Coming from two parents who love education, books, and ideas, it's really no surprise that the education of our child was something we talked about even before she became reality.
Then five years ago when I was pregnant with Jacie, we came across this book:
Both Conroy and I were intrigued by the idea of classical education, so out-of-the-box from traditional/mainstream education. I'd always wanted to homeschool, but I didn't have any clear plan or method in mind. Over the ensuing years of Jacie's babyhood, toddlerhood, and preschool years, I researched and refined my own educational philosophy. As her gifts and proclivities emerge, we are all the more eager to capitalize on and develop her burgeoning abilities.
Enter Classical Conversations. This nationwide community group of homeschoolers meets once a week to support and reinforce classical education at home. Conroy and I attended an information session and an open house this week. We couldn't more thrilled and excited at embarking on this educational adventure with Jacie.
Today in class we witnessed students as young as four giving confident, informative presentations on subject matters ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Hungry, Hungry Hippos. We heard them reciting Latin and the formula for finding the area of a circle, We watched as 4 & 5 year-olds were introduced to the concepts of probability and outcomes.
Jacie plunged right in enthusiastically, reciting states and capitals set to music while pointing them out on a map of the U.S. After she saw the other kids giving their presentations, she even gave an impromptu presentation on "Why I Love God" -- completely unprompted by us and all on her own!
How Classical Education works:
Children learn mathematical, scientific, Latin,
Biblical, and historical facts and terms through songs and chants. While
they do not grasp the concepts behind some of these facts and terms (ie., the
area of a circle) at the younger ages, when they are old enough to grasp the
concepts, the terms are already very familiar to them so the application of the
principles comes more easily. The songs and chants to aid memorization require
no more than 20-30 minutes of review a day. The remainder of the
homeschooling day is free to focus on the three R's and/or to flesh out whatever
concepts the parent feels the child can understand.
Ages 4-10 is the stage of memorization and factual learning
(KNOW). Ages 10-14 begins to apply and to work with the knowledge learned
(UNDERSTAND). Then ages 14-18 analyzes and teaches the information
learned and formulates their own opinions and hypothesis (MASTER).
