In every age, parents desire not merely that their children succeed in school, but that they be truly educated—that their minds be formed, their judgment strengthened, and their lives ordered toward what is good and true. Yet in our own time, education has been largely reduced to a system of mechanical exercises, standardized assessments, and superficial accomplishments. Within such a system, even tutoring—though often sought with great hope—frequently proves ineffective, because it simply reinforces the very methods that have failed.
The Problem with Modern Tutoring
The difficulty in modern tutoring lies not in the diligence of students or the goodwill of tutors, but in the nature of the method itself. Modern tutoring commonly consists in helping students complete assignments, prepare for tests, or memorize information for short-term success. It rarely penetrates to the deeper work of forming the intellect in a shared worldview. Students may get past a test, yet remain unable to explain what they know or to reason independently. Thus, despite considerable time and expense, little genuine learning is achieved, because the root of the problem has not been addressed.
The Restoration of Classical Tutoring
The Classical Liberal Arts Academy offers an alternative grounded in the perennial wisdom of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Here, tutoring is not an auxiliary service appended to a flawed system, but a restoration of the ancient method of education itself: personal instruction under the guidance of an experienced tutor. In this setting, the student is not treated as a passive recipient of information, but as a rational being whose powers must be stirred and directed to their end. Instruction proceeds over time through conversation, questioning, correction, and encouragement, so that knowledge is not merely received, but understood.
Such tutoring proves effective because it conforms to the nature of learning. A skilled teacher is able to discern whether a student truly understands, to address confusion immediately, and to lead the mind step by step from ignorance to knowledge. What is obscure can be clarified, what is uncertain can be strengthened, and what is known can be perfected. In this way, learning becomes not a burdensome task, but a living activity, guided by reason and made fruitful through personal attention.
Cultivation of Virtue
This form of instruction extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge to the cultivation of intellectual virtue. Students are challenged to think clearly, to speak accurately, and to judge wisely by a tutor who models these virtues. They are introduced not only to subjects, but to the habits that make a man capable of learning for himself. This formation is inseparable from moral and spiritual development, for the intellect is perfected in the pursuit of truth, and truth ultimately finds its source in God. Thus, tutoring in the Academy contributes to the formation of the whole person, preparing students not only for academic success, but for a well-ordered life.
College Preparation
This deeper formation also provides advantages in the practical order, particularly with regard to higher education. Colleges and universities increasingly seek students who have pursued rigorous and purposeful studies, rather than those who have merely fulfilled minimum requirements. Through classical tutoring, students are able to engage in disciplines rarely available in modern schools—such as Latin, Greek, Logic, Philosophy, and Theology—and to advance beyond the limits of standard curricula. In doing so, they demonstrate intellectual seriousness and discipline, qualities that distinguish them in the eyes of admissions officers and prepare them for the demands of higher learning.
Personalized and Purposeful Instruction
The tutoring offered by the Classical Liberal Arts Academy is therefore not generic or standardized, but carefully adapted to the needs and goals of each student, serving the goals of sponsoring parents. Whether a student requires assistance in mastering a particular subject or seeks guidance in pursuing a more ambitious course of study, the instruction provided is personal, attentive, and ordered toward real progress. This work is carried out within a coherent classical curriculum, ensuring that each subject contributes to the harmonious development of the mind.
Timeless & Trustworthy
Families place their trust in the Academy because its tutoring is not impersonal or outsourced, but entrusted to experienced Catholic classicists with Dominican vocations in preaching and teaching. The relationship of teacher and pupil, so central to the classical tradition, restores the human element that modern education has largely lost. Under such guidance, students are not left to navigate their studies alone, but are led with wisdom, experience, and care.
The question in tutoring is not whether tutoring can help a student, but whether it is ordered to true education. When tutoring merely repeats the deficiencies of modern schooling, it offers little benefit. But when it is grounded in the classical tradition and directed toward the formation of the intellect, it becomes one of the most powerful means of education available.
The Classical Liberal Arts Academy invites families to recover this higher vision. Through its tutoring, students do more than improve their performance; they are formed in the habits of thought and understanding that will serve them throughout their lives. They learn not only to complete their studies, but to comprehend them, not only to succeed in school, but to pursue wisdom. In this way, they are prepared not merely for college or career, but for the fulfillment of their nature as rational beings, called to know the truth and to live in accordance with it.
Tutoring Options
In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, two different frms of tutoring are available:
- Premium Student Plan
The Premium Student Plan establishes a relationship between a student and an Academy tutor. Students meet weekly with a tutor to establish a working relationship and discuss studies as needed throughout the year. Tutors answer student questions about courses, help with planning and tracking student progress, provide accountability and support, and help prepare for vocational plans. - Individual Tutoring Sessions
Individual tutoring sessions may be arranges when desired for help in individual courses. These meetings offer students an opportunity to meet with an experienced teacher to discuss a subject, study well and make steady progress.
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
