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The research and writing done by the
Classical Liberal Arts Academy is
done in rural North Carolina from our farm, where we practice the
Dominican principles of prayer, study, community and apostolate. We are
members of the Catholic laity, conforming in all things to the
Magisterium of the Catholic Church and particularly devoted to the
spirituality of St. Dominic (1170-1221).
In the country, we enjoy a quiet and
peaceable life which gives us the freedom to "contemplate and to hand on
the fruit of contemplation" as the Dominican motto states. This
simplicity allows us to produce a quantity and quality of educational
resources at an affordable price which few others can.
Our financial freedom allows us to
produce philosophically sound educational materials without the pressure
of mass marketing or sales, which seem to always corrupt education and
promote an endless cycle of fads.
In fact, since our founding, we
have spent nothing on advertising. News of the CLAA has traveled
as a result of awards earned, friendships made and colleagues gained as
God has willed.
WILLIAM MICHAEL,
FOUNDER
 Mr.
Michael is a father of seven, married to his high school sweetheart and
fellow classicist, Dania Michael. Mr. Michael was born and
baptized Roman Catholic, but left the Church until his "reversion" in
2005.
Mr.
Michael graduated with an honors degree in Classics and Ancient History
from Rutgers University, where he earned numerous academic awards and
was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
The next ten years were
devoted to a remarkable teaching career, where he was
known for radically influencing the intellectual and spiritual lives of
his students (see comments at right). Mr. Michael's courses
included Classical Disputation, World History, Literature, Philosophy,
Greek, Latin and AP Spanish. Mr. Michael was known for his routine
of teaching daily in four different languages.
His classical disputation
classes were jam-packed, in which students presented their
personal views on controversial issues and then defended themselves
against the objections of a room full of peers and teachers who were
awarded for finding the presenter's weaknesses. The most popular
disputations were his own, when he would take the podium himself to
defend apparently ridiculous arguments such as "That Diet Coke is
healthier than Orange Juice"--an argument that former students are still
trying to answer.
However, the source of Mr. Michael's
success with students was his own passion for wisdom and happiness along
with his desire to aggressively draw those around him after higher and
better things. Ultimately, this vision was drawing him away from full-time classroom teaching. The desire to
fulfill St. Paul's exhortation to live a "quiet and peaceable life,
working with our hands" moved him to step back from full-time classroom
instruction to spend more time learning about real life himself and
answering his own philosophical and theological questions.
The wild success of what
was a classical Rhetoric course in a modern school environment confirmed
Mr. Michael's secret persuasion: that the time was ripe for the
restoration of the classical liberal arts curriculum in its undiluted
historical form. In 2008 a fellow teacher wrote in a note, "Your
courses change people's lives and you will succeed in whatever you do."
Those words provided the last push of confidence that led to the
launching of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. In the middle of
August, Mr. Michael decided to follow what was perceived to be God's
will, giving up his full-time teaching post. Within two months,
without a penny spent on advertising, the CLAA was self-sustaining and
flooded with requests for information.
Less than one year later, the
CLAA has students of all ages around the world. While working
daily in the CLAA office (on the farm!), Mr. Michael has not neglected his teaching
gifts and continues to teach advanced Classics courses in his
former school school, small private groups in the Charlotte area and (of course) his own children.
THE FUTURE OF THE CLAA
Since the opening of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy in August of
2008, interest and enrollment have increased steadily. Most
importantly, God has orchestrated a number of amazing partnerships that
we believe will allow the CLAA to achieve many wonderful things sooner
than we ever imagined. Unfortunately, with all of this in the
works, we can't yet disclose the details.
Nevertheless, adults are
working through the Praeceptor training courses and will soon possess
the knowledge and skills needed to bring classical liberal arts
instruction into their own communities.
Students of all ages are
engaged in classical liberal arts studies and are learning what their
parents thought would be impossible before they began.
Word of the CLAA is spreading
rapidly throughout private school and home school circles with the
success of current students silencing complaints of impracticality.
Families who continue to lack a sense of fulfillment in their children's
education, despite making great gains in home schooling, are finding in
the CLAA the answers to many of their deepest questions.
Families are being set free
from the unrealistic expectations of home schooling and are experiencing
the trickle-down effect that the CLAA has in all areas of family life.
Most of all, thousands of
people are praying daily for the success of the the CLAA, which ensures
us that God continues to go before, enlightening our path and
strengthening us in the work. If God be for us, none can be
against us.
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FEEDBACK
"Mr. Michael's
courses are legendary. The magnitude of this man’s influence at
our school reaches the level of a Hollywood drama. Like the
inspirational characters from Dead Poets Society, The Emperor’s
Club, and Coach Carter, Bill Michael has revolutionized the
lives of numerous young people. In all of my years of teaching,
I have never witnessed a teacher make such an extensive impact
on students...He’s a man of outstanding moral integrity, he’s
culturally relevant and in-tuned...and he seems to know
something about everything. He may be the most brilliant man I
have ever met."
Upper School Theology Teacher
Charlotte Christian School
"Mr. Michael
changes your life. He gives you spiritual guidance, forces you
to use your mind and think, challenges you in every aspect of
your life, and by the time he is finished with you, you’re able
to think clearly and wisely. His ability to connect with you on
any subject is phenomenal. Any subject, any time, any place, he
is well prepared to teach and guide you. Most importantly he has
made me a better person. I can’t say that about any teacher I’ve
ever had in my life. He has dedicated his whole entire life to
God’s work, and is a spitting image of what Jesus wants us to
be. I don’t think many people can say they know somebody like
that. Mr. Michael has changed my life.
Former Student
Roanoke College '12
"Mr.
Michael's teaching has provided me a firm base of learning in Logic
and Rhetoric...I use his
teachings everyday and the overall background that
he provided me with has helped me defend Christianity."
Clint Irwin,
Former Student
Elon University '11
Political Science, Men's Soccer
"Mr. Michael is the kind of
teacher that we should be very thankful to have...It is so
refreshing to come across an educator who understands how
different children learn and progress... His love for God's
children and his desire to reach all students is an
incredible blessing to us all."
High School Mother
Charlotte, NC
"I
just wanted to write a quick note to tell you--I LOVE THIS
SCHOOL! The amount of thought put into every lesson is
outstanding. GOD BLESS YOU!."
Homeschool Father
Englewood, CO
"Words cannot adequately express my thanks and excitement...All four
of my children are so excited. Thank you so much again
for sharing your gift of teaching with our families."
Homeschool Mother
Charlotte, NC
"My classical education has definitely prepared me.
I most value our discussions of Plato and Aristotle, as their
philosophies seem to come up in almost every liberal arts class I take.
Above all, it has helped me learn to think, which Princeton has
definitely continued to do."
Former Student
Princeton University, '11
Civil Engineering, Architecture
"You're the only one that can tolerate such
ridiculous amounts of retardation in the classroom yet somehow
effectively put knowledge into our brains."
Former
Student
World History
"We started our 11
year old son with Mr. Michael's grammar class this year. Even though it
is a lot of work, my son really enjoys the lessons. He said, "I am
learning more Latin in a week than the past half year. It feels good to
work hard!." We enrolled him in this program because we believe it
is more important for our kids to think beautiful thoughts and gain
wisdom than to simply gain information and skills. Moreover, we believe
this classical education method provides more rigorous training in their
understanding of English grammar and study of ancient wisdom through
great classical literature, especially later on in the original
languages.
Since this education
method was completely new to me, I had numerous questions before and
after we enrolled our son to the long distance education program. I am
indeed impressed with Mr. Michael's prompt answers to all of my
questions. He really goes at length to give our family wise advice for
educational choices and curriculum planning. I can tell Mr. Michael really wants to form the children in
their whole person, intellectually and spiritually, and it is this kind
of instructor that I feel confident to entrust my children to."
Homeschool Mother
Notre Dame University
South Bend, IN
"I cannot tell you enough or express in the right words how much
we appreciate, and are now more at ease, this year.
Understanding what you are offering and knowing I am now giving
them just what they need, homeschooling does not feel so
overwhelming. Thank you for taking the time to bring this
treasure of the true classical curriculum back and thank you for
helping us to implement and understand it. I think I am getting
my sanity back."
Homeschool Mother
Charlotte, NC
Private Instruction
"I find it encouraging to know of
your work... so necessary for our times.
Many thanks for your ministry. May you be blessed!"
Seminarian,
Diocese of Paterson, NJ
Pontifical North American College
Rome
"Having just read your online article about why
schools fail, I just wanted to offer you a word
of thanks for having taken the time to put all
this down so clearly and succinctly. As a
British home educating mother of six sons (and a
new baby girl!) I have been struggling with
these issues for over a decade, trying not only
to put my own house in order, but also trying to
convince other parents not to repeat the
mistakes of the schools in their own homes.
It breaks my heart to see good Catholic parents
spending a small fortune on materials which do
nothing but bring all the errors of the school
system into the home (albeit with a lovely piece
of Catholic artwork on the cover..). I will
encourage some of the other parents I know to
read your article, which puts it all so much
more succinctly than I have managed to do over
the years! Thanks again, and keep up the
good work!
Homeschooling Mother
United Kingdom
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