reason provided is that the parents need to see the tutor demonstrating how to use the materials and how to present the information. Well, I could maybe accept that if we were talking about master teachers who were highly trained. But many of the tutors are parents who are tutoring to offset the cost of their own child attending. I have a teaching degree and have been a classroom teacher. Yet I would be expected to stay to watch another parent (who may or may not be a teacher) show me how to work with my child. I could get that from a one hour video rather than being forced to sit there for hours week after week.
So the parents have to stay so they can learn from the tutors, but anyone can become a tutor if they attend a couple of days of training. The material to be presented is so challenging that parents have to be there to learn how to do it at home, but anyone can learn to be a tutor in a few short training sessions. This made no sense to me then and it still doesn’t.
In the end, I didn’t want to sit in the back of the room for hours when I had other things I could be doing with my valuable time.
Classical Conversations Negatives
So those are a few of the negatives I found when I researched Classical Conversations as an option for our family. I know there are many families who love CC and are passionate evangelists for it. But I think it’s also helpful to read reviews from people who have seriously researched it, considered it, and realized that it isn’t a good fit for every family and every child. Understanding your child is the most important part of homeschooling, far more important than any popular movement or view within the homeschooling community. If you are someone looking for “permission” to not do CC even though it is popular where you live or for someone else to say, “This wouldn’t work for our family either,” I hope you found this post helpful and encouraging. In the end, we are happy with our decision to be relaxed homeschoolers.
Helpful Tools In My Shop
-
50 Blank Printable U.S. State Maps (plus Washington, D.C.)$10.00
-
The Lifetime Pass$97.00
-
Cottage Rose & Sage Editable Homeschool Planner for March 2024 – June 2025$9.95
-
Black & White Floral Editable Homeschool Planner for March 2024 – June 2025$9.95
-
Daisies & Gingham Editable Homeschool Planner for March 2024 – June 2025$9.95
Sallie
I made this comment today way back in the thread when someone responded to an older comment. I think this point is so important I’m going to also put it here.
————-
A couple of things…
There is a well-known and oft-repeated saying in gifted/2e and special needs circles.
If you’ve met one gifted child, you’ve met one gifted child.
If you’ve met one 2e child, you’ve met one 2e child.
What makes them outliers is the fact that they don’t fit into any box neatly. Every 2e child, for example, has a completely different set of gifts and learning differences.
My 2e child isn’t like the 2e child of any of my readers who have one. They are ALL different. Some of them are WILDLY different. About the only thing they all have in common is they don’t fit into traditional learning structures. That’s what makes parenting and homeschooling them SO challenging.
You said: “but to say it doesn’t fit kids with special needs is untrue, as I’ve seen the opposite be true.”
Great. You’ve seen CC work well for one special needs child. Or a few. Super. I’m happy for them. Truly. I want kids to be happy and learn. But CC is NEVER EVER going to work for ALL kids with special needs.
EVER.
EVER.
EVER.
As far as the claims that it is unfair and rude to say that CC families can’t be cultish… I challenge anyone to read through this series of comments on this site alone with their pro-CC blinders off and tell me that there aren’t cultish elements in some CC groups and some CC leaders.
I can also show you a breakdown of how many people each month end up on this post because they searched in Google for some variation of “Is CC a cult?” and how many people search that on average in Google each month with the keyword tool I use. They didn’t get that idea from me. So it’s coming from somewhere.
Sallie
Rose
I’ve been part of parent led coops and CC. though I am impressed at the level of work and might even encourage it in many cases, as a Charlotte Mason mom and Covenantal Christian, I also sense that something is lost. If CC exists among other forms of fellowship and learning that are parent-led, then homeschool has a future. But taking the covenantal family that meets with other families and watches their children grow and encourages them in the same values only continues on here if you pay up…. this is not how covenant works. if we are to see distinctions between the motherly and fatherly roles, the motherly role is the one of safety and belonging. This can be weakened by business models and in the same way that corporatizing churches in the 50s, corporatizing prisons in the 90s and now corporatizing public schools does (through charter schools). its something that can exist and even have its good points, but as a foundational model, I would not see this as a good thing for the future abundance and success of homeschooling. The corporation, even as good as it is, is not there with you face to face, just like mega speakers at mega conferences. As a community, it was always about raising children together in the knowledge and celebration of the Lord. Have we gotten so used to be corporatized, do we know how to convene if someone hasn’t sent us a form letter first to tell us what to talk about?
Sallie
Hi Rose,
Somehow I missed your excellent comment and just now saw it.
This is really good:
“The corporation, even as good as it is, is not there with you face to face, just like mega speakers at mega conferences. As a community, it was always about raising children together in the knowledge and celebration of the Lord. Have we gotten so used to be corporatized, do we know how to convene if someone hasn’t sent us a form letter first to tell us what to talk about?”
Organic relationships are always better than a corporation telling us what to do, especially when it comes to family bonds and friendships. I freely admit to being biased toward smaller churches, smaller communities, etc. I think it is something our country has lost and desperately misses even though most people don’t realize it and would tell you you are crazy if you said so.
Sallie
Kara
It is very interesting (well possibly telling) that your comments got so quiet after you mentioned sharing stories of former CC members.
Sallie
Hi Kara,
Yes, I think maybe someone suggested that’s it’s best to just let it go and not keep attacking me. LOL!
Sallie
Sallie
An interesting development, including the comments.
More and more I am finding organizations who want to exert maximum control with little to no responsibility.
https://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2018/12/18/classical-conversations-8-personal-story-and-financial-nightmare/
ForReal
My concern is that churches have incorporatized (over many decades) and so have our grocery stores and restaurants (no longer mom and pops), even VBS curriculums, now homeschool groups, (franchises!), we’ve gotten used to not having a voice, but how then can we be the Body of Christ to one another? And where is our shared celebration of Our Risen Savior? There is a difference between covenant and contract. We did Challenge A this year, and though met some academic goals, will not be returning, was the most relationally difficult year we’ve had. Are we automating ourselves, dear Christian sisters?
Sallie
ForReal,
Thank you for such a good, thoughtful comment. I especially appreciate this:
“There is a difference between covenant and contract.”
I think the last few comments are on to something significant. Homeschooling started as a movement of families who wanted something more real for their children and their family as a whole. It has slowly become an industry that becomes increasingly faceless and not rooted in every day, real-life relationships. The changes in the homeschool conventions alone show this. They were once largely local/state and staffed by families who lived there. Now those are slowly going away (folding) in favor of huge regional gatherings where the draw is the speaker list, not the opportunity for building relationships in the community.
This is part of a bigger issue with online life and social media taking over. We all know people online better than the people in our church or neighborhood. I’ve been grateful for the online world, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think this is an overall positive in the life of our culture. It’s not.
Sallie
ForReal
Sallie, thank you for letting me post this and your wisdom in these regards!
Erin
So sorry for all the rude comments coming from people who take CC too seriously. I’m involved, we love it. The community alone is worth every hard-earned penny to me. I do not, however, understand why it needs to be defended. CC is an amazing program and others should just keep quiet and let the program speak for itself.
It’s really not the business of anyone else to correct your experiences.
Anonymous
Hey! I can’t remember how I came across your review haha but I read it because I was curious. I am in my 2nd year of CC. It stinks that CC wasnt a good fit for you guys but I do hope you find what is (or have found!) I wanted to just throw this out there that every CC community is different. The one we go to is truly phenomenal. Everyone is so encouraging, our opening meeting we sing worship music and refer to God A LOT. The reason parents have to stay is because you are the teacher. The tutor, who is another parent, has been given the songs and movements to learn to show the children then at home you spend 10 mins a day going over them. The reason they do singing with the memory work is bc the brain just memorizes songs better. Plus it’s fun for most! The cost is pretty high and we are definitely not rich. We pay with our tax returns. Anyways, I just wanted to touch on a few things to give a perspective from the inside! I’m not offended by your opinion because not everything works for everyone! Have a great day hun ♡
Melinda Johnson
I know CC works for many! For us, it just didn’t. It’s a great program if you can afford it and want to be part of a co op and don’t mind the commitment. The upper years are especially excellent. That’s the beauty of homeschooling, we can all do it differently! The CC community near to us is wonderful! I’ve met with the moms on different occasions for different things. And I’m still using the Foundations memory work on our own because it’s so basic and so solid and all in one place. We are working on cycle 3 this year with my 9th and 6th grader because I do want them to have those basic facts.
John
CC is the best program ever. My kids have enjoyed it so much. I do not agree with this article at all. In my middle child’s class there is a child with autism and he enjoys it so much because CC gives parents the freedom to choose what they want their child to do. The tutors are tutors and they give suggestions, but the parents are the teachers that can tailor what they want their child to do.
With great regards John.
Brooke
Ra, ra. Best program ever. Because your single experience negates everyone else’s.
Brooke
Ra, ra. Best program ever. Because your single experience negates everyone else’s. That’s exactly the kind of logic taught by that company.
Steve
Hey Sallie, thanks for the great discussion on CC. It is the best I have encountered, and so useful. We are new to homeschooling, and I have desperately been trying to find the right home school “program” for my family, and was about to join CC, essentially just because of the one day my kids would get for socializing in CC, even if I was not convinced of other aspects (but definitely liked some aspects of it). However, your article has reminded me of the one thing that we desperately need in these covid times, and that is to have a break from the kids. This was an issue at the start, but then I forgot about it, and now you have reminded me about it, and I am very thankful. A one-day drop-off program would be huge! And I just discovered that there are such programs, you just have to do your research. In terms of teaching, and developing a curriculum, I really have no problem there. I have a Phd and have taught for many years at the masters level. That part of the CC curriculum–training us to teach–is not all that necessary for us. Thanks!
Becky
Hi Sallie! Thanks for sharing your research with other homeschooling parents! I have been involved with CC for 7 years as a parent, tutor and challenge director. I personally don’t think CC is right for every child or every parent. When I talk to people considering joining, I really try to list the pros and cons. And of course there are both! I am sorry to hear that so many people have had negative experiences with CC or felt unduly pressured to join, but every campus is different with different leaders and community members. There can be very different atmospheres between different campuses. The 3 campuses I have belonged to have been more laid back and have been very understanding when members decided that CC was not right for one or more of their children.
Here are my impressions from both personal and friends’ experience:
Foundations: Fun for kids and lots of encouragement for moms from other moms. I have seen it work well for classrooms with kids of varied abilities. So if your kid is gifted, s/he can still enjoy community day with kids of the same age. We do memory work, science demonstrations, presentations and games. One kid might be reading on a 6th grade level and classmate still struggling to sound a few words out. In my (more traditional opinion) it is is not a full curriculum. I used Memoria Press for my curriculum at home during these years. But other families in our group used a much more relaxed, no curriculum approach. We did memory master, most kids in our community did not. My personal favorite thing was the encouragement I received from other more experienced homeschoolers every week. Cons would be: 1) some people are looking for a community that provides full curriculum and Foundations is not that, 2) kids/parents who feel pressured to do Memory Master 3) cost 4) parents stay.
Essentials: Very structured grammar and writing program. Some people love it, some hate it. I hated it at first. My kids were already creative writers and felt a bit stifled by the program. Eventually, I came to see it as a tool instead of hard fast rules. CC always maintains that the parent is the teacher, so I simply changed the writing assignments to give my kids a lot more freedom. I never made them memorize the grammar charts, I simply made sure they understood the grammar on each chart. We actually kind of loved diagraming sentences, so always did a lot of those. We used what I liked and skipped over what I did not think of benefit to my kids. Cons: It is not a good fit for parents who do like the strict structure, but are not comfortable making changes to the assignments. Or for parents who simply prefer other writing/grammar programs.
Challenge: My kid have done Challenge A, B and 1 so far. I have thought about trying other programs/schools at some point every year! However, my kids always want to stay.
I will list some detailed pros and cons below.
Pro/Con: the parent is still the teacher! This is the biggest advantage for me, and the biggest con for parents who are hoping for a teacher for the high school years. It means I have to teach my kids Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and maybe even Calculus or find a tutor/online class/ someone else who will. It means I get to decided if they did well on an essay or gave sub par effort. It means I get to tailor their workload. I can let them skip assigned books, essays, assignments, or listen to a book on audible, or watch the movie instead.
Pro/Con; The “Guide”! This is a love/hate relationship! I love that every assignment for every week of the year is given in writing at the beginning of the year. We can plan ahead! I have friends who never know how much homework their child will come home with each day. I would find that hard to go back to! However, the Guide list a lot of work! More than many students can reasonably do in 6 hours, 4 days a week (the suggested schedule for the curriculum). If parents are not comfortable tailoring these assignments for their children, they will often feel frustrated. And if you do tailor, if you are a list person, you often still feel a sense of frustration at the items not crossed off. Every time I feel frustrated and like quitting, I have to remind myself that the Guide is not my boss. It is a tool. If I use it as such, it is a blessing. If it becomes my master, it can be a curse.
Pro/Con: Challenge is a complete curriculum. Some people love that they no longer have to pick curriculum. I, however, find it a con. I have specific opinions on how I would like my boys to spend their limited study time. I imagine many parents do!
Pro/Con: No Grading! Every time I look into sending my kids to other programs, I have to face the idea that someone will be putting a letter grade on their work. I have one academically gifted child, and one brilliant, ADHD, spectrum kid who struggles academically. I think a grading system may make the first feel over satisfied and the other like a failure. With CC, I am able to simply discuss what they did well and how they could improve. Some parents are hoping for more feedback on their children’s work though!
Pro/Con: The curriculum itself. Very heavy on literature. Very fast paced. (Isn’t the idea of classical education to go slow and deep)? A year behind in science for some reason, and I am not sure that I love the Apologia text. I would say a con for any STEM kids. Of course you can supplement with all kinds of things – robotics class, coding camps, other texts. . . and we always have. I might have my oldest take biology at the local Community College next year instead of reading the Apologia Biologytext. I figure he can still enjoy the class discussions and experiments.
Pro/Con: Community day is all about discussing what they are learning. These are wonderful discussions and in my opinion teaches the students to think deeply and logically and express themselves well. Again though, if a parent is hoping that their child will be taught how to do their upcoming math lessons during community day, they will be disappointed. Also, even shy kids often become comfortable talking in their class of 4-12 students, but if a student really does not want to talk in class, it may not be a helpful environment for them.
Pro: We never do evening/weekend work ever. My kids work very hard from 8:30-3 or 4. We do extra work in piano/guitar lessons, Spanish class (in addition to Latin), and occasional art/coding/robotics/test prep classes. Whatever is not done by 4:00 is left undone. If I feel my kids are not working to their full ability during these hours, we have a discussion. So far it has never come to working in the evening or weekends though. My boys have lots of free time and little stress about deadlines. I think that may be my best gift to them. It is certainly one of the reasons they want to stick with CC! They do want some community, and seeing what their friends go through homework and stress wise at other places has convinced them that CC is their best option.
In a nutshell the program seems to work well for 1) Independent kids who are super organized, motivated and able to do the work themselves. (Not either of my kids! But I know some kids like this in our community). 2) Parents who are comfortable not crossing off everything in the guide, tailoring the assignments for their kids, and want to remain heavily involved in teaching their students through High School but are willing to give up some independence for community.
The Challenge A Guide Appendix includes the following articles that I think show a little bit of CC’s desire to welcome all learners, to love students of all different abilities, and to be flexible for different student/family needs.
“Love Your Neighbor, Learn to Tailor”. (encouraging parent to “tailor” the assignments as an act of love)
“We are One Body: Recognizing the Gifts of Others in Seminar”
“Hospitality and the wintertime Learner: How to Welcome Students at Home and in Community.”
Hope all the details pros/cons help some other parent!
Sallie
There is a new in-depth article available about Classical Conversations
https://julieroys.com/does-classical-conversations-exploit-homeschooling-parents/
Ellen
Hello Sallie!
Another one bites the dust.
I wish I had done more research on CC before I joined, but, frankly, I probably would have joined anyway because I was desperate for a homeschool group, lonely and wanting friends for myself and my children, and CC’s curriculum is very good and also is the same everywhere, at every time of year, compared to most regularly meeting homeschool groups. That last point most valuable to me, because, being a military family, we would be able to plug in to a new CC somewhere else and be pretty much on track. I love that convenience, and still do. I have met wonderful families in CC, my kids have met many friends, and many of my homeschool friends are CC members.
We started in our first CC group in 2015 and have been in multiple groups in multiple regions of the US since then. I have tutored at two different campuses in two different states. We were not the super-star CC family in that we did not do everything, memorize every fact, etc. We kind of grew into it over time, each year being a little more ‘all in’ and two of my kids were even memory masters. We were a good, solid, dependable family that showed up every week, participated, socialized, etc. I do not wish to share any details here, and believe me when I say, they are quite boring, not exciting at all. Nothing dramatic or lurid. But, when our campus had a leadership change and this new person was fresh from CC leadership training, I found my family had been not only barred from our current campus, but blacklisted from all of the CC campuses from across the entire city!
Only then did I start looking up negatives of CC. It is difficult to find anything! However, one very prominent CC family posted a tasteful, candid reason they exited, and it echoes my own situation, so reading it gave me much peace of mind. I did find blogs on leadership issues in CC, and tracing back when our problems began, the new leadership’s methods with us are almost verbatim what I have read online.
I don’t wish to malign CC Corporate, but I do think they need to reassess their business plan. If you are prone to cultish behavior, there business plan is a breeding ground for some of these contractors in leadership positions!
Sally, I’d be happy to share the details of our ‘excommunication’ with you privately.
Ellen
Tabitha
Thank you for this article and the comments. I have learned so much about a confusing concept(confusing because it is something new to me and my family). I hope to speak with a parent-tutor soon.
Melissa
Here I am in the middle of the night saying slient prayers about whether or not CC would be a good fit for my 2E’s, and your post just confirmed my decision to not join. We have friends who love CC and we love them and I love hearing about what they’re doing, but my Caroline (who really is named Caroline hahaha) and my other three 2E’s, would not love this program. Thank you for taking the time and enormous emotional energy to share your analysis publicly, even if, judging by the comments section, I imagine you may have had moments when you questioned your sanity and it would have been much easier to delete it. Looking forward to exploring the rest of your blog!
Sallie Borrink
Hi Melissa,
I’m glad you found this post and discussion helpful. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It always encourages me to hear from real people that something I’ve written was used to answer someone’s prayer. Truly.
I’ve never seriously considered deleting the post. I have rolled my eyes a few times. LOL! I’m simply glad it has served a purpose and provided a place to have a discussion where different points of view can be shared openly and (mostly) without fear. That was not the case when I originally posted it.
May God bless you and your family of 2e children!
Sallie
Karin
Good Gravy, you need to get your child in front of others. You lack even the minutest amount of humbliness. Lots of labels, are all I can clearly tell from your grumblings above, are your thing. Perhaps, just perhaps, your child (& yourself!) would learn more of what is unique & true about herself, sans the judgments necessary to conjure such labels. Regardless of what your mommy or older sister made you think, brilliance doesn’t make anyone the better person for everything.
Brooke
I want to be so gracious and I also want to absolutely snap at you for your condescending reply so full of your belief in what you know (speaking of a need for humility). Please consider rereading what you wrote. Ask yourself, “Do I know what 2e means?” (hint: it doesn’t mean “brilliance” as you suggested) “Am I friends with anyone who is neurodiverse?” “Do I know any children who are neurodiverse?” “Do I understand different abilities?” “Do I care about the experience of others in the world?” “Do I somehow think that my own experience and goals ought to be identical to those of others?”
It is quite clear that you are not within a diverse community or family in which you are unaware or not around those with other needs. It’s almost impossible that this is true, so likely you have a lack of awareness but also a lack of experience. Labels are not pretend. These are actual DIAGNOSES with meaning behind them. These humans in our world deserve that respect that you so coldly tried to remove.
Please remember that:
– standing in front of someone to present is something the majority of the world will never need to do (and was a tiny piece of her post)
– memorizing rote work is considered the lowest level of thought process (it’s even below understanding) (and rote memory work is the LARGEST piece of CC).
Patti
My homeschool days ended back in 2010, when my youngest child finished high school. We never used CC, and although I know people now who are involved in it, I know nothing about it from my own experience. I do, however, have much experience with a local Classical Christian school. For awhile, my church (at the time) met in the gymnasium of that school. From what I could see, the god of the school is education, not Christ. There was nothing in that school (or most of the students I knew) that exhibited Christ, only intellect. If CC is anything like that Classical Christian school, I would not want my Christian children involved in it.
Sallie Borrink
Hi Patti,
I think every homeschooling method has its potential blind spots and pitfalls. I remember a friend telling me she went to a homeschool conference and one group of Charlotte Mason bloggers wouldn’t sit next to another group of Charlotte Mason bloggers. One group deemed the other not pure enough in their approach, etc.
It’s ridiculous.
I think classical Christian education can be done well. I also agree it can lend itself very well to puffing up and vanity.
But have you ever heard about how unschoolers go after each other for not doing it right? Yowza. Don’t mess with them either. lol
And so it goes.
Sallie