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“Who is not struck with beholding your lively faith; your piety full of sweetness and modesty; your generous hospitality; the holiness which reigns within your families; the serenity and innocence of your conversation?” St. Clement, Pope and Martyr, First Epistle to the Corinthians. “All the institutions and ordinances which God has created in civil society or bestowed upon his Church, have for their main purpose to secure the existence, the honor, and the happiness of every home in the community, from that of the sovereign or supreme magistrate to that of the most obscure individual who labors to rear a … Continue

During enrollment season, we get calls and messages from parents asking about homeschool accreditation.  The answer is very simple–NO–for two very simple reasons: What is Accreditation? “Accreditation” is something modern schools use to persuade parents that their program is trustworthy when there’s nothing better for them to trust in.  Modern Catholic homeschool programs, for example, can’t appeal to Catholic history because they’re not teaching what the saints studied.  They have to offer parents the same thing the local public school has to offer:  secular accreditation.  Accreditation is not something parents must seek to teach their own children.  Doing so makes … Continue

In the book of Psalms, David speaks of contenment with one’s lot in life: The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me.  (Psalm 16:6) In modern society, there is often a strong separation between our spiritual lives and our practical lives in the world.  Sure, we may go to Mass, say our prayers, and so on, but when it’s time to deal with “real life” issues–education, college, career, business, and so on, there seems to be little relation between what goes on in our “spiritual life” and what goes on everywhere else.  … Continue

In this passage, from De Doctrina Christiana, St. Augustine discusses the relation between the study of Natural Philosophy and Sacred Scripture, which is relevant for CLAA students. “There is also a species of narrative resembling description, in which not a past but an existing state of things is made known to those who are ignorant of it. To this species belongs all that has been written about the situation of places, and the nature of animals, trees, herbs, stones, and other bodies. And of this species I have treated above, and have shown that this kind of knowledge is serviceable … Continue

Deciding to homeschool your children is a noble decision in this generation.  If you are willing to learn, you will find that you can provide your children with a far better education at home than they could ever receive in a modern school.  One of the first challenges is establishing a productive and sustainable routine, and that requires creating a homeschool schedule. This article expands upon a recent notice sent to CLAA families which was followed up on the CLAA Family Forum. If you find this helpful, we can continue the discussion and maybe take each part step-by-step. Definitions: Goal: … Continue

In the first lesson, we considered the philosophical foundations of the classical liberal arts curriculum and tracked its earliest progress. We saw that God equipped man with a reasonable soul. We looked at the operations of the mind and how the mind relentlessly attacks any and every object of perception. We also looked at the cause of divine revelation and how it, in conjunction with the mind, guides men into all truth. Lastly we looked at the example of Moses to whom the earliest and greatest gifts of revelation were granted. In this second lesson we will connect two important … Continue

Many coming into the Classical Liberal Arts Academy treat me with suspicion when I speak of teaching the seven classical liberal arts.  Throughout history, the classical liberal arts were the ONLY studies known to Catholics, and the focus of the education of every saint you can name. In fact, the Catholic Encyclopedia, published in 1907, had this wonderful entry on the seven liberal arts, which I publish in full: The Seven Liberal Arts Source:  Catholic Encylopedia, 1907 “The expression artes liberales, chiefly used during the Middle Ages, does not mean arts as we understand the word at this present day, … Continue

If you browse the websites of Catholic schools, or homeschool publishers, you will often see the image above.  It is called the “Hortus Deliciarum” (The Garden of Delights), and is taken from a book that was published in the 1100s.  Yes, its 900 years old. The schools and websites that share this image do so because it’s pretty and interesting.  What this image teaches us, however, is that there is only one Catholic curriculum. Yet, despite decorating their websites and catalogs with this  image, the schools and homeschool programs want nothing to do with it.  Most of them have absolutely … Continue