Last night I had the great opportunity to attend a CC event held in my area, entitled Homeschooling through High School with CC CEO Robert Bortins. It was an encouragement to me on many levels.
I really appreciated the way Robert weaved scripture throughout his talk as the basis for the educational choices made by his family and for the direction of CC. Rather than trying to build our little’s education to any other goal, he exhorted us to seek “truth, goodness, and beauty” found in the God of the Bible and the universe created by Him.
He sympathized with the concerns of high school parents, who wonder how they’ll keep up with the demands of a growing education. But, encouraged us that with the classical model, we are able to learn alongside our children and in the process, show them how learning can come from struggle and how our caring for learning will teach them to care for learning. The classical model teaches us first how to learn, second to love learning, and finally to have no fear in learning. By joining with our high school students as they learn, we’re demonstrating all of these things for them.
Robert fielded questions and shared the growth CC is experiencing. Along with the growth in participation, CC recognizes an increased need for tutor/director/parent support. Their goal is to support and educate parents, so that parents can then effectively educate their children using the classical model. As we all know, regardless of your schooling set-up, parents are ultimately responsible for their children’s education. I appreciate that CC recognizes the order and value in supporting parents.
Now to share one of my favorite practical tips/examples of the night: Robert took the SATs six times before graduating high school and entering college. In NC, an end of year test is required and he used the SAT as his end of year test. The repetition afforded him plenty of practice and relieved any nerves he might have for the test. Colleges don’t factor in all of your test scores, but rather only your highest. So, following the classical model of repetition gave him a great advantage in testing.
Any questions about this event or want more specifics on some practical high school tips shared? Please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them for you!
UPDATE: Check it out – Robert recorded his Homeschooling Through High School talk!
HEY!! Thanks for sharing. Methinks we will stop standardized testing and go this route! (Now why didn’t I think of something like that?!?)
I am experiencing a certain degree of envy here. I would have LOVED to hear that talk! 🙂
Brandy, check it out! Robert recorded himself doing that talk and I linked it above! : )
I truly love the concept of learning alongside our children. It really makes anything possible! I look forward to going through the cycles of learning with my children, partially because I’m excited about what I’m going to learn too =) Thanks for the great post. I’ll have to listen to the talk you linked to.
i love it too! i have SO much to learn : )
The key points about homeschooling shared in this above post are very useful. This points will be helpful to all homeschooling parents. Being a working parent, it wasn’t easy for me to give time so I found an online school for my kids. My kids are enjoyed learning through online schooling.