Trading Up--5 Ways CC Has Made My Life Easier

I'm so thankful for our CC group!  I understand that homeschooling is an adventure with lots of twists and turns so I don't know if we will always feel like CC is the right choice for our family, depending on future circumstances, finances, and our children's varying personalities and struggles.  But for now, it is just the right fit for us.  It has been wonderful to see how much my kids love CC and to hear of how much it has also blessed my friends in our community.

These are 5 ways that CC has made my life easier over the last year:

 

1.  I have more confidence.

The free practicums have been so encouraging and have given me more confidence in my homeschooling and tutoring.  I come away with useful, practical information that I can use to help our kids learn.  I feel like I have been given the tools to successfully homeschool my kids. 
CC has helped me trade feelings of inadequacy for confidence.


2.  I have more assurance.

I really think it takes homeschoolers a few years to get into a groove with school and to figure out how their own kids tick.  Being that we are doing school differently than the societal norm, we can often doubt ourselves or worry about whether or not we are doing enough.  I feel so much assurance with the CC curriculum.  I have looked over nearly all of the curriculum and teaching methods out there and I am so impressed with the knowledge retention that occurs with CC.  I wish I had done CC as a kid! I'm excited to be recovering my own education by learning along with my children.  I have seen the amazement on people's faces when they see just how much my kids know about the world, history, science, etc.  My director's son, who just completed Challenge A, took a standarized test this summer and scored off the charts!  I used to worry that my kids weren't keeping up with their peers in public school or that their work wasn't challenging enough.  Now, I have no worries regarding curriculum!  I think CC is "the cream of the crop" and the method that fits my children's educational needs the best.
CC has helped me trade doubt for assurance.


3.  I have a support network.

There was a time when I was a lonely homeschooler.  I didn't have close friends who homeschooled and I didn't really know what I was doing.  The homeschoolers in our town don't get together very often, if at all, and the few friends I had who homeschooled were busy with their own families and couldn't make time to get together.  Meeting weekly with our CC group has given me such encouragement socially.  We still have church, family stuff, hanging out with friends who aren't a part of CC, community events, etc. but knowing that I will have that fellowship with other women who are "in the same boat" is such a relief.  I used to spend lots of mental energy planning homeschool mom events and used to be so desperate for fellowship that I would drive to another town to socialize with homeschool moms.  Now, I don't worry about it at all, as the social support is all part of the package when you are a CC member.
CC has helped me trade loneliness for community.


4.  It has simplified our homeschooling so we don't fall behind.

Most homeschool moms I've talked to feel like they are falling behind in something.  There are so many good options and activities out there that it can be overwhelming to decide what you are going to include, or not include, in your homeschooling day.  Though I sought to stay on top of everything with my former curriculum, I just couldn't do it and I always felt like we were playing "catch-up" on the weekends.  Trying to teach a few different grades at the same time was overwhelming for me.  CC is simple enough that I can keep up with it.  The accountability that occurs because of meeting weekly is a helpful tool in keeping us on track and moving forward at a steady pace.  This is not to say we're perfect and we always meet our goals and never have "off" days or weeks, but for the most part, I can keep up with the CC schedule.
CC has helped me trade guilt for a sense of accomplishment.


5.  I felt encouraged and refreshed throughout the entire school year.

I appreciate the fact that CC starts in mid-Sep and ends in mid-April.  I appreciate the six weeks on, one week off pattern that reminds me to take a sabbath.  Having a shorter school year and periodic breaks has made a world of difference in my emotional well-being as a homeschool mom.  When our first break came along I was tempted to be a freak-out-homeschool-mom and get a lot done, do a lot of school, get ahead, supplement with fun worksheets, etc. but then I stopped myself and realized that it's okay to lighten the load during rest weeks.  Our kids are in such a quality program (Reason #2) and we work hard (Reason #4) therefore, we can take a rest without feeling guilty and be refreshed when the next quarter begins.
CC has helped me trade stress for contentment.