However, as I said before, there is no accommodation for kids who have learning differences. They apparently do allow for a teeny teeny tiny bit of room for Mastery versus Perfection.) (I looked up Memory Masters Guide to make sure I was remembering this correctly and it appears there is some wiggle room now. 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. Many gifted/2e kids already struggle with perfectionism. However, it would be a terrible fit for my daughter. I was brilliant at everything memorization – school, AWANA, VBS, etc. A memorization competition that demands perfection? I would have totally rocked that when I was a kid. 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. She’s also not interested in recalling facts or information under pressure. She’s not interested in singing or chanting what she is learning. She backed out of being a flower girl because she didn’t want people looking at her. I now have a child who does not like to perform in any way, shape, or form. Again, before becoming a mother I would have loved that aspect of it. 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. There is definitely a strong performance component to Classical Conversations. Classical Conversations would not fit my child at all however much I might like about the classical approach. There is a reason we became relaxed homeschoolers bordering at times on unschoolers. A tight schedule with very definite parameters and very little room for rabbit trails would frustrate my child. The tight structure I would have seen as a positive before I became a mother became a huge negative. When you are parenting a child who doesn’t fit the normal parameters, you look at everything very differently. 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. While some families might find this rigidity a source of accountability, other families will find the rigidity stifling. They have very definite ways of doing things handed down from the corporate entity. Classical Conversations is a tightly controlled program with a clear hierarchy. For others, it will be disastrous.įor 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. I think CC can probably be a very positive experience for kids if they have a learning style that fits well with the program. The rigidity of the program was one of the first red flags that Classical Conversations would not work with our child. Rigidity Of Classical Conversations Program 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. Many people enthusiastically participate and current members can be very persuasive when inviting people to join. 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. I’m listing my reasons in roughly the order of importance for our particular family, starting with the most important. This review is for parents who are exploring CC, but may be doubting their own research or perspective. I am sharing what I see as some of the Classical Conversations negatives. There are several reasons why we chose not to join Classical Conversations. In the end, we opted not to participate in CC. 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. CC offers a number of features that interested me including the advertised community aspect. I taught for a year in a Classical Christian school and therefore was very familiar with classical education. When CC came to our area a few years ago, I explored it as an option even though we are relaxed homeschoolers. One of the most popular homeschooling programs currently available is Classical Conversations (CC).
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