By: Casey Hamilton
Have you ever thought about homeschooling your children, but you are worried about what resources there are to help you? Even with a background in education, the thought of trying to teach my children at home and ensure they learn all the skills they need seems like a daunting task. How could I possibly organize my schedule to make the best use of the time allocated? What materials would I use? Where would I buy the materials? Are there state mandates that govern what I can and can’t do?
According to the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky constitution allows parents to choose their child’s formal education whether it is in public or private school, or homeschool. If a parent chooses to homeschool their child, they are completely responsible for selecting the curriculum and educational materials that will be the most helpful in educating their child. The state does not provide any financial assistance for parents who choose this option. Here in Daviess County, we have an ever-growing population of homeschooled students and they have a new ally to help them with all of the above concerns and more- Classical Conversations.
After homeschooling her own children, Leigh Bortins, an aerospace engineer, realized that more children needed to be able to sharpen their skills in critical thinking and communication, so she founded Classical Conversations. According to their website, the mission of the organization is to “combine the classical method of learning with a biblical worldview” by allowing families “to meet in communities where parents train parents to implement home-centered education well. Bortins believes that a “classical, Christian education allows our children to pursue the biblical qualities of knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
While they aren’t an official part of the other homeschool groups in town, Classical Conversations is there to help all of them. The quickly growing organization, which has been in Owensboro for five years, offers several different programs and levels depending on the age and abilities of a child. For younger students, ages 4 through grade 6, the “Foundations” curriculum is taught. The Challenge program is divided into 6 different sections and is designed for students ages 12 and older. Weekly sessions meet at two different locations in town on Wednesday nights. Owensboro West meets at Bellevue Church, and Owensboro East meets at Pleasant Valley Community church.
When they meet once a week, tutors work with students on new concepts and curriculum in such subjects as history, math, science, Latin, English grammar, geography and Scripture. Then they send a structured guide home with students to work on during the coming week. The following week they use the newly acquired skills and materials for debates, discussions, writing, researching, labs and oral presentations, according to Krista Velez, the director and a tutor in the Challenge I program of Classical Conversations.
Tutors are certified through Classical Conversations and must have experience homeschooling their own child. They consider it their job to not only work with the children, but to also guide and serve as a role model for the parents whose job it is to teach the students at home. To maintain quality instruction and be able to serve each child’s individual needs, enrollment in the programs is limited. For example, the Challenge program is based on the Discipleship model with 1 tutor and 12 students.
In an ever-changing world, it is nice to know that we parents have a choice in our child’s education. While homeschooling may not be the best situation for all, it is even more assuring to know that if we choose that option, there is a quality resource available to assist us in providing the best quality education we can.