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Classical Conversations is a very frequent topic amongst homeschoolers with families on both sides of the debate. Some saying the organization is why they love homeschooling, that it's helped them grow closer to God and to each other, and they can't imagine their homeschool without it. Then we have families who burnt out hard and fast, had to relearn how to love learning again, and can never go back. Let's talk about it.

What is Classical Conversations?

The Classical Conversations Approach

The Very, Very Good

The parents who love CC, LOVE CC. They feel encouraged and empowered to teach at home, their children grow and thrive, and they have a built-in community of like-minded parents who can come alongside them.

1. Structure – Many families thrive with the clear and organized curriculum, as each program follows a defined path rooted in the classical education model. The cyclical nature of the program means that topics are revisited about every 3 years, allowing the students to dive into the material again at a deeper level when they are more mature.
2. Community – If not the structure, parents invariably join for the encouragement of the community. Parents and children both benefit from the weekly groups. Parents encourage one another and keep each other accountable, and students get to interact with peers, participate in group activities, and develop friendships.
3. Classical Education – The CC model emphasizes critical thinking, logic, and effective communication. Starting basic with memorization, moving up to understanding of deeper concepts, and graduating to defending and articulating their own ideas, all with "real books" and classical literature along the way.
4. Faith-Based – For Christian families, this is a no-brainer. Learning everything through the lens of Christ, his creation, his characteristics, and the commandments in the Bible falls exactly in line with wanting to "train children up in the way they should go". The structure and the community that comes with it are cherries on top. 

The Horrid

On the other side of the aisle are the families who tried it once, or stuck with it a few years, but ultimately ended up leaving and never looking back. These families usually end up deciding to "unschool" for a little while to let the kids detox from CC.

1. Rigid Structure – While some families absolutely love having a roadmap, other families find it constrictive and limiting. The purely book-based education is just not a good fit for every child. Students who learn better kinesthetically or who have learning disabilities tend to find the structure and the pace chafing instead of comforting. Many families have reported to having a hard time tailoring the curriculum to fit their family, usually after several hours spent on the attempt.
2. Cost – Some families have found the fees to be out of reach. Usually, the co-op or group will have steep enrollment and tutor compensation fees on top of the curriculum requirements. Now hear me when I say it is worth every penny to get a good thing for homeschooling, but for some, the fees are too high for the return.
3. Time Commitment – CC is generally not a very independent curriculum, and intentionally so. Parents are intended to be directly involved. But for some, learning the material before teaching it, along with the weekly meetings, is just too much. The more children in the household, the more work it is. For students, especially in the Challenge program, there is a significant amount of reading, writing, and project work to complete each week. For families craving a more flexible schedule or dealing with learning disabilities, it's usually not a good fit.