Our Philosophy and Teaching Practices

At St Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy,

we embrace the following philosophies and ensure:

the imbuement of Holy Mother Church and her teachings in all of our academic studies
the recognition that parents are the primary educators of their children and have an important role in their children’s growth and development of wisdom and virtue
the centrality of Historical studies through a rigorous and thorough examination of man’s response to grace throughout the ages
the pairing of Literature with the Historical time-period being studied using primary sources, rather than the use of commentaries, summaries, or interpretations of historical events
the importance of storytelling and recitation throughout all grade levels, especially in the primary grades;
the study of Latin to enrich one’s vocabulary and dialectical reasoning, to appreciate the impact of Western Civilization on the modern world, and to more intimately unite the student with the ageless wisdom of the Catholic Church through her original Latin writings
the importance of creating a learning environment focused on presence and joyful learning

At St Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy,

we embrace the following practices in our teaching:

to encourage a learning environment which is unique and personal to each individual child and which seeks to love each student with the Heart of our Redeemer
to encourage the engendering of the four cardinal virtues —prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance — as well as humility, charity, gratitude, perseverance, and compassion in all of our thoughts and actions
to encourage the development of the imagination and the appeal to the human heart – where the battle between good and evil is continuously fought
to teach according to the natural development of the child through the use of both Mimetic and Socratic teaching
to provide a careful and comprehensive study of the natural sciences, which builds upon and enhances the study of mathematics, revealing the intelligible ordering, composition, and wonder of God's design and providence in the natural world
to encourage a pronounced attention to the fine arts (music, drama, visual arts), to enhance the development of intellectual virtue and to encourage the ordering of our bodies to conformity with right reasoning
to foster a school culture that demands moral virtue, decorum, respect, discipline, and a love of learning among the students and faculty
to foster an emphasis on the love of learning for the sake of learning, not simply to pass a test or to acquire a good grade
to provide an environment which focuses on presence, naturally excluding the use of technology in the classsrom