Challenge A: The First Five Weeks

{Disclaimer:  This post is about our experience with our local chapter of Classical Conversations Challenge A.  Each child, tutor and class is different.}

Challenge A: Homeschooling Through Middle School and Beyond (my first post on the subject)

Just yesterday, Sam finished his fifth week of Challenge A.  He and I were both very nervous-excited before the start.

What would the (at home) workload look like?
Would it be too much work?
Would he lose some of his homeschool independence as he adjusted (as in, will I have to help more)?
Would it matter that he had not participated in the younger Classical Conversation programs (Foundations and Essentials)?
Would he hate it?
Would I hate it?
Would I be able to keep up enough to help him?
Would he make good friends?
Would we be glad we chose this path?

Well, if you care to know, here are the answers:

What would the (at home) workload look like?

In Challenge A, they suggest allowing for one hour per subject per day. There are six skills/subjects.

Latin A (Grammar).  The Henle Latin books are used.  Sam's work at home includes memorizing vocabulary and declensions (think "conjugating" nouns for the purpose of identifying their function in a sentence, verbs are also conjugated), learning Latin rules, completing exercises, and checking his answers.

Literature, Discussion & Persuasive Writing (Exposition and Composition).  While Sam is reading the one novel, he is writing about the book he previously read using The Lost Tools of Writing curriculum.  At home, Sam works though the workbook as it guides him in asking a "should" question about a character in the book.  For example, "Should Edmund have gone with the White Witch?" Over several weeks, a simple persuasive essay develops.  The simple version is built upon each consecutive book/process.

Geography (Debate).  Each day, Sam practices drawing a different part of the world.  He started with Canada and Greenland.  Beginning by tracing, he moved on to free hand and labeling of provinces, capitals and major bodies of water/mountain ranges.  By the end of the year, they should be able to draw the world (free hand) and label all the countries, capitals, large bodies of water, etc.

Natural Science and Biology (Research).  Sam's tutor assigns a topic to research.  Sam has to research the topic, take notes, write a rough draft (5-10 sentences), note sources, and draw a diagram in his science journal.  He then copies the good draft into the journal as well as the Works Cited, using proper AMA format.  In class, he presents his research to his class and they provide feedback on his public speaking.

Clear Reasoning/Apologetics (Rhetoric). The class is reading It Couldn't Just Happen.  Each week, they are assigned a chapter and answer comprehension questions about it (about 3-4 questions per day).  He also studies the definitions of concepts/topics (anything from "What does the theory of the greenhouse effect suggest?" to "Who was Francesco Redi?" to "What are proteins?") so he can compete in a Jeopardy-type game later on in the semester.

Mathematics (Logic).  In class, the tutor reviews challenging concepts having to do with 7th/8th grade math.  Individually, each student works at their own level/pace using their family's choice of math curriculum.  So Sam's math looks just like it did last year- new concepts, math problems, and tests.  We use Saxon.

Would it be too much work?

The "one hour per day per subject" estimation was one of the things that made Sam and I a little nervous.  That felt like a lot of time.  Thankfully, Math takes about an hour but the other subjects take closer to a half hour per day and even that fluctuates depending on the assignments.

He's able to get the majority of his work done in the morning and finishes up after lunch (roughly 9:00 am-noon and 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, with occasional breaks to deal with animals, play with his sisters, work on his laundry, etc.)

Would he lose some of his homeschool independence as he adjusted (as in, will I have to help more)?

My experience has been that my kids start out needing only an hour or two of my time per day (think kindergarten).  That time frame lengthens and seems to peak around 4th/5th grade. But then!  They are able to take over more of their schooling and the actual 1:1 time needed begins to decrease a bit. Sam had been taking over more of his schooling (with plenty of supervision, just not hand-holding).

I expected that he might need additional help while he transitioned to a new program.  I was hoping that it wouldn't take too much time away from his sisters' needs and the household's.  Frankly, I thought the workload might be hard therefore he'd need lots of coaxing throughout the day to complete it (in addition to me helping with it).

We are so proud of Sam.  He has really taken responsibility for his work and getting it done in a timely fashion.  He even sets an alarm in the morning!  I attribute this to the positive peer pressure/expectations that the rest of his class is working hard, too, and he wants to move forward with them.

Would it matter that he had not participated in the younger Classical Conversation programs (Foundations and Essentials)?

So far, Sam doesn't seem to be at a disadvantage.  I attribute this to having used Sonlight all these years- an excellent curriculum (still my favorite and what the girls use).

Would he hate it?

When asked about Challenge, he says things like, "It's hard," and, "I hate Latin," but when it's just us, he leans against my shoulder and thanks me for "letting" him do Challenge.  The boy loves it.

Would I hate it?

I don't.  So far, I'm very impressed.

Would I be able to keep up enough to help him?

Before the year started, I worked ahead (about 14 lessons) in Latin just to give myself a head start in being able to help him.  He did need some help at first but now is working well on his own.  I know it would be a good idea if I kept up with him but I'm not sure that's practical for me.  In the other subjects, there is little I need to do to keep up- so far, anyway!

Would he make good friends?

His class is amazing!  There are eight in his class and they are great kids.  Sam has already starting developing sweet friendships with them.

Would we be glad we chose this path?

I am incredibly grateful that this is an option for us and for Sam. Knowing that he will be able to stick with this program throughout high school gives me peace.  He is being challenged and he loves it.

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