Homeschooling Consultation: Classical Conversations Revisited.... HOW DID IT FEEL being at the Beckley Campus?

A few years ago I did a series on Classical Conversation with very negative tones a couple years ago. Well, it was worse than negative tones, perhaps if you were in love with the program.... I received a lot of flack for it (and support for the people who had not agreed with some techniques of the program.) HOWEVER, I recently revisited this program focusing on a Beckley, WV campus. Joy Browning, as the new Beckley CC director, invited me to observe and see how I felt as I observed the entire day.

From the moment I arrived, I could feel the Holy Spirit directing the speakers, the children and the parents who were very interactive with each other. I could see genuine smiles on their faces for each other - not just for my benefit. The students greeted me with smiles too. Some teen boys were a bit rowdy at times during the opening ceremonies, but it did not bother me or take away from the overall feel of the moment.

I felt welcomed to their community. I felt warmth, love, & appreciation for attending.

Here's more of what I observed about the entire community.

Dress -- The ladies were all dressed so nicely with no particular dress code that could be detected; some wore modern jeans and a fashionable army blazer or a flowing blouse, while others wore a Sunday dress. The women and students were all modest and humble. Students were dressed nicely too. No particular dress code, yet a good variety of casual, Christian attire.

Lunch -- Most of the ladies sat with children, yet some ladies sat with other ladies; no particular pattern was observed. During lunch, there was a vendor from Melaleuca that had set up his wares. This was done to support Stephanie Plumley and her quest for natural cleaning items and other natural products to which she subscribes. Joy explained that the community tries to support others' venues for making additional money, because as moms we should be supportive however we can. And if one mom loves a company, others may also. Anyone can participate in the lunch vendor program. Another mom sells Matilda Jane clothing. Everyone supports each other as best they can.

After lunch, we went to more classes for the older students in Essentials and Challenge areas. These students were still engaged. There was a person available to look out for students who did not participate in the afternoon classes. She charged $2/hour/kid. This was a blessing as I had two littles who could not attend afternoon classes. The littles played in the gym, sang, and ran. These kids were exhausted by 3:30 pm!!!

Overall I had a great time and would highly recommend this community to others who are looking to classically educate their child with a group; this is the place to be. I also have others who participate in the Shady Spring Campus, about 30 minutes away. I have friends who attend there, and they are thrilled with their campus too. I have recently spoken with a few of them on how they like CC and the campus at "Shady".

I was invited to attend the end -of -the -year program. I LOVED it. The best part was when Miranda Guzman told Joy Browning while offering her a gift,

"You've nurtured and supported us all year."

Nurtured is a very unique, strong word. This word made me feel like a great overall word for the program/campus in our areas.

Nurtured.