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In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we provide rigorous comprehension assessments that challenge students to thoroughly study lessons and demonstrate their understanding of important concepts. These assessments will be difficult for most students because they require careful study and thoughtful, well-written responses. Students may benefit from seeing a model for imitation. This morning, I completed and submitted the Comprehension Assessment for the first lesson in the Academy’s course on Aristotle’s Politics. The assignment probebly took me an hour to complete, while I managed other tasks in a comfortable way. This is how real academic work is normally done in real-life … Continue

Summary Young Catholic couples should not feel pressured to have large families by cultural or political messaging. Decisions about children must be made prudently and privately by husband and wife, based on their real circumstances, including health, finances, and social environment. Large families are not a requirement of Catholic teaching, and having many children should not be treated as an ideal in itself. Couples must avoid unrealistic expectations about marriage and parenting, especially the assumption that they can easily raise perfectly devout children regardless of circumstances. Family life is long, demanding work that requires serious preparation, patience, and adaptability. Rather … Continue

One tool I use daily for study and writing is Verbum, which is one of the largest digital libraries available for Catholic books. I’m happy to announce that Verbum has added the Classical Liberal Arts Academy to its list of recognized colleges, seminaries and universities, and offers 30-50% off on its academic software for enrolled students. To request this discount, you will need a letter from the CLAA verifying your enrollment status, which we’re happy to provide. Verbum is highly recommended. God bless your studies, Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.HeadmasterClassical Liberal Arts Academy

In the present age of artificial intelligence, it has become common to assert that man is superior to machines. This claim is often made as though it were obvious, needing no defense. Yet when examined carefully, it becomes clear that such a statement is usually made in a generic and theoretical sense rather than in an individual and actual one. Machines already surpass many men not only in tasks associated with intelligence, but also in efficiency, consistency, and productivity in work. This fact forces us to reconsider what is really meant by human superiority. The question must therefore be posed … Continue

Summary Living with strong convictions in a free and diverse society requires a clear distinction between private and public life. In private life, individuals may order their actions entirely according to their own beliefs. In public life, however, they must respect the equal rights and freedoms of others and cannot treat shared spaces as extensions of their own authority. The expression of beliefs requires prudence. While individuals are free to speak according to their convictions, public and professional contexts impose real consequences, which must be accepted as part of living in a free society rather than interpreted as violations of … Continue

In my work in the Classical Liberal Arts Academy I receive contacts from schools that acknowledge their awareness that the current school model is not sustainable and that improvement is needed. They are ready for change but there is a problem: being educated in modern schools themselves, and having no idea where to look for solutions, they are stuck. There is little to no knowledge of alternatives to the ordinary arrangement and operation of modern K-12 schools. The schools are not goal-oriented and designed for success in the present generation. They are still operating as schools did 30 years ago. … Continue

The relationship between the Bible, philosophy, and classical education is often misunderstood in modern discussions, especially among Christians. It is commonly assumed that the Bible replaces all other forms of knowledge, or that the world before Scripture was largely ignorant and in need of correction. From this assumption, it follows that children should be taught to consider only the Bible as a source of truth, as if it were sufficient for all intellectual development. Some even quote passages like 2 Timothy 3:15-16 as proof of this. However, when we examine the history of philosophy, the teaching of the Church Fathers, … Continue

Before any student can profit from the study of the arts and sciences, he must understand that knowledge does not fall from heaven, nor is it to be obtained by memorizing information put in front of us. All true learning depends upon a right order of inquiry, and the sciences themselves were originally established by men who followed this order carefully and consistently. If we are to receive their work rightly, we must understand the path by which they arrived at their conclusions. This article, therefore, explains the methods of investigation that govern all sound reasoning and scientific knowledge as … Continue