William C. MichaelWilliam C. Michael

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy and a Lay Dominican in the Catholic Church. Mr. Michael received an honors degree in Classics and Ancient History from Rutgers University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He led the CLAA to accreditation with Cognia in 2024. He has been studying and teaching the classical liberal arts for over 30 years.

Laudate Psalms

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In the Divine Office, Morning Prayer was called “Laudes” because the “Laudate Psalms” (Psalms 148-150) were recited. Below, you can listen to the chanting of the Laudate Psalms from the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux[efn_note]https://barrouxchant.com/[/efn_note], while reading the text of the Latin Vulgate. Psalm 148 1 Laudate Dominum de caelis; laudate eum in excelsis. 2 Laudate eum, omnes angeli ejus; laudate eum, omnes virtutes ejus. 3 Laudate eum, sol et luna; laudate eum, omnes stellae et lumen. 4 Laudate eum, caeli caelorum; et aquae omnes quae super caelos sunt, 5 laudent nomen Domini. Quia ipse dixit, et … Continue

Lesson 13. Axioms, Part IV

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To complete the objectives of this lesson, complete the following tasks: Review your previous exams in Arithmetic as needed. Study your Lesson. Complete your Memory Work. Complete your Exercises. Complete the Lesson Examination. 1. Lesson In this lesson, we will learn axioms in Arithmetic that apply to the four rules of invention: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. Remember that we are learning these for use LATER, so it is important simply to understand their language by reading through them carefully and memorizing them exactly. These are the tools with which we will solve problems later–we want as many tools in … Continue

The Difference Between Completion, Admission and Success

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When parents and teachers discuss education, the focus is usually on two words:  completion and admission.  First, there is talk about the completion grade level requirements, completing diploma requirements, and so on.  Second, there is talk about gaining admission to colleges after graduation. There is a topic, however, that is more important than both of these, yet is rarely discussed in education circles:  success. Completion and admission are one-time events in our lives.  We can name a date when we completed high school, and another when were admitted into college.  They may have been significant events in our lives, but … Continue

Wean Yourself Off of Social Media

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If we were to travel back into medieval Europe, we would find society divided sharply between the learned and the common people.  The learned communicated privately through writings and, sometimes, languages that the common people couldn’t access.  Such an arrangement observed Wisdom’s teaching: “Do not cast your pearls before swine.” (Matthew 7:6) Today, this separation is not as clear as it was then–but it needs to be made so. Social media is a natural product of democracy, the inevitable result when the freedom of speech meets the internet, though it wasn’t meant to be so.  Originally, the internet was designed … Continue

The Homeschool Schedule is the Key to Homeschool Records

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Many homeschool families try to keep track of daily lessons and activities after they complete them.  The daily homeschool schedule may be inconsistent or chaotic, but Mom tracks what the children completed when they do study.  The idea is that we can have chaos so long as we track completion. This doesn’t work. No Homeschool Schedule, No Records The same problems that cause the homeschool schedule to be inconsistent also prevent records from being kept in any helpful way.  It sounds like a good plan, but it doesn’t work. Good Homeschool Schedule, Good Records Homeschool families need to understand that a … Continue