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Our families are the best source for information about the benefits of a Calvert School education. Here is a sampling of what they have told us.
“We are new this year to the homeschool world. When we began considering the possibility of homeschooling, I wondered how I could possibly teach my 5th grader, especially in subjects that I knew very little about myself? With Calvert's program, I now have the confidence that I can indeed give my child an excellent education...with ME as her teacher!! Having the subjects arranged in Lesson Plans assures me that I am covering everything that my daughter should be learning at her age...and even more! The step-by-step instructions in the Lesson Manuals also enable me to teach subjects that I have little knowledge about. And because the Lesson Manuals are so detailed, I spend very little time preparing to teach and more time actually teaching! Calvert's program is not just books and manuals, though. It is the support system that Calvert has put in place which makes them shine above the rest! The assistance we have received from the Education Counselors and ATS teachers has proved invaluable! They are our "safety net", giving us the necessary guidance and support so we can have a successful year. As a matter of fact, I now feel so confident in Calvert's program that I am planning on homeschooling my other daughter also next year!”
“Calvert has provided an avenue for our children to receive a private education at a fraction of the cost. My son used Calvert for almost all of his primary years and was accepted into all of the preparatory private schools to which he applied. He was not only placed in the honor track, but earned a merit scholarship as well. He competed for slots with children who had received private-school educations all of their lives. The transcripts from the Advisory Teaching Service, in my opinion, are the only reason why he was accepted. Most administrative people always asked whether anyone besides his parents had seen any of his work. They seemed relieved to know that Calvert had.”
"My son always hated reading, as the selections he was forced to read and reread in school were so boring. This year, with Calvert, reading has become his favorite subject! One day, he said to me with a look of awe and revelation on his face, "Mom, I like reading when the book is interesting!". He is motivated now, and attacks unfamiliar words, eager to understanding the meaning, whereas before, he simply gave up and said, ‘I don't know that word.’ Also, the word origins in the Calvert speller are making a huge difference in his ability to figure out meanings. He uses those skills constantly and is proud of his progress. Thanks so much!"
“We have gotten a lot of quality family time out of Calvert’s kindergarten program and have some cut pictures and products to show for it. The fun parts have helped turn our formerly resistive daughter on to academics. For her, I think starting at a higher grade with straight academics would have been tough going.”
“I was really pleased with the new changes. I LOVE the new binders on the manuals and the daily checklist. What an improvement!”
“Our daughter has special needs, and using your program has allowed my husband and me the opportunity to break down the lessons and teach them at our speed. If we feel she needs to stay on a certain concept, then we will spend the extra days on that until she is ready to move on. In our tractor (we own and operate DMD Trucking) we carry all of the course materials. We start school at 9 a.m., even when we are traveling. Working with Calvert has built up her self-esteem; she is not being compared to other kids, no name calling from others. She was basically lost in first grade last year. Even though she was in special education, it was hard for her. This allows us the opportunity to teach in a safe environment and to build her confidence. We love how the Calvert system allows us the freedom to do what we feel best for our daughter. I am so pleased with the support we get not only on-line but through the newsletters and phone calls I can make."
"I thought I would say how much we're enjoying several Calvert School enrichment courses. Melody Lane is a wonderful introduction to types of music, and elements of music (rhythm, etc.) We watch a segment weekly, then if we have any of the recommended music, listen to it. I am doing the Beatrix Potter course with my kindergartner and second grader. The second grader gets a good deal more out of it, and I will do it again with the kindergartner when he's a bit older. We also just do this course one day a week, but the activity suggestions could provide enough grist for several days. I love Beatrix Potter, and the course helps me share and interact more creatively with my children than I am wont to do on my own.”
"I cannot say it enough! We LOVE the Calvert curriculum! My daughter actually asked me if she could PLEASE do fractions today! My six-year old daughter, the girl who HATED math actually pleaded with me to do fractions today! Thank you, thank you, and again, thank you!"
“Calvert has been a wonderful experience for our family! We started homeschooling our son using the kindergarten program. Since we lived in a recreational vehicle fulltime and moved every few weeks or months with my husband's job assignments, putting him in public schools was out of the question. We had read reviews rating Calvert very highly in terms of academics and the richness of the curriculum, and we were not disappointed. Our son found his Calvert courses challenging, but he learned so much! Just how much he was learning became apparent in 4th grade, when we had him tested according to the requirements of our state, and he placed nearly at the 8th grade level! We also came to appreciate the help and support of the Advisory teachers and Education Counselors. I was glad that my son was getting feedback from someone besides me, and when I had a question, the educational counselors were always available with suggestions, creative solutions to problems, and encouragement. We feel that Calvert has prepared him very well for his decision to go to high school, and for the rest of his life. I can't tell you how glad I am that we made the right choice years ago, and stuck with it all those years. There are flashier, easier to teach curriculums out there, but none that can compare to Calvert.”
“I really enjoy Calvert. The more I use it, the more I appreciate it. I've tried some other programs, which had their particular strengths, but with two children home now, especially, I appreciate how Calvert keeps us focused and is thorough, yet realistic in expectations for families with children involved in other academic pursuits (such as piano) or athletics (such as tennis, in the case of my boys.) The program makes for well-rounded children, and is excellent covering all the bases, which sometimes get missed in the programs which offer ultra intense history or science, at the expense of time to get in the other subjects.”
“Your lesson manuals are so detailed and instructive, right down to helping me with how to present an idea to my child. Even with that kind of support, it's been great to have the backup of your Advisory Teaching Service a couple of times. Your program gives me the support and confidence I need to teach. It gives my daughter an excellent curriculum to work with, and her work and attitude have improved greatly. I'd say I'm getting my money's worth.”
“This has been our first year of homeschooling and Calvert has been an excellent curriculum for us. My 4th grader was alternately challenged and encouraged by the lessons. In the areas that he was more challenged, we took it slow and improved over time. In the areas that he was strong, such as math, we zipped along and completed 2 grade levels in one year. This really built his confidence and his willingness to continue to try harder in other subjects.When you have a child that does not prosper in a classroom setting, it is such a great relief to see he does have the ability -- he just needs it customized for him. Calvert has provided the basis for us to customize his education. It gives us the standard and allows us to choose our pace and approach. The thing that I like about Calvert is that it is so very rigorous.But I know that I when need to back off a bit, we are still operating at a very high standard. Here's to breathing room!"
“I was pleased with the turnaround time for the Advisory Teaching Service. I strongly recommend it. The ATS teachers were helpful and nice, and the feedback they provided showed they looked closely at the work. They even included some personal experiences that were similar to my daughter's. Having ATS made it easier for me because I didn't have to be the one grading her papers. In addition, the transcripts available to ATS users have proven quite useful to us. ATS is well worth it.” -- Nina Kane, Albuquerque, NM
“I am using Calvert’s second grade and really enjoying it with my son. I am new to homeschooling this year and was apprehensive about how it was going to work out. I find the Calvert curriculum to be well laid out. The stories my son is reading are very enjoyable. I have been so impressed with the reading selections! I like also the way that he is questioned after he reads something to verify his understanding.”
“The complete Calvert with the lesson manual is really nice as afar as having your groundwork all done for you and the materials at hand. It also gives excellent strategies for teaching subjects that I never though I would be able to tackle. I have really, really enjoyed Calvert from the very first kindergarten box that my son attacked! Every year I look at the tests and say, ‘I will never be able to teach him this,’ and every year you make it so easy.”
“My son has benefited so much from Calvert’s grammar and composition courses. His Iowa language test scores increased by 20 percentiles over the last year, and it is all due to Calvert.”
“The lesson plans make my job easy, and I like Calvert’s traditional way of teaching. My son is always eager to start each day. The lessons always keep his interest completely, and he loves the stories in the second grade. Another thing that’s great about Calvert is that everything comes to you in the box so you don’t have to run around at all. That saves me a lot of time.”
“We just received our second grade curriculum, for which we had a party. My seven-year-old son was thrilled; one would think that he opened his birthday presents. I am full of joy as I am looking at all the wonderful books. It has taken me much time to decide what curriculum to use, since I am an educator myself, teaching Ancient Literature and Latin. Looking at the high level of your curriculum, it only makes me wish that I had started nine years ago. I am looking forward to enrolling my other two sons, age 9 and 5, next year. I am excited at the depth of education they will receive.”
“Calvert has fit my son very well and I absolutely love the lesson manuals!”
“After five years of homeschooling, I love Calvert. What I am really liking are the following: I get out what we need for the day and when we are finished it all gets put away and the table is clear–no more piles of workbooks and papers and partially finished projects. I am not thinking constantly about what we are going to do, if it is enough or too much, and how I am going to make it interesting. Instead I don’t think about it at all when we are finished, period. They follow the lesson plan so I am out of the loop in the power struggle department. Not that I don’t help, but I am not the one telling them what to do. It is interesting, enjoyable, and efficient. We don’t do a lot of busywork. I was more than a little burned out last year after pulling together a challenging classical curriculum for two years in a row using multiple resources. My kids were complaining and I was discouraged. Now I am back to feeling great about our choice to homeschool again.”
“We have been using Calvert for the past eight years and have felt completely comfortable with the Calvert Math program being highly academic and easy to explain to our children. The new books are terrific and the workbooks are great because you are able to work the problems right there in the book with the right amount of space required to do the problem. Also, the extra challenges seem to get them thinking ‘outside the box’ and for real life situations.”
“The Calvert teachers were very helpful in giving me ideas on how to get my fourth grader to slow down and not cover three lessons in one day! This is our first year using Calvert and we are really impressed with the quality of the materials.”
“Calvert's Lesson Manuals are extremely easy to follow. The new ones for this year are even better than before. Each lesson corresponds to one day. The manual explains what you are doing, gives you a script to say to your child and what answers you should hear as a response. It's helpful if you need it, but of course you can use the manual however you feel it is best. And with Calvert Math, I feel confident that my children are really understanding the concept because there is plenty of practice available. Some days they need that extra practice, and some days they don't.”
“I have used the Advisory Teaching Services most of the years we have used Calvert, and it works out very well for us. It is a great motivator to keep going and finish everything, but my biggest reasons are for the grading of compositions and for the transcript. I am quite sure I would be way too hard on my kids’ compositions. The kids also really like getting feedback from someone other than Mom.”
-- Ina McGinley, Mesa, AZ
“My fifth grader is working through Discovering Art. The lessons are manageable and inspiring. I usually do the weekly lesson with him. I find getting my own hands into it irresistible. Mostly the focus is on art techniques, but often these are introduced through or in conjunction with famous works of. So there is an element of art appreciation, as well."
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