Why Trust Us to Tutor Your Children?

These are dark times for children. Stories about schools have more to do with shooters and sex changes than with reading, writing and arithmetic–not to mention religion. Our children don’t need these problems. They need parents and educators to provide them with a happy childhood–and a great education. We are Christian parents. We understand the challenges. We respect the authority of parents in education. We get it. When you arrange tutoring with us, we’ll talk frankly about your goals and make sure that your children are doing what you want them to do–just as we would desire a hired tutor … Continue

How to Avoid Growing Weary as a Christian

This evening, my wife and I just finished praying a rosary. She asked me if I would talk about a subject that came up in one of her theology classes that she’s currently taking at Catholic University. She was actually reading something from St. Augustine, assigned to her, discussing weariness in the work of teaching, when teachers or catechists become weary, when they just get tired. And the work of teaching really becomes difficult. She asked me if I would talk about it because it’s obvious that that’s one area I don’t think I’ve struggled with. I see other teachers, … Continue

How to Make Children Successful in Schooling

In a recent talk, I discussed how teachers and parents can avoid becoming weary in their work. In that talk, I explained that those involved in teaching and parenting must understand what the proper goal of that work is–and what the goal is not. The duties of Catholic parenting can be summed up as a duty to initiate children into the Catholic life. The word “initiate” is important because it signifies an introduction, not an end. We cannot “raise saints” as some foolishly say in homeschool circles. Any attempt to do such will lead to a perversion of the Catholic … Continue

The Key to Academic Achievement in Homeschooling

In a recent talk by William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, he discussed the key to successful homeschooling. He emphasized that success can vary depending on each family’s circumstances and goals. For some, academic achievement may not be the priority, and that’s okay. Michael stressed the importance of using the resources and opportunities given by God wisely, as outlined in the parable of the talents. He also mentioned that while it’s natural for Christian parents to be optimistic about their children’s potential, it’s essential to temper this with humility. Not all families have the same resources or opportunities, … Continue

One Stone at a Time

Dear students, When I meet with students for tutoring, one of the greatest problems they have is that they feel overwhelmed thinking about what they should do in their lives. They see the future as a great mountain that stands between them and happiness, and they don’t know what they should do. The truth, however, is that this great challenge in our lives is not a great mountain. It is actually just a mountain-sized pile of small stones. We cannot move the whole pile, and we do not need to do so. We simply need to move one stone at … Continue

Transferring into the CLAA

If you are considering transferring from another school or homeschool program into the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, you should plan for a year of transition. It is not reasonable to expect to transfer into the CLAA and hit the ground running in our grade-level study plans. Most importantly, parents need to learn that changing programs needs to stop because it has a negative effect on student progress. If you share the goals and principles we pursue in the CLAA, commit and stay. it’s the only

New! Dominican Chant & Hymns Added to Classical Catholic Radio

Dear friends, Today, I am pleased to add two albums of Dominican hymns and chants to the Classical Catholic Radio playlist: The first album, “Gaudeamus“, which is Latin for “Let us Rejoice” was produced in 2015, and contains the following 24 songs: The second album, “Ave Maria” was produced in 2014 and includes 30 songs: All of these beautiful hymns and chants are now included in the daily playlist on Classical Catholic Radio. To listen, visit: https://classicalliberalarts.com/radio. God bless,William C. MichaelClassical Liberal Arts Academy

How to Study for Mastery

The goal of schooling is to learn how to study for mastery independently. When lessons are published for CLAA students, there is a quality of study expected of them that demands a certain method of study. In this article, I’d like to outline this method. 1. First Reading (Survey) The lesson will include or assign readings that are to be studied for mastery. The first reading, however, is an easy reading of all of the assigned material, through which the students survey what is to be studied. The goal of this reading is to get an idea what needs to … Continue

How to Study with Digital Texts

Since I began in classical studies, in 1995, I have used digital texts. Yes, I have studied Latin and Greek, ancient history, the classical liberal arts, philosophy and theology, but it hasn’t been with dusty old books in dark libraries. It’s been with powerful document databases, websites and PDFs. The greatest libraries in the world offer millions of books, journal articles and other resources, online. I am currently studying at Harvard University. My courses are online. My study materials are online. Professors provide students with free, digital texts. I have four children in college at three different colleges and I … Continue