classical conversations homeschool testing

Instead, they engage in rich conversations, often taking turns leading these discussions. On community days, there are no lectures for Challenge students.

What Makes the Challenge Program Unique?Ĭhallenge programs are intentionally no bigger than a handful of students led by a parent-facilitator (i.e., a Director). Eliot describes in a famous poem, “the hollow men, the stuffed men,” “headpiece filled with straw,” lacking in both spine and spirituality? Although many would claim that the highest goal of education is virtue - discipling children to love what is good - you cannot have disciples without relationship or teach virtue without community. However, is there more to education than just knowledge and skills? How do we keep our students from becoming, as T. What do you want for your child’s education? Of course, we all want our children to gain practical skills and find success, whether that’s attending a college, finding a high-earning job, or something else. Class only lasts for an hour and a half at most, and one person (the teacher) does most of the talking. An absence from class typically doesn’t affect either the lesson or the other students’ grades or learning. Students now sit in class, listen, and leave without extensive participation. As we left the model of the one-room schoolhouse behind, classes became larger, students were grouped by age and subject, and lectures became the most efficient format for lessons. Modern education is highly individualized. There were conflicts and hard times, but we encouraged and sharpened one another as we learned to live in community. What happened in that small group? We discussed the Bible, we shared meals, and we met together during the week. That church wouldn’t have been a community where we could develop strong relationships if we hadn’t committed to a small group of ten families that met every Sunday. When my family lived in California, we attended a church with four thousand people. How easy is it to slip into church, listen to the sermon, and then leave each Sunday without being held accountable by anyone? It’s easier to think about our own needs and focus on what is best for us.Įven as Christians, we’re not immune to this self-imposed isolation.

We all desire relationship and connection, but let’s admit it - relationships are hard work. Looking back as I finish my sixth year of directing and my oldest prepares to graduate from Challenge IV, I’ve realized that the most important feature of the classical approach is community. While I wholeheartedly share these associations, we often overlook a key factor of the classical approach. Or perhaps you envision a God-centered approach that integrates every subject area.

Or, maybe you identify classical education with the tools of learning - the arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Most of us who are familiar with the classical approach to education probably associate it with an emphasis on learning and thinking skills over mere content mastery.

Classical conversations homeschool testing