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You will never guess the course of studies which existed at the beginning of the English university system in the medieval world. I am studying a course at the University of Oxford entitled The Architecture of the English Medieval Cathedral. One of the assigned texts is The History of England’s Cathedrals by Nicholas Orme. For those interested in church architecture and the history of English Catholic worship in general, it is a helpful read, even as it is told from a secular perspective. One significant theme is the role played by Cathedrals (which were not so called until the modern … Continue

Since I began in classical studies, in 1995, I have used digital texts. Yes, I have studied Latin and Greek, ancient history, the classical liberal arts, philosophy and theology, but it hasn’t been with dusty old books in dark libraries. It’s been with powerful document databases, websites and PDFs. The greatest libraries in the world offer millions of books, journal articles and other resources, online. I am currently studying at Harvard University. My courses are online. My study materials are online. Professors provide students with free, digital texts. I have four children in college at three different colleges and I … Continue

Today is Saturday, December 14, 2024, and this is William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. This week, I received an email from a homeschooling mother who asked me to share my thoughts about the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method or Charlotte Mason homeschool programs. She noticed on the Classical Liberal Arts Academy website that I don’t have much to say about Charlotte Mason, and in her homeschool circles, it seems that Charlotte Mason is most of what the homeschooling mothers talk about. And so she asked if I would share my thoughts on Charlotte Mason and Charlotte Mason homeschool … Continue

Today is Monday, December 16, and this is William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. A few days ago, I posted a talk on the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education because I was asked—actually by a number of parents—if I would share my thoughts on Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy. After posting that talk, I began to receive feedback requesting more information, more commentary, more explanation, and so on. While I can understand why homeschooling parents would like me to go further into detail in addressing Charlotte Mason’s homeschool philosophy, I don’t believe it is prudent to do … Continue

Today is Tuesday, December 17, 2024, and this is William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. Today, I’d like to take some time to talk about the natural order of the family. This concept of the family or the household is not a Christian idea. Often, when we talk about these things, modern people roll their eyes at us and scoff, as if this is some crazy Christian fundamentalist idea that Christians are trying to impose on society, when in fact, the order of the family is something that is actually established in nature. One of the goals of … Continue

  Today is Thursday, December 19, 2024 and this is William Michael of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I’m sorry if my voice sounds a little hoarse, but we’re very busy in the midst of holiday preparations with kids coming home from all over the country, and we were up late last night, so I’m a little groggy this morning, but I wanted to post a talk to share some really great news for students of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. I’ve been asked for years by parents if the Classical Liberal Arts Academy provides diplomas and transcripts, and I … Continue

In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we know that success requires a lot of individual student effort and study. Unfortunately, this kind of self-motivated study does not come easily. This is so because it is the opposite of what has been established as the norm in schools for a hundred years. Homeschools are no different. Children are taught to sit and wait for the teacher or parent to direct (which in some cases means limit) the activity of the students. This recent talk discusses why modern education has distorted the role of the teacher. This other talk shows demonstrably that … Continue

This morning, I received the following message: Mr Michael, I’ve been reading and studying CLAA curriculum and your thoughts on traditional classical education with great interest and intrigue! I was especially focused on the Quadrivium and mathematics, as I believe my classical Christian school falls short in these areas. How would you propose reimagining modern mathematics in light of technological advances such that students can truly learn to think and reason and understand concepts and not just know how to push the right buttons on a calculator? How would such courses still prepare students for college admissions? I see your … Continue