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.

How to Teach Spelling

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Every lesson is to some extent a spelling lesson. A decision must be made as to what words must be taught. The teacher will find material in:The words misspelled by the pupils in: their written work the Spelling book A spelling book should be used with judgment, and it should not take the place of the individual and class lists made from the oral and written vocabulary of the children. It is not necessary that a pupil should know how to spell a word which he may seldom have occasion to use in writ- ing. It is sufficient that he … Continue

God Will Reward Our Good Work, Even if Men Don’t

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Encouragement from this morning’s Mass reading, on the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. “Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing; uselessly spent my strength, yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God.” Isaiah 49 We are God’s servants in this world. Our only concern is to do our duty. Results are dependent on many factors not in our control, and we are not responsible for them. God will reward us for the faithful work that IS in our control. Mr. William C. Michael, HeadmasterClassical Liberal Arts Academy

Thinking about the Eucharist

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Whenever I attend Mass, I pray that God would help me to understand the sacrament of the Eucharist. Recently, a phrase in St. Thomas Aquinas’ prayer before Mass struck me as being important. It occurred just as the Mass was about to begin, but I knew there was something really important there. The words that struck me were these: Loving Father,as on my earthly pilgrimageI now receive Your beloved Sonunder the veil of a sacrament,may I one day see him face to face in glory,who lives and reigns with You for ever. As I read that prayer (which I read … Continue

St. Justin Martyr

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Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Justin (the) Martyr. St. Justin was a classically educated man who lived in the 2nd century of the Christian era – the generation after the Apostles. He converted to Christianity and put his classical learning to work for the defense of the Catholic faith. He wrote two famous “apologies” or defenses of the Catholic faith, one addressed to the Roman emperor and the other to the Roman Senate. He wrote a “hortatory address” to the Greeks, urging them to convert to Christianity. Lastly, and most importantly (I think), he wrote a work titled … Continue