Vita Beata/Little Latin School

[Rayburn Girls]

Hello everyone! As I begin to prepare for the upcoming school year and I know enrollment is coming for Vita Beata and Little Latin School, I am trying to decide if I would like to open us up to one or both of these avenues. My girls (7 and 9 currently) will be starting LC. The video instruction so far has worked just fine and I assume it will for LC, but wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any pros/cons to Little Latin School that the videos do not offer (outside of being committed to a certain schedule and not being able to slow down if needed. My 7 yr old will be a very young 8 yr old/3rd grader with an August 28 birthday. She has done good with Prima mostly on her own this year, but who knows.

Vita Beata is very interesting to me as well now that I've had a year of doing 3rd grade discussion with my current 3rd grader. I do like having the discussions with her, but sometimes it just takes longer than I have time for depending on the type of question. I do feel the VB classes could have the DQ come more full-circle easier with everyone having different insights and take-aways, and I love that it will free me up just a little more. BUT at the same time, I dont necessarily want to miss out on some of those rich discussions we have. For those that do VB, have you found that you have less meaningful conversations when sign up for VB or are you still talking to your kids about it as well? How do you balance it? Pros and cons please!

Thanks in advance!

[Jen_NH]

We have used VB for the Classical Studies and history classes, and I have found it to be hugely helpful. It keeps us on track. Some of the classes are better than others for discussionm but that is really due to the students and whether or not they are fully prepared and participating.

[enbateau]

Some of the classes are better than others for discussion but that is really due to the students and whether or not they are fully prepared and participating.

What she said! ^^^^

It has been absolutely worth it, but in classes where there is no parental involvement prior to class time, students can have such outlandishly wrong answers that it can take the discussion leader a long time to find a student who has the right answer, and then facilitators have to pick which questions they will get to. If those were my children, I would want them to make sure they wrote in the correct answer. The way the format is set up, it could be hard for younger students to catch the right answer and have time to write it in before they move on to the next question. Especially for young students (under 6th grade), it doesn't make an adequate replacement for a parent checking students' answers.

I go over all of the material my student reads and writes for all of her online classes (including Memoria Academy & Vita Beata) so that she is ready to give a correct, succinct answer for the sake of the other students. That, in turn, frees up the facilitator to go deeper.

We have been so impressed by VB discussion leaders. They have shared images, maps, and songs, they've played games to aid memory retention, and they've fostered short discussions about students' extracurricular lives that both build camaraderie and tie into the material (like when a student visits a battlefield, city or museum, reads a book that goes deeper, or attends a performance or competition).

As far as pacing, we have always kept on pace with the lesson plans, sick or well, traveling or home. VB sometimes has a more spread-out pace (that won't even match the curriculum guide), but it enables them to do everything thoroughly and allows you to have a sick day where catching up doesn't involve 40 pages of reading. We tend to start our year out one week ahead of the VB plans and begin January on pace.

[MBentley]

When does VB open up for the fall?

[Colomama]

We do both VitaBeata and Little Latin.

They're both good. The younger kids tend to struggle in VB...they have outlandish answers, blast lots of emojis, or are just silent. I think 3rd and 4th grade is focused more on learning how to behave in an online class than content, really. Granted, my 4th grader loves the classes she's in. I like the accountability. But I really wish some parents were in the room just listening in. For the benefits of their classes this year, it interrupts our school day a lot.

I moderate a 6th grade class and had to give multiple reminders this week that one emoji is sufficient, we don't need 20...so the struggle continues even with older kids. My child is assigned the workbook, quizzes, and tests, but they are the only student in the class that has these respinsibilities. Everyone else is just reading the book and attending the discussion. Again, my goal was outside accountability and so these classes are achieving that goal.

Little Latin is where it's at. Absolutely 100 percent worth the time and money. Again, outside accountability was the goal. But realistically, Latin isn't getting done without that class. Period. I will continue to enroll my kids until they age out of her course offerings.

So...I could go without VB but not without Little Latin.

[VAmom]

I think the answer to adding classes depends on your children and your needs.

We outsourced Latin to MA beginning in FFL. A baby was on the way and my eldest needed the accountability. I needed something off my plate. It was quite challenging for both of us to keep up with the work regardless of life. We have continued doing Latin through MA with her. My second child prefers to have me teach his Latin lessons and wants to continue next year doing the same.I have the experience to be able to do so now.

This year we added VB. For my eldest, as a seventh grader, the outside accountability and conversations have been invaluable. She is taking three VB courses. With four kids, having some of the discussion and review off my shoulders is wonderful. She and I will still touch on topics and review together. Not as much as before, and this is ok. She is at a point in growing up where she needs a little more instruction without me. The addition of the VB classes is a nice stepping stone to the possibility of adding more MA classes in the future.

My second child is participating in literature though VB. It is good, but not as invaluable as it is for my eldest. He doesn’t need the outside accountability. The outside discussion is good, but isn’t as important as it is for my eldest. He is also more introverted than my two girls.

My third child loves people! She is chomping at the bit to take an online class. She wants to talk with other kids (all the time!) and is in a hurry to catch up with her older siblings. I haven’t decided about next year, but I’m sure she will appreciate online classes more than my son.

Before adding online classes, I think it’s important to consider your goals. Do you want to have to stick with someone else’s schedule? Are you children wanting to interact with other kids more? Do you need something taken off your plate?

[DiannaKennedy]

When does VB open up for the fall?

I don't think it's going to open up until April. I think moderators and current families get priority registration. I can't tag Julie for some reason. enbateau may know, as I think she may be a moderator.

[enbateau]

Not a moderator, but it did close in April last year if I remember correctly. My memory is not what it used to be.

[Stonefield]

I don't think it's going to open up until April. I think moderators and current families get priority registration. I can't tag Julie for some reason. enbateau may know, as I think she may be a moderator.

Yes, we plan to open registration in April this year.
Registration is intentionally later than last year. We are hoping with a later registration other schedules will be more set and we will see less parents ask to move their student to another class section or drop the class. Processing and reprocessing registrations is time consuming and when classes fill it prevents others from being able to join.

[Mom2mthj]

Yes, we plan to open registration in April this year.
Registration is intentionally later than last year. We are hoping with a later registration other schedules will be more set and we will see less parents ask to move their student to another class section or drop the class. Processing and reprocessing registrations is time consuming and when classes fill it prevents others from being able to join.

When are you planning on posting a schedule? I understand the reasoning for the later registration, but it would be nice to know what is being planned for next year.

[howiecram]

When are you planning on posting a schedule? I understand the reasoning for the later registration, but it would be nice to know what is being planned for next year.

I was wondering the same thing and I also understand the later registration as well!

[Colomama]

Stonefield I will also say, I think you could charge more than you do. Or say the family registration total covers 3 classes and each additional class is extra. This would cut down on families signing up for loads of classes, but not really being dedicated to attending weekly. The cost needs to be high enough that people feel compelled to attend in order to get their moneys worth.

[HartFamily06]

The Little Latin School is opening registration within the next couple of days. Here is the link to the website:

https://www.thelittlelatinschool.com

We have been a part of the Little Latin School for three years and it has been a wonderful experience for our family. Everyone is learning Latin and enjoying the process!

[DiannaKennedy]

Stonefield I will also say, I think you could charge more than you do. Or say the family registration total covers 3 classes and each additional class is extra. This would cut down on families signing up for loads of classes, but not really being dedicated to attending weekly. The cost needs to be high enough that people feel compelled to attend in order to get their moneys worth.

100% agree. The bottom line, if people pay more, there's an increase in perceived value.