Dear teaching assistants,

Thank you for helping us in the work of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy.  Our mission in education is very different from that of modern schools, and it's important to know that assignments and grading are also very different.  We have to know our principles in education and cling to them.  Families will come and go--that's their choice.  We must commit to principles, not people.

Almost all of the parents we deal wth have been educated in modern schools.  They have not studied the classical liberal arts, have not completed Academy courses themselves and, many of them, as you'll see, are enrolled in the Academy though they do not share our goals.  Many are interested in the CLAA for one reason:  it's inexpensive.  They are hoping to use the CLAA to do their own will and save money in homeschooling.  Many families will come in, not like what we do and leave.  That is perfecty alright.  In fact, it's why we like to have monthly enrollment plans.  Everyone is free to leave.  The CLAA is not for everyone, so if you find a parent or student complaining, don't think it is your responsibility to make them love the CLAA or do what they want you to do.  The CLAA is one of many options for them and they can go elsewhere.

In modern schools, teachers give students assignments to get grades into the gradebook.  The teacher assigns the work, students submit the work before a deadline (if they do it), the teacher grades their work and they move on.  The problem with this is that teachers can't give all students Fs on their assignments, so teachers design assignments that are easy enough for most students to pass and they grade them thinking of the problems that would arise if too many students had very low scores.  The assessment system is not objective and regular, but subjective and arbitrary, being left entirely to the whim of the teacher.

In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we are not using assignments to get grades into the gradebook.  We are using assignments to give students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their mastery of our course lessons.  The assignments are prepared in consideration of course goals and there is one standard for all students.  It is our desire for all students to study carefully and completely and then prove their learning by submitting excellent work. 

If students do not earn 100% scores on their assignments, they are expected to go back to their lessons and study more.  They are expected to continue working until they earn a 100% score.  We are willing to grade and re-grade their submissions (which modern teachers don't do), so we can afford to be strict in grading.  Students are not stuck with low grades if they do poorly.  They are challenged to study more carefully and do better.  We are helping them work to master their lessons, something modern schools do not do.  

Homeschool parents who enroll children in the CLAA are in charge of their children's studies.  They can choose what courses they wish for their children to study, how they will study, etc. They can choose to study, mark lessons complete and move to the next lessons without submitting assessments.  They cannot, however, have whatever rewards they want unless they earn them according to our requirements.  Parents may assess their children's work and give their children grades, make their own transcripts and diplomas, etc..  They cannot, however, tell CLAA staff to mark assessments complete that the children have not submitted to.  They cannot tell the CLAA staff to give their children CLAA certificates or transacript grades or diplomas.  We evaluate the work according to our standards; we assign the grades; we issue the certificates, etc..   They are in charge of their homeschools, not our school.

In modern schools, students often submit terrible work and teachers are left to agonize over it to try and find some virtue that allows them to avoid giving a failing grade.  The pressure is put on the teachers to figure out whether the student has studied, what the student is trying to say, whether the student is cheating, etc.  In the CLAA, we don't do things that way. It is the student's responisbility to prove that he has studied the lesson carefully and completely, and we are looking not to see if we can find a reason to give a student a good score, but to see if the student has succeeded in proving that he has studied the lesson (not other sources) carefully and completely.  If you do not feel that a student has proven that he studied the lesson carefully and completely, that's that.    

Many imagine that lowering standards of study and assessment will make children happier, but our goal is not to make children "happy" in this shallow, short-sighted sense.  Oour goal is to help children become strong, independent students.  This takes time and effort.  Most students come into the CLAA with bad habits and their first lessons are slow and painful.  They have to learn to study carefully and completely, to answer questions accurately, to write properly, and so on.  Our standards force them to get better.  Normally, after a few slow and difficult lessons, they become accustomed to the standard and submit improved work.  That's the goal!  If students get frustrated with those first lessons, complain to their parents and the parents side with the children, they will likely need to find another study program.  We are not here to approve whatever students do.  Our students need us to help them grow.

Parents and students often complain about things and suggest that we change the way things are done but those same parents and students complain when they are different.  It's very easy to divide good students from children (and parents) who really aren't interested in studying.  If students won't follow instuctions on assignments, they also won't follow instructions on quizzes.  The parents who complain about one thing will also complain about the alternative.  Meanwhile, the good students will be humming along, following instructions, earning good scores and making progress.  Many changes will be suggested, but changing things won't necessarily change things. We in the CLAA are not on trial; students are on trial.  We are helping them by arranging the best curriculum, providing the study materials, offering assessment, providing feedback, etc.  Again, if parents hate what we do, they can go elsewhere.  There are reasons we do what we do, which I'm happy to explain.

If you're ever uncertain about an assignment or situation, ask for help.  We know that parents and students can be difficult.  We know that some circumstances can be confusing.  Sometimes, our assignments need to be improved.  We're constantly working to identify problems and improve our program, and our discussions of troubles that arise are an important part of the work we do.  Communicate freely with Dania, who can freely communicate with me as needed.  

I appreciate your willingness to help and hope that you succeed and enjoy the work.  I trust that in the future more opportunities will develop and allow our collaboration to grow deeper.  

God bless your work,

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

P.S.  The reason I add "Mr." before my name in writing is because, as a Lay Dominican, it's important to show that I am not a priest, but a layman.  I do not include it because I wish to be referred to as "Mr. Michael".  Feel free to call me "William" or "Bill" in our communication.