Classical Education

I love classical education. When we changed gears to educating in this manner we saw our kids growing by leaps and bounds. They can each memorize material very well, and they know how to do the work that goes in to learning on their own. We have used Classical Conversations for 6 years, stopping by 6th grade so we can then change gears a bit.

The downside of classical education is this: it was born during a time where higher math was geometry and the sciences didn't exist.  This is something to consider when choosing a classical route of education. If the humanities are focused on as heavily as a pure classical education dictates, it is pretty tough, if not impossible, to fit in the science and math that are essential to a solid education by what is known of the world today. This is one reason we weren't bowled over by A Thomas Jefferson Education.

HSLDA puts on high school seminars and has information on their website regarding high school requirements. Consider paying attention to what is required at good colleges for entrance as well, then back out your educational plan and see where your student needs to be for math by 7th grade in order to have the math needed for high school science. Even if college is unlikely, it's best to set a student up for the greatest success by having them prepared for anything they may end up deciding they want to do.

It is much easier to correct your path when the kids are in elementary school--if you wait until they are about to start high school, you'll find some opportunities are not going to be available to your student because they may be behind so won't have what they need in order to study what they want to study. Don't panic if you have a student in middle school who is behind in math--you can always catch up over the summer and some online programs even offer summer classes.

Blessings as we strive to educate in an informed manner!

Ann