Classical Conversations: The Adventure Begins!

Today my daughter and I and several other friends attended an open house for our new home school program...Classical Conversations. I can't tell you how excited I am that the Lord led us to this wonderful Christian based educational program and this new (to us) educational philosophy.

According to the Classical Conversations handbook, the program is: a mission - to know God and make Him known, a model - to combine a biblical worldview and classical tools and, a method - to equip parents and encourage students.

Classical Conversations is based on the classical tools of learning: grammatical, rhetorical and dialectical skills in particular.

The students go to a specific location one day a week to have lessons and concepts presented by an experienced Classical Conversations tutor. They will have opportunities to discuss literature, share their writing, learn Latin (!) and explore creationism vs evolution. The parent is still the child's primary teacher and works through the assignments with them during the week.

Our tutor is a godly, perky, former missionary, Mom who is definitely gifted and passionate about teaching. She actually seems to ooze the love of Jesus from every pore, if that's possible. I'm thrilled that we will have the opportunity to get to know this amazing woman as the year progresses.

My expectations for this program are that my daughter come out on the other side as a more independent learner, a more impassioned and skillful communicator and, that she will be moved to a closer walk with God as she begins to understand the power, genius and creativity of the God of the universe.

I am constantly amazed at how God orchestrates our lives as we seek to please and honor Him...opening up new avenues to fulfill the desires of our hearts. In this case, the desire of my heart to raise a godly young woman who will walk in the ways of the Lord and pass on the legacy of faith to her own children.

Another very special blessing that God showers on us at the most unexpected times is the gift of new friends who are in the same phase of life with the same heart for their children. It's an awesome thing to be in such a community. This is another facet and benefit of Classical Conversations.

For my daughter and I, this year will signal a change in the pace as well as the content of our previous homeschooling efforts. It will be a challenge  but we will embrace it and "work at it with all of our heart as unto the Lord".

I will keep you posted on our progress as we journey through this year of new friends, new material and new challenges. I can't wait to see what God has in store!

Homeschooling...the Classical Adventure Begins!

 I have been homeschooling my daughter for two years now after our wonderful Christian school closed it's doors due to the recent downturn in the economy. The Lord has truly blessed us during this time and it has been such a rewarding experience. Homeschooling has given me the opportunity to get to know my daughter again in a relaxed and unhurried setting. In addition, I have had plenty of time to model and instruct her in the areas of relationships, courtesy, home-making and service. Children can soak up so much from us when they have sufficient time with us for this to occur. Children who are in school full time are often hurried, stressed and just plain tired. It has been such a blessing to have my daughter at home where we can take life at a slower pace and "stop and smell the roses" every once in a while.

Another benefit of homeschooling is that there is plenty of time for music lessons, art enrichment classes, sports, etc...as these can occur during the day instead of always right after a long day of school. Due to the large amount of time we spend together, there is no question that I am the primary person of influence in my daughter's life right now, which I believe is biblical. That is not always the case when students spend 40 hours or more a week at school and in extra-curricular pursuits. They can be heavily influenced by teachers, coaches and their peers. ( I realize there are many Christian teachers and coaches who are wonderful influences on students, but, I believe parents should be the primary trainers of their children.) The opportunity for biblical training is another major benefit of homeschooling. Maybe even the most important benefit as we are instructed in scripture to train our children up in the Lord.