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.

Gospel of St. John 1:41-45 (Greek)

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by Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. The lesson below belongs to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy’s Greek Reading I course. In this course, we study the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament. Students wishing to master the lesson below are to complete translation exercises daily from Greek into English and English into Greek, until every Greek word and its English meaning are memorized. Text 41 εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Σίμωνα καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Χριστός. 42 ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ … Continue

Intro to Classical Arithmetic, Lesson 13. Axioms IV

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To complete 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 out toolbox as … Continue

The Art of Rhetoric in the Christian Life

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The following text was transcribed, digitally, from the above talk. If you would like to volunteer to help with editing, please contact us. Today is Sunday, August 27. And this is William Michael, of the classical liberal arts academy. As I said, today is Sunday, August 27. And this morning at mass we read in the Gospel Peters confession of Christ. And as I’m sure the homily at your parish focused on the papacy and the authority of the successors of St. Peter. As I was reflecting on the Gospel reading, I was intrigued by a different part of the … Continue

Is This “Experimental Science”?

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When I was pre-med student, a 4 credit course consisted of 3 credits for lecture hall meetings and 1 credit for laboratory activities.  We have to learn to handle the equipment of the laboratory and work with specimens directly.  That was the whole point of the lab activity.  I went on to work in a chemistry lab while I was an undergrad student.

My 19 year old daughter Mary is a college freshman taking a 4 credit Biology course with a lab.  For her laboratory activity, the school uses a “virtual lab” software that students complete online.  Here’s a preview below:

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What’s interesting to me is that, in the Academy, I have told my students that there is no need to actually conduct lab activities directly, but it is sufficient to read through experiments.  In fact, I think it’s better to learn experimental science by reading well-written experiments than by trying to conduct them oneself, which can often lead to failure.

Some have criticized me for this, but as we can now see, colleges have no problem with students learning about experimental science “virtually”.  We don’t need high-tech software programs to do this:  just read the experiments.

Why Modern Students Can’t Think, Speak or Write

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Today is Tuesday, August 22. And this is William Michael, of the classical liberal arts academy. Assuming that you went to a public school or even a private Christian school, back in the 80s, and 90s, I really don’t know what they did after. But you’ll remember having to write research papers. research papers were sort of the, the climax of our education. The research paper was a huge project. If you’re as old as I am, I’m 48, you can remember having to put together all kinds of flashcards and go to the library and find sources and choose … Continue