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In our studies, there’s a difference between having a good, general education and having an education that prepares us for our duties in life.  We must pursue both simultaneously, and that requires that we understand the difference between mastery and familiarity in our studies. When we consider the chief end of our lives, to save our souls, we can see pretty quickly that some subjects need to be studied for mastery.  These would include Scripture and Catechism, Ethics, Grammar, Reasoning and Rhetoric.  We want to master those subjects so that we can benefit from the use of them.  This pursuit … Continue

I’d like to discuss an important topic that’s central to what we do in the classical Liberal Arts Academy and will become increasingly so as we pursue the long term objective of our program, which is to provide extraordinary students with a degree in a bachelor in classical Christian studies degree and, and present that as sort of the the final achievement of our program. The topic that I’d like to talk about, I’m going to title, the consequences of secular occupations, the consequences of secular occupations. In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we teach a course of studies that’s … Continue

For most students, their homeschool years are going to end when they apply for admission to a selective college or university. When they do, the admission reps will look at their application and ask a few simple questions. As an example, Harvard University asks the following questions: Have you reached your maximum academic and personal potential? Have you been stretching yourself? Have you been working to capacity in your academic pursuits, your full-time or part-time employment, or other areas? Do you have reserve power to do more? How have you used your time? Do you have initiative? Are you a … Continue

It’s common for any parent to hear their children complaining that they are “bored” and that there’s “nothing to do”. It may be true, in some cases, that parents aren’t doing enough to provide their children with enough activity. Many parents appear to want their children to be quiet and stay out of the way–and those parents get what they deserve. That’s not parenting. Other parents, however, provide their children with access to far more than most children in the world, or in world history, have access to and find their children complaining that they’re bored. This can be distressing … Continue

What are the modern K-12 requirements? In modern schools, the following subjects are considered to be “required” for a modern high school diploma, and for consideration for college admission: 4 years of English Language Arts 4 years of Mathematics 4 years of Foreign Language 4 years of Natural Sciences 4 years of Social Studies By “year” is meant 120 hours of teacher-guided activity time, which breaks down to 40 minutes per day for 180 days of the year. Why are these requirements not appropriate for homeschool students? The public school is intended to provide a basic education to students and … Continue

It is unfortunate that no English culture has developed in the Roman Catholic Church. This has led to a false dilemma, about which Catholics fight–one side contenting themselves with nothing and the other ridiculously arguing that the Church should re-install Latin language and culture. Thankfully, the Church has approved of the use of the Anglican Book of Prayer and King James Bible through Pope Benedict’s creation of the Anglican Ordinariate, and beautiful English culture has been made available to Catholics. In these posts, I plan to introduce families to a tradition I have always enjoyed, that of Anglican Chant. Psalm … Continue