Weiser Classic Conversations growing

by Philip A. Janquart
 The Payette-Weiser Classical Conversations homeschool community is holding an informational meeting at the Weiser Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 23. Learn about the community for kids ages 4-12 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and ages 12 and over from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
 The organization is a national structured Christian-based homeschool system consisting of communities that “share the love of learning through a Christian worldview and fellowship with other families,” according to its website.
 “For the past seven years, before I moved here from Colorado, the community here had been meeting at a church in Payette, but we’ve grown and we’ve added a lot of families to the community,” said Director Erin McLaughlin. “We didn’t fit at the church we were meeting at and we needed a larger space, so we moved to the Nazarene Church in Weiser in September. “They have been very gracious in welcoming us and letting us use their facility. Since moving to a new location, we’ve been getting more inquiries about what we are doing, so we thought it would be a good idea to hold an informational meeting.”
 Erin has been homeschooling her children for about 15 years. Her oldest, Ruby, 18, graduated from Weiser High School and is now studying graphic design at Boise State University. Her son Jonathan, 16, attends Weiser High School part-time and homeschools the rest of the week. Her other three children are homeschooled full-time.
 Erin said there are plenty of good things about public schooling but has found that homeschooling is the right fit for her children.
“I’m not saying ‘no’ to public schooling. I’m friends with a lot of the teachers and they do an amazing job. I’m just saying, ‘yes’ to homeschooling because it’s the best fit for my family,” she explained.
 The Classical Conversations Community follows what it calls the classical model of education. This model of education is “a long tradition of education that has emphasized the seeking of truth, goodness, and beauty, and the study of the liberal arts and the great books,” according to Classical Academic Press.
 Instruction often includes study of language, arithmetic, logic, literature, science, and the arts. “The model’s purpose is to not teach students what to think, but how to think,” Erin said.
 She said the community in Weiser meets once a week, offering guidance and support for homeschool parents.
 “There is a set curriculum that you follow on that one day a week, and what parents do the other four days of the week is up to them … so it gives parents a lot of options and a lot of freedom, as well as some structure; especially for families that are new to home schooling. It gives parents a jumping off point for the rest of the days at home and ideas about what to be working on at home.”
 Perhaps the most important benefit for the McLaughlins is the ability to incorporate faith into the mix.
 “We are Christians and so our faith is really important to us. I love being able to integrate the Bible, Jesus, and all of His teachings into our curriculum. I love that freedom,” Erin said. “The longer I do it, and the older my kids get, and I watch them interacting with their peers and adults, and the world around them, I’ve really grown to appreciate how homeschooling has cultivated confidence and independent thinking, being able to think for themselves, being able to recognize when someone else is trying to get them to think a certain way.”
 McLaughlin attended art school, earning a degree in fiber arts and fashion design. Husband, Christopher, holds degrees in graphic design and illustration.
 “I think the only thing you need to home school your kids is to love your kids,” Erin said. “I disagree with the idea that you need special training. Obviously, it helps, but it takes humility and willingness to invest effort and time.”
 For more information, contact Erin McLaughlin at erin@butterfield.farm.