Educational Problems

I. Problems of Adult Learners (Personal Study, Conversion, or Intellectual Formation)

Many adults come to CLAA not looking for credentials first, but for intellectual order.

1. I was never properly educated and feel intellectually underdeveloped.
2. I can read books but do not know how to study them seriously.
3. I lack a coherent framework for understanding philosophy, theology, and the sciences.
4. I have read many authors but see no unity among them.
5. Modern education trained me to collect information, not to think.
6. I feel intellectually immature despite being professionally successful.
7. I want to study the classical liberal arts but do not know where to begin.
8. I am drawn to classical education but find most resources superficial or romanticized.
9. I want disciplined study, not casual “interest-based” learning.
10. I want to understand why things are true, not merely what is asserted.
11. I am overwhelmed by books, podcasts, and online content and want structured guidance.
12. I want education that respects truth and objective standards, not opinions.
13. I want to think clearly about faith, reason, and the modern world.
14. I want to escape ideological education without falling into anti-intellectualism.
15. I want to study at a serious level but cannot attend a traditional university.
16. I distrust modern academia but still want rigorous intellectual formation.
17. I want to pursue lifelong learning without being patronized or infantilized.
18. I want education that strengthens moral judgment, not just technical skill.
19. I want to understand the roots of Western civilization rather than its modern fragments.
20. I want to study seriously while balancing work, family, and obligations.

II. Problems of Catholic Adult Learners (Distinct but Overlapping)

These problems are often religious in origin but educational in nature.

21. I was catechized poorly and know it.
22. I want to understand the faith intellectually, not just devotionally.
23. I feel embarrassed by how little theology or philosophy I actually know.
24. I want to reconcile faith and reason without modern compromises.
25. I want to understand Church teaching historically and philosophically.
26. I want education that assumes Catholic teaching is true, not “one option.”
27. I want to escape shallow apologetics and slogans.
28. I want to understand Aquinas, Augustine, and Aristotle without dilution.
29. I want formation that strengthens my conscience and judgment.
30. I want education that prepares me to answer serious objections to the faith.

III. Problems of Parents Considering Enrollment for Children

Parents usually feel anxiety, dissatisfaction, or urgency—often several at once.

31. My child is not being truly educated.
32. My child is passing grades but not learning deeply.
33. My child lacks discipline, focus, or intellectual seriousness.
34. My child is bored, disengaged, or unchallenged.
35. My child has learned to comply but not to think.
36. My child lacks a coherent worldview.
37. My child is overwhelmed by modern school demands but underdeveloped intellectually.
38. My child’s education feels fragmented and incoherent.
39. I do not trust modern educational philosophies.
40. I feel responsible for my child’s education but lack expertise.
41. I want my child to learn to reason, not merely to perform tasks.
42. I want my child to read difficult texts with understanding.
43. I want my child trained in logic, grammar, and clear expression.
44. I want an education that forms judgment and character.
45. I fear my child is being trained for conformity, not truth.

IV. Problems of Catholic Parents (Often Stronger and More Urgent)

These parents usually feel moral responsibility more than convenience concerns.

46. My child is receiving implicit anti-Catholic assumptions in modern education.
47. My child is being formed by secular ideologies rather than truth.
48. I want my child’s education to align with the teaching of the Church.
49. I do not want my child to be taught that truth is subjective.
50. I want education ordered toward wisdom, not careerism.
51. I want my child prepared to live faithfully in a hostile culture.
52. I want my child to understand the faith intellectually, not just emotionally.
53. I want my child trained to think clearly about moral issues.
54. I want my child to understand philosophy before being exposed to modern theories.
55. I want my child to be educated, not indoctrinated.
56. I want an education that forms conscience, reason, and will together.

V. Problems of Homeschooling Parents Specifically

These are practical, long-term burdens.

57. I am overwhelmed by curriculum decisions.
58. I do not trust most homeschool materials.
59. I feel unqualified to teach advanced subjects.
60. I worry about gaps in my child’s education.
61. I want structure without chaos.
62. I want standards, not arbitrary grading.
63. I want accountability without micromanagement.
64. I want my child’s education to be coherent from beginning to end.
65. I want serious education without constant lesson planning.
66. I want to avoid trendy or experimental methods.
67. I want confidence that my child’s work actually means something.

VI. Problems Related to Credentials, Outcomes, and the Future

These often surface later in the disputation.

68. I worry my child will not be prepared for adulthood.
69. I worry about college readiness without modern schooling.
70. I worry about social credibility of nontraditional education.
71. I want my child to stand out intellectually, not blend in.
72. I want education that will still matter in 20 years.
73. I want formation that cannot be automated or replaced by AI.
74. I want education ordered toward wisdom, not obsolete skills.
75. I want education that prepares students to judge modern claims intelligently.

VII. Problems of Disillusioned Educated Adults

These prospects are especially important for CLAA.

76. I earned degrees but feel no wiser.
77. I learned to argue but not to understand.
78. I was trained to critique tradition, not inherit it.
79. I distrust institutions but still desire authority and order.
80. I feel intellectually homeless.
81. I want to rebuild my education from first principles.

Do you have a problem that is not included on this list? Please contact us.

Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy