Tuesday, March 11, 2014

CC Long-Term Vision Part 2

Did you give up on my enormous post yesterday? I hope not, I hope in some way you were encouraged. I am just very passionate about sharing this wonderful program as we have been blessed and encouraged through it and are privileged to be investing of ourselves in helping others learn and understand it. This is something God has laid on our hearts and shown us is right for us, if you feel led differently, then CC is not right for you. I always pray for families coming to visit CC that they would have wisdom and seek God's guidance for what is right for their families. Above all, my greatest desire in all of this is that God be glorified.

Yesterday we talked about the Trivium and the Classical Model. I get asked so many questions about how to do this at home, what do we add at home, and so forth.

So, let me start there today - ok, so there are three CC programs called Foundations {age 4-6th grade}, Essentials {4th-6th grade} and Challenge {approximately 7th-12th grades} though I use the grade levels loosely and just for clarification. CC prefers to divide children by age rather than grade and most classes will be set up in that way.

To start more at the beginning, you can read a series of four posts I wrote last Spring:
What is Classical Conversations Part 1
What is Classical Conversations Part 2
What is Classical Conversations Part 3
Q&A: Answering your Questions

At the risk of re-stating everything I already said in those four posts, I'm going to stick with my topic which is casting the long-term vision. There are a lot of nitty gritty details in the previous four linked posts if you want to dig a bit deeper.

As far as home, I have trusted the model to keep things simple and I am trying hard to do that. Two thoughts on that - you will frequently hear in CC the idea of "stick in the sand" and keeping it simple. The idea here is that if I had a stick and sand {or in modern day: a dry erase board and marker} I should be able to teach my students anything I know that I want them to know. Less is more and simpler is ok. Really.

And, we were reminded this weekend that this is how Jesus taught. Simple. He drew in the sand, He spoke words. Those were the only tools He used to teach.

She also reminded that God teaches us in Scripture that His burden is light - we are the ones who add the yokes of burdens and make things more complicated than they really are!


Every piece of memory work, each detail is carefully thought out for the future years of Challenge and will all come back to serve our children again in the 7-12 grade years.

Did you know that you don't have to complete the Challenge levels in order? Depending on what is available in your area - it is possible to switch some of the years around. Also, each year of Challenge has a theme outlined here and in the new 2014 catalog:

Challenge A:Ownership - It's Your Education
Challenge B: Discipline - Self Management
Challenge 1: Freedom - Responsibility
Challenge 2: Choices - Discussing good vs. bad choices
Challenge 3: Consequences - results of choices
Challenge 4: Leadership - duties, responsibilities

In addition, Challenge 1 and 3 are connected as are 2 and 4.

When I hear all of that and look at the seminar strands {six one hour seminars on each of six strand topics} and their curriculum choices, I get so excited for the years ahead. It will definitely be challenging! There is no hiding what a rigorous course of study this is and definitely takes commitment. But, the conversations held within, the quality of thoughts being discussed and studied, the character being developed, just excites and thrills me with possibility.

Not only that, but as in all levels of CC, I look forward to what I will learn! Two generations are being classically educated at once.

I love that CC comes alongside parents, no one is trying to take the place of the parent and their role and responsibility in educating our children. You will hear often that all classroom leaders are called tutors and not teachers. Mom and Dad are still teacher. The tutor is in class modeling for you how to learn the Classical Model and implement it at home.

I also love that with the hefty reading lists in Challenge years, we learned this weekend that they "emphasize words over images." In a world where we are bombarded with the visual, with images, with so much - our presenter reminded us that compared to years past we operate on exponentially fewer word banks than our preceding generations did. We are amusing ourselves to death and bringing down the level of education with our modern cultural ways.

We also participated in a debate exercise similar to what Challenge students complete in class. So, I'm willing to do a third post on questions if you have them - leave in the comments or email me at thehomespunheart {at} hotmail {dot} com.

A great follow up read is this article called All Dress Up for the Prom, But Will You Go?

4 comments:

Leanne said...

I am so excited about CC... I am really praying about this being the next step in our homeschooling journey! I reread all of your posts :-)
thank you for sharing!!
Leanne

Amy said...

Thanks for these posts, I've enjoyed them and learned a little more about Challenge.

angie said...

Everywhere I turn, people/media are talking about classical education. But, I do think that CC is one of the few 'walking the walk.'
My question is simple: If a child has not been educated in this model, can they jump in late during the essentials stage?

Nykiah said...

I've been trying to comment on your blog forever!! I love reading here. I've even put slow days into my family's daily living. I write about it sometimes here.
http://howtotrainasuperhero.com/

You are such a sweetheart Monica and a wonderful example to me through your blog.

Blessings!
Nykiah