There are different types of partners for just about everything.
I’m sure we can all think back to a time when we’ve partnered with a friend to start a bible study, pursue a new health goal, or maybe even launch a new business venture.
Whatever the scenario, we found ourselves wanting to do something new (and possibly challenging) with another person who was motivated, committed, and willing to team up with us on that journey.
Homeschooling with Classical Conversations is no different.
During your time with CC, you’ll have opportunities to partner with your student’s Tutor to create a dynamic relationship where you, your student, and the Tutor can stay steadfast in pursuing a Christ-centered classical education that cultivates wisdom and virtue.
Partnership Is a Journey
We believe education is the responsibility of the family, with support from fellow believers.
The Tutor
Our wonderful Classical Conversations Tutors are lead learners and conversation facilitators who model a love of learning for us as parents as well as our students each week.
They spend time each week preparing for community day, where they will lead us as we seek out God’s truth, goodness, and beauty in our educational endeavors.
Tutors partner with the parents by equipping us to lead our students in the work at home in preparation for community day. They point us toward all the wonderful resources provided by CC and provide encouragement and practical tips during those times when we feel overwhelmed.
In the Foundations and Essentials programs, Tutors model wonder, curiosity, and learning through play and repetition each week with our students.
In the Challenge program, Tutors dive headfirst into conversations driven by all of the hard work done at home by the students and drawing their attention to the theme and virtue of the year through the strands.
Our Tutors provide invaluable support. Not only do they equip and encourage parents, but they also partner with us and our students on the educational journey.
Partnership Is a Commitment
We believe God trusts parents with their children, and so should we.
The Parent
Parents, we are the primary teachers and leaders of our children’s educational journeys.
God has entrusted you specifically with your particular child because you know your child best.
However, that doesn’t mean we have to travel alone. During our CC years, we have the privilege to partner with Tutors who encourage and equip us along this path.
But what do we, as parents, owe our students and Tutors in this partnership?
Make sure your child is prepared each week for community day. Keep lines of communication open. Asking questions for clarity. Offer to fill the needs that are sure to arise. These are just a few ways you can strengthen the bond with your Tutor.
Meanwhile, you can stoke your student’s love of learning by creating a classical atmosphere at home. Act as a sounding board as your child shares ideas and forms their own opinion. Guide your student in meaningful conversations as they wrestle through tough concepts. Hold your child accountable by checking their work.
Partnership is a commitment. As parents, we must continuously uphold our end of the relationship. In that way, we can focus on the precious responsibilities God has entrusted to us.
Read: “A Parent’s Homeschool Journey”
Partnership Is Preparation
We believe classical education prepares us to accept the responsibility of Christian freedom.
The Student
Our students are not only walking out their educational path but also their Christian one.
At home, each week, the students partner with their parents and prepare for Christian freedom by cultivating the skills of attention, and eventually, they take complete ownership of their own work. Students display partnership through obedience, honoring their parent’s God-given role in their lives and allowing their parents to prayerfully lead them along their academic and Christian walk.
With the Tutors, the students practice respect and diligence as they prepare themselves fully to participate in community day each week. They bring their best efforts to community so that the entire group can benefit from one another.
Under the guidance of their parent and Tutor, the student has a safe place to experience the consequences of their choices as they prepare for their Christian freedoms.
Read: “The Benefits of Homeschooling: A Graduate’s Perspective”
Partnership Is Communication
We believe the accountability of community both sharpens and humbles its members. Communication is key:
- For any partnership to work, all parties must agree to be open, honest, and vulnerable.
- Setting clear expectations of each person’s role and responsibility from the beginning will help us avoid confusion and unmet expectations later down the road.
- Giving space for someone to lovingly point out when you are slipping in your role without offense will only help us assess the reality of our choices and enable us to reset and refocus.
- Allowing people to see who we really are (our strengths, weaknesses, virtues, and vices) creates a closeness and understanding of how best to support one another.
A Word of Thanks
Each year with Classical Conversations, I become more and more thankful for the relationship with my students and their Tutor.
Thankful that we are all committed to pursuing a Christ-centered education together.
Thankful that we have each other to lean on when one of us feels overwhelmed or lost.
Thankful that God has provided me with partners on this journey.
Recommended Resource: The Peace Maker by Ken Sande
Ken Sande guides readers toward biblical and practical resolutions in relationships like the parent, student, and Tutor partnership.
Written by:
