“The main thing about these methodologies is that they tend to correspond to children at certain ages,” explained Bianco. “Grammar students enjoy learning from chanting, sing-song, or stories. This is how we present the facts of grammar to them. In modern education, we tend to talk about memorization as being a bad thing. Modern education makes an assumption that is true for adults, but they try and apply it to children. But anyone who has ever been involved in classical education will find that younger children enjoy memorizing facts because it makes them feel like they’re learning and accomplishing something. Children like the predictability of repetitiveness. Memorization provides order and harmony for them.”
In recent years, classical education has grown significantly in the Rio Grande Valley, as more parents are discovering this methodology. Sadie Aldaya is the support manager for Classical Conversations in McAllen. The program began with only six families. Today, the program is assisting 40 families in the McAllen area. And like so many other parents, Aldaya was immediately drawn to the uniqueness of the program.
“Classical education is phenomenal and parents in the valley need to know about it,” said Aldaya. “We are training students to be citizen leaders. We want them to read well, write well, and research well. With classical education, there is a desire to learn. The curiosity is stirred, and kids are given the tools to learn.”
Aldaya was responsible for bringing Classical Conversations into the valley nearly five years ago. At the present time, they serve three campuses: one in McAllen, one in Brownsville, and one in Edinburg. Aldaya describes Classical Conversations as a scaffold for parents who want to homeschool their children using the classical education model. The program serves students ages 4 through the 12th grade.
“In a nutshell, we utilize the classical tools of learning,” explained Aldaya. “We are a homeschooling community that meets once a week, and we provide support for parents who want to use that type of education for their children.”
National lecturer and home education enthusiast, Leigh Borton founded Classical Conversations 15 years ago. Today, the program serves 55,000 students internationally. There are Classical Conversation communities all over the world, including countries where homeschooling is illegal. These communities are currently underground, although steps have been taken to try and make these programs legal in parts of Europe.
