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Transcript of a talk by Mr. William C. Michael, Headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, recorded October 10, 2026. Today is October 10th, 2026, and I’m William Michael, the headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. In this generation, we face challenges that are not new, but are greater than they were in past generations. When I was a kid, we were sent to school. The schools were poor then, just as they are today. I would say they’re worse today, but they were also poor when I went to school. And it was very clear that everything, academically, … Continue

Coming to the Light: Oral Examination and Certification at the Academy Oct 10, 2026 · @William C. Michael A Problem Every School Now Faces Artificial intelligence has made it impossible to know whether a student’s written work is his own. An essay, a set of answers, an online quiz: any of these can now be produced in seconds by a machine. Teachers cannot reliably tell the difference, and the tools for detecting it fail as quickly as they are built. Schools have responded in many ways. Some ban the tools. Some try to catch cheaters. Some give up and teach … Continue

The Classical Liberal Arts Academy’s Answer to the Homeschooling Dilemma The Dilemma Every serious Catholic family has been handed the same false choice: teach your children yourself, or surrender them to a school. The first option promises freedom and delivers exhaustion. The second promises expertise and delivers a system that answers to everyone but the family. Parents have been told these are the only two roads. They are not. I have worked with homeschooling families for eighteen years and homeschooled my own children for more than twenty-six. I have watched both roads fail the students who walk them. This article … Continue

In 1879 Pope Leo XIII issued Aeterni Patris, “On the Restoration of Christian Philosophy.” In it he called on the Church’s teachers to “restore the golden wisdom of St. Thomas, and to spread it far and wide” (¶31). Few documents bear more directly on the work of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I have measured the Academy against this encyclical, and I am glad to testify that our work answers its call. The account below follows Leo XIII’s own argument. Philosophy Rightly Used Leo XIII teaches that “philosophy, if rightly made use of by the wise, in a certain way … Continue

In 1965 the Second Vatican Council issued Gravissimum Educationis, its Declaration on Christian Education. It restates, for our own age, the principles Pius XI set out in Divini Illius Magistri. I have measured the Classical Liberal Arts Academy against this Declaration as well, and I am glad to testify that our work satisfies it. The account below follows the Declaration’s own order. In each point I show what the Council taught and how the Academy answers it. The True End of Education The Council teaches that “a true education aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit … Continue

In 1929, Pope Pius XI gave the Church her fullest teaching on education in the encyclical Divini Illius Magistri, “On Christian Education.” Any work that offers classical Catholic education ought to be willing to measure itself against that teaching. I have done so with the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, and I am glad to testify that our work satisfies it. What follows is not a claim to perfection. It is an account, point by point, of how the Academy was founded, how it is ordered, and why I believe it answers what the Holy Father asked of Catholic educators. The … Continue

Today is Monday, October 5th, 2026, and I’m William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. Yesterday I published a talk titled “How to Choose a Homeschool Curriculum,” and I received a couple of comments—a little bit of feedback on that video—asking me if I would talk about it a little bit more, especially as it relates to the last point that I made, about asking whether a certain homeschool program, plan, or curriculum is actually sustainable. So in this talk I’d like to expand on that a little bit, and talk about what it means for a homeschool program … Continue

Today is October 2nd, 2026. I’m William Michael, the headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I’d like to post another Walk Talk on a topic that I think is of interest to many Catholics—maybe even every Catholic. And I was prompted to take up this topic today by a request from a friend who’s associated with the Academy, who asked if I would take some time to reflect on questions where we have decisions to make and our consciences are disturbed, but we really can’t be certain about what we should do. The problem: uncertainty of conscience These are … Continue

Today is October 1st, 2026, and I’m William Michael. I’m the headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I’ve had a topic on my mind for some time that I’ve been planning to talk about. It started to haunt me, and I realized it was a really important concept. I was reading a book that’s commonly used in our Dominican formation program, a book titled Dominican Spirituality. And I saw a quote in that book, and the moment I read the quote, I felt like a light went on inside my mind, and I felt: that’s important. This quote, this … Continue